It's a Boy Girl Thing

2008 "They've turned into the things they hated most... each other."
6.2| 1h35m| PG-13| en| More Info
Released: 17 June 2008 Released
Producted By: Alliance Atlantis
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

A visit to a natural history museum proves catastrophic for two high school rivals, an overachiever and a jock, when an ancient Aztec statue casts a spell that causes them to switch bodies and see exactly what it's like to walk in the other's shoes.

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nikusik This is the nicest comedy I've ever seen. It has soo much fun, jokes and silly moments that you'll enjoy. I could not stop laughing at these movie.. but, it has some romantic moments too.. I think that this is such a nice movie for girl's night out or even for a date.
Pumpkin_Man This movie is very funny, and had a great love story and message. It was like Freaky Friday, and The Hot Chick mixed together. Woody Deane and Nell Bedworth hate each other. They are neighbors who want nothing to do with each other. During a trip to a museum, and are forced to work together, and they begin to argue in front of a statue of the ancient Aztec god Tezcatlipoca. The statue casts a spell on them, and they wake up to swapped bodies. Woody has become Nell, and Nell has become Woody. In the process of trying to figure out how to change back, they intentionally destroy each others' social life. After Woody sticks up for Nell, they slowly begin to fall in love. I highly recommend IT'S A BOY GIRL THING!!!
rgcustomer This is your typical mind-swap movie, wherein two characters wake up to find themselves in each other's bodies.Then there's a small amount of American-Pie-style humor, as the two characters are of opposite sexes so they get to explore their new genitals.Near the end, the two characters are falling for each other, and it looks as if the film will finally turn a corner and present something new, but instead the characters inexplicably return back to their original bodies without even having to go to sleep, ending their obvious enjoyment they were getting out of their unexpectedly new futures.But of course, as Ghost proved a generation ago, the tender sensibilities of the US can't have minds in opposite-sex bodies, because that's too transgressive.While I'm disappointed that Elton John was associated with this homophobic project that actually includes the line "that's so gay", I'm not surprised. He's become quite the Gay Uncle Tom in his later years. Had I known he was involved, I would have avoided this film.For the Kinky Boots writer Geoff Deane to be involved in this is frankly baffling. This film is the anti-Kinky-Boots. And that's why I'm turning that 9 upside down and giving it the 6 it deserves, entirely based on Kevin's cuteness, which is about all this thing has going for it.
pboyall Having caught this on BBC3 the other night I was amazed such a recent film was being shown on a third rate cable channel. Looks like it did poorly at the box office and never received a US release. A great shame as this is a sweet intelligent film let down by a handful of inappropriate scenes - excising them would have only cut a few minutes from the movie, had no impact on the plot and lead to a PG rating which might have saved it at the box office. The body-swap plot device is unusual but effective and contrary to a couple of reviews, there is very little time spent on the leads' explicit reaction to their new bodies; the trailer probably includes the bulk of the "gross-out" type scenes. That is not to say that their situation is ignored, merely that the writing is more intelligent than to dwell upon anatomical differences. Instead, the focus is on Woody and Nell learning the drives and motivations of each other (and their genders in general) together with the impact that they have upon the other. A particularly well crafted scene sees Woody-in-Nell trying to comfort one of the other girls, in the process realising the shallowness and destructiveness of his male friends. The emphasis is distinctly on the "Drama" part of "Comedy-Drama", with little recourse to the sort of humour found in, for example, a Farrelly or Wayans film.The plot moves at a lightening pace, with the characters established and body-swap complete just 10 minutes in. It then straight-lines to the telegraphed ending, with just one minor twist on the way. Despite only running at 90 minutes this velocity gives time for some decent character development, including that of some of the secondary characters. Indeed, by the 40 minute mark the initial antagonism has dissipated and the bulk of the film is able to concentrate on their burgeoning romance and character growth as each appreciates the hopes and fears of the other. A couple of small scenes give the respective fathers a decent back-story involving a friendship destroyed by the ambition of Nell's mother, a friendship it is inferred will be renewed in a mirroring of Nell and Woody's own relationship. For a lightweight teen Comedy-Drama, there is a lot more substance and acting ability than could be expected; Robert Joy and Maury Chakin lend some heavyweight credentials while Samaire Armstrong and Keven Zegers demonstrate real ability with their parts. Zegers perhaps has more opportunity to emote (Armstrong playing a "macho male" for the bulk of the film) but both carry their parts convincingly. The "We like to play ball" scene where Woody attempts to explain why football is so important to him (it's his only route to a better life) is performed with such conviction by Armstrong that you feel genuine emotion at his frustration and loss despite the somewhat muddled wording. Somehow the film even manages to lever in some social commentary, namely that for someone like Woody High School is "as good as it gets" and the time of his greatest triumph will be simultaneously the start of a lifetime of disappointment while for Nell school is just a distraction on the way to bigger things, thus leading to their differing outlooks. It is implied they have each chosen a different path from similar beginnings (having always lived next to each other) and that each is both happy and miserable with the diametrically opposed traps in which they find themselves.The soundtrack is somewhat eclectic, ranging from Eminem through Scissor Sisters to Elton John (albeit as part of a running gag). However, it fits with the film and having 21st century groups (e.g. Girls Aloud) covering 80s classics is a nice touch, indicating the origins of the genre in 80s "Brat Pack" movies. In fact, there is little to date this film (Nell's 2010 acceptance letter being the only real clue to its recent production) which speaks for the timelessness of the story.Ultimately the film is able to be more than its components. It does not set out as a "message movie", but nevertheless there is a strong thread running through the film that people should be free to choose for themselves. We are never patronised into believing that Nell is anything other than attractive (as opposed to the plot of "She's all that") or that she couldn't be popular if she wished; she finds herself on the sidelines primarily from acceding to her mother's wishes. The film is smart enough to avoid the usual teen-movie theme ("outsider becomes accepted by wearing the right clothes and acting cool"). In fact, it shows one supporting character initially doing exactly that but ultimately with a bit of help from Woody finding real happiness by making her own decisions. The ending is deliberately ambiguous about the future for the happy couple, but it strongly implies that each has discovered the way to true happiness is to be comfortable with who you are rather than what other people want you to be. For a teen Rom-Com that's a pretty good story.