The release of He’s All That has revitalized interest in the practice of remaking popular teen romantic comedies. As a gender-swapped version of She’s All That, the movie is notable for bringing in an updated feel of the same story that is relevant to viewers of today.
To this end, it’s interesting to consider other teen romantic comedies from back in the day that will benefit from seeing remakes of their own. Elements like social media, diversity and representation, and plots that place emphasis on inner beauty, among more, can truly appeal to audiences. It’s worth taking a look at the romantic comedies that are best-placed to be adapted once again.
The Princess Diaries (2001)
Julie Andrews and Anne Hathaway starred in this massively successful movie that led to a follow-up as well. The story of Mia Thermopolis being whisked away into the life of a princess is still a favorite amongst fans, and it’s similar to She’s All That in many ways (including how the main character gets a makeover and suddenly shoots up in popularity).
A remake would go a long way in fixing some things about Princess Diaries’ Mia that didn’t make sense, such as her being branded as a loser simply for wearing glasses and having bushy hair. The reboot can focus more on the idea of recognizing self-worth while delivering the same romance Mia shared with her high school sweetheart.
Bend It Like Beckham (2002)
The story of Jess Bhamra (Parminder Nagra), a teenager from a conservative Indian family in London secretly playing football, was highly progressive during the time of its release. It’s generally seen as one of the teen movies that deserved a sequel, although the long gap since means a remake would be better suited for viewers of today.
A new version of the movie can fully dive into Indian customs and portray Jess’ background in greater detail. There’s even room for a change of setting, such as moving the backdrop to a different city or aging up the characters to college. However, with Jess and Joe's romance being one of the things that haven't aged well, the writers would be best replacing this storyline altogether.
What A Girl Wants (2003)
Amanda Bynes starred as Daphne Reynolds, an American teenager who runs off to England to meet her aristocratic father, Henry Dashwood (Colin Firth), who’s running for prime minister. Her presence changes Henry’s political campaign while Daphne falls in love with local boy Ian.
The movie is of the feel-good variety, where the clash of different cultures brings out the best in all the characters, with the theme would still hold up today. The idea of Daphne being a social media celebrity like He’s All That applied can also bring in a twist on the story if the story were to be modernized.
Drive Me Crazy (1999)
Released at the height of Melissa Joan Hart’s time as a teen sensation, she starred in Drive Me Crazy as Nicole Maris opposite Adrian Grenier’s Chase Hammond. The plot covered the duo’s plan of acting like a couple to make their romantic interests jealous, only to then fall in love with each other for real.
Although a story that has been seen plenty of times before, a remake could include several LGBTQ+ characters and have more diverse actors to make it more relatable and inclusive. The outline also works for teen rom coms in general and the proper chemistry between leads can make a new version of the movie as heartwarming as the original.
Clueless (1995)
Alicia Silverstone’s star-making movie remains a popular watch for teen rom-com enthusiasts and Clueless has aged well for the most part in the two decades. It features the “clueless” upper-class high schooler Cher who thinks that giving a classmate a makeover counts as a good deed, although she does truly mean well.
The movie will be perfect for the social media generation, seeing as Cher is supposed to be a highly popular girl who’s the talk of the town. The remake can also place greater emphasis on Cher learning that she was very superficial and touch upon the theme of self-confidence. It would also include a more diverse set of characters to reflect the high school environment.
Love Don't Cost a Thing
Interestingly, this teen rom-com starring Nick Cannon and Christina Milian is a remake of 1987’s Can’t Buy Me Love. The story is about a pair of teenagers, where popular girl Paris (Milian) agrees to pose as the girlfriend of the nerdy Alvin (Cannon) to make her ex jealous while turning Alvin popular in school.
With Can't Buy Me Love and Love Don't Cost A Thing proving to be a hit with the fans, it's more than likely that a remake would also be successful. If Hollywood or Netflix decided to produce another adaptation, then audiences are also hoping they will continue to be more diverse and inclusive by including LGBTQ+ characters too.
13 Going On 30
Just as popular today as it was upon release, Jennifer Garner’s character Jenna Rink’s wish to turn into a 30-year-old from a teenager is the outline for this movie. After realizing she became a horrible person as an adult, Jenna begins to make amends and tries to pursue a romance with her childhood friend.
With such a strong focus on fashion in 13 Going on 30, it will be interesting to see how a remake accommodates the latest trends of the industry. The use of social media will no doubt also play a huge factor in the new version. As was the case with He’s All That, the chance of seeing Jennifer Garner return for a different role as Rachel Leigh Cook did will also keep the interest high.
10 Things I Hate About You
10 Things I Hate About You was noted even at the time for changing teen rom-com dynamics, as the main character, Kat Stratford, wasn’t the usual overly romantic type. An adaptation of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, the movie saw Heath Ledger’s Patrick pursue her after being paid to woo her but genuinely falling for Kat in the end.
A similar premise to She’s All That, this rom-com will also do well by having a flipped remake where the male character is the “shrew” and finds love through the connection with his love interest. It would also be a good way to show how male roles in teen romantic comedies can also be sensitive types, which the original had done with the female character.