As a modern remake of She's All That, He's All That brings the high school makeover into the modern age with the help of social media. It's a creative way to highlight an oft-used trope in teen romantic comedies, but it also highlights just how smart this new generation of rom-com teens are.
In order to successfully make someone into a prom king, a character has to understand exactly what appeals to their classmates. Of course, that doesn't mean Padgett Sawyer is successful - or the smartest person in the movie. The way most of the main characters are keenly observant and socially savvy, however, does speak to their intelligence.
Quinn
Quinn falls into the teen rom-com trope of the sweet best friend instead of the mean girl of a best friend. (The latter is Alden's department). She doesn't get to show off her smarts too much in the movie, but she has two major points going for her that demonstrate she sees below the surface.
Quinn is one of the first people to recognize that Padgett isn't simply into making over Cameron for a bet. She recognizes that Padgett genuinely likes Cameron, even if Padgett isn't ready to admit it. Quinn also figures out, along with Alden, that Padgett isn't wealthy and that she doesn't live in the building where the two girls pick her up every day. She even recognizes that there's no way Nisha is into Cameron the same way Padgett is so clearly, Quinn is very good at reading people.
Celeste
Celeste's role in He's All That is a relatively small one. She's mostly a goth stereotype for teen movies but even in a small timeframe, showed off her smarts. Celeste is one of the few people to call out the pageantry and heteronormativity involved in voting for prom king and queen. She's right to recognize the contest as a sham in this particular situation as her classmates only seem to care about voting for the most famous people on the ballot.
Her speaking her mind to Cameron and still snagging that prom queen crown when Padgett gives it up, however, indicates that maybe she's not the only one who feels that way. Her role in the Netflix teen comedy may be small, but the character gets her point across.
Brin Kweller
Brin is the youngest of the main characters, and in a lot of ways, she's still very naive. After all, she decides to hang out with Jordan at a party right after he's caught on camera cheating on his girlfriend of the last few years. She's also, however, like Quinn, really good at reading people.
She's able to catalog a lot of the dos and don'ts when it comes to her brother very quickly for Padgett. Brin also isn't fooled by Padgett insisting she's just curious about Cameron. Brin sees Padgett as a way to bring her brother out of his shell, understanding that there's more to the two of them than just horseback riding lessons or photos. A couple more years of putting her people reading skills to the test, and she'll be less naive and even smarter.
Nisha
Cameron's best friend Nisha is a straight-talker with him. She doesn't sugarcoat anything, but she also doesn't pick fights when she disagrees with him. Those are great traits in a best friend - as are her powers of perception.
While Nisha might not actually have applied to the college she really wanted to go to, she is even more perceptive than Cameron's little sister. She catches on to the dynamic between Padgett and Cameron faster than anyone else in the movie. She's also got a knack for diffusing tension in awkward situations unless she actively decides to make it worse. If Nisha wanted to, she could probably be as manipulative as the mean girl at the center of the story, but she chooses to use her perceptive powers for good and protect her friend.
Principal Bosch
Though Principal Bosch is heard a lot throughout the school announcements in the movie, he isn't seen on screen much. He seems a little goofy at first, and a little behind the times, as his lack of understanding of a DJ working from his phone during the movie's prom night shows, but he's actually pretty bright.
He encourages his students to look beyond their phones and to be present in the moment. Bosch might not understand the social politics at play in the dance-off that occurs at prom, but he does understand that it gets his students to actually pay attention.
Cameron Kweller
Cameron has a lot of knowledge that his classmates don't possess. He's good with horses, knows his classic movies, and seems to have a knack for photography. A lot of his knowledge comes from a hands-on approach to life.
He might not know the best way to get followers on social media or how to get his classmates to treat him fairly, but he has a lot of skills. Because he doesn't spend his time with his fingers glued to his phone, he has time to learn to develop his own photos and study the martial arts moves in the movies he watches. He's clearly a pretty quick study based on how effortlessly he dodges blows from Jordan too.
Padgett Sawyer
Padgett is both socially savvy and tech-savvy. As a result, she's able to cultivate a social media following and make money off of her online presence. That alone makes her a pretty smart businesswoman. Even after her social media world crumbles, however, Padgett still shows her smarts in other areas.
She figures out exactly how to get Cameron to pay attention to her when planning his social makeover. Padgett also studies up on horses before talking him into giving her a riding lesson so she'll be prepared. She even has a gourmet dessert she makes for her boyfriend. Padgett has some serious skills demonstrating that she's great at translating the things she studies into real world applications.
Jessica Miles Torres
Jessica isn't one of the students in He's All That. She's the woman who works for the company that sponsors Padgett's online life. She isn't the warmest of characters in the movie, but she is pretty business savvy.
Jessica is all about making money for her brand, which is not something teen movies of the past needed to incorporate. In the age of sponsorships in social media, however, Jessica's approach to Padgett makes sense. Padgett is someone who earns money as long as she has the social media presence to sell Jessica's products. Jessica has her finger on the pulse of trending topics, and as soon as Padgett is a danger to her brand, she drops her. It's harsh, but it's the reality of her business.
Alden
Padgett might be great at projecting the perfect image for the media, and she might even be great at getting into the good graces of the people around her, but Alden is a master manipulator. She sets up the big conflicts of the movie from the very start.
Alden discovers the truth about Padgett's financial situation but keeps it quiet until she can use the knowledge to hurt her. She streams Padgett's confrontation with Jordan, knowing Padgett's reaction will hurt her online presence. She even makes the impossible bet with Padgett as a way to help gain her own traction for prom queen. Alden might not win in the end, but she's certainly a careful planner.
Anna Sawyer
Anna works a lot to provide for Padgett, and her job as a nurse involves actually saving lives with her medical knowledge, so that makes her pretty smart to begin with. As a result of being so busy with work, Padgett's mom doesn't get to have a huge presence in the film, but she gives some great advice to her daughter.
Anna encourages her daughter to be herself, to let go of the bad in her life, and to tell the truth. She sees the big picture in a way that Padgett, as a teenager, doesn't just yet.