The release of He’s All That has delivered a similar viewing experience for the latest generation as She’s All That had done two decades prior. While the remake didn’t receive the best reviews from critics, it did fix some of the mistakes that had plagued the original.
The story of transforming a “loser” character into popularity didn’t necessarily age well for recent audiences but He’s All That managed to turn this around. While it’s debatable whether Cameron and Padgett’s romance will be as memorable as Zack and Laney’s romance from the first movie, it’s worth taking a recap at some of the great things the remake made.
Role Of Adult Characters
One of the reasons why She’s All That was a teen romantic comedy fans wanted a remake of was due to the popularity of its original stars. Rachel Leigh Cook and Matthew Lillard returned for He’s All That and had meatier roles than the adults in the original.
Leigh’s role as Padgett’s mother Anna had her directly involved in the story by providing valuable advice to Padgett. She showed up throughout the movie rather than only on occasion as Laney’s father had in She’s All That. Lillard's role as the school principal was for comic relief purposes but he received all the funniest lines to become a highly memorable part of the movie.
Development Of The Main Character
While Zack did learn that inner beauty was more important in She’s All That, he was still a pretty nice guy right from the start and didn’t change as much in the story. He’s All That showed Padgett as an altogether shallow person who put too much value on her social status and the story then saw her develop after that.
Her eventual decision to forego her social media celebrity in favor of love displayed her character development, with Padgett realizing that she’d been too worried about what people thought of her. It made for a good contrast between how she started out in the movie and the person she became at the end.
The Villain Getting Their Comeuppance
The lack of positive reviews may just make He’s All That one of Netflix’s so-bad-they're-good romance movies. Regardless, one thing it definitely did great was ensuring the antagonist didn’t get anything close to a satisfying ending.
Alden was the one who tricked Padgett into accepting the bet and did whatever she could to make the latter’s life difficult. In the end, not only didn’t she win the title of prom queen but she also came as low as fourth. In She’s All That, similarly antagonistic character Taylor ended up winning the title, which many fans hadn’t appreciated.
The Consequence Of Losing The Bet
As part of losing the bet in She’s All That, Zack had to attend his graduation naked. However, it is a rather problematic ending, seeing as it involved a young man openly flashing himself.
He’s All That did the consequence of losing the bet better by showing that Padgett had to get a “Loser” tattoo on her arm. It was played off just as well too, as she ended up getting one with Cameron to signify that they weren’t bothered and embraced it as a joke. It was also far less extreme than the original and more believable.
Bringing A Diverse Set Of Characters
While He’s All That might not be seen as one of the best romantic comedies in recent years, it does provide a more realistic representation of what a high school should look like. Unlike She’s All That, where the cast wasn’t very diverse, the remake made sure to be more inclusive.
The writers also included an LGBTQ+ romance between Nisha and Quinn, which was part of the subplot of the movie, and a well-developed storyline that allowed the viewers to see another side to the characters' personalities.
The Pre-Makeover Look
A criticism for She’s All That has always been the fact that Laney was deemed a loser because of her physical appearance. However, He’s All That had Cameron’s pre-makeover appearance be about the way he carried himself rather than using a stereotypical “loser” look.
Cameron wasn’t made out to be unattractive in any way, it was more to do with the way he talked to people. Yet, this ended up tying into Cameron's arc and explored in more depth.
Involvement Of The Protagonists' Friends
The original movie featured Laney’s friend Jesse but he wasn’t as consequential to the plot or her characterization as He’s All That’s Nisha was toward Cameron. The remake also gave Padgett a true friend in Quinn while She’s All That had seen Zack be pretty much on his own once his former friend Dean turned on him.
The greater involvement of the protagonists’ friends gave viewers further reasons to be invested in the story, as it wasn’t just about the two leads. It also helped give a better portrayal of Cameron and Padgett’s lives as they had people whom they could genuinely trust.
The Self-Worth Of The "Loser" Character
She’s All That showed Laney becoming confident after her makeover, implying that it was somehow tied to her self-worth. He’s All That was better in this regard by showing that Cameron didn’t really care what he looked like and that he’d always stood up for himself.
Where Laney was reduced to tears in the party scene during the original movie by her bully, Cameron bested his in the remake and wasn’t fazed in the slightest by any mockery. It was a better message to send viewers that feelings of adequacy aren’t tied to appearances and that someone isn’t a loser simply by how they look.