RUTHERFORD ON FILM: ‘John Tucker Must Die’: Revenge Frolic Fails by Trying to Do It All; John Hughes, Molly Ringwald Needed
By Tony RutherfordHuntington News Network Critic
Huntington, WV (HNN) -- You know the drill, the high school big man on campus has charms on his shoulders; he comes up smelling like a rose no matter what he does. This slick operator manages to date three gals at the same time by selecting from clichés who do not share gossip with each other until the women's coach has a mild heart attack forcing combined female gym classes.
When the cheated on ladies (Sophia Bush, Ashanti, and Arielle Kebbel) decide to seek revenge by breaking Tucker's (Jesse Metcalfe ) heart, they enlist the aid of a new at school nobody named Kate (Brittany Snow) , who under their guidance goes from invisible (a.k.a. socially inept) to legendary ( a.k.a. very popular) status.
I knew "John Tucker Must Die" would have fluidity gaps when from the initial get-go it relied on lame one liners and the simplest stereotypical combinations for the formation of the 'don't break up -- get even' storyline. The film's best sequences surround the "Mission Impossible" puppetry carrying out orchestrated interactions of Kate with John.
The elaborate away game lingerie episode and a triple helping of spiked estrogen bring the most laughter. Unlike, the one after one knock out revenge punches of, for instance, "Harper Valley P.T.A.," director Betty Thomas appears seeking a noble John Hughes touch for tenderly and seamlessly weaving comedic elements and serious teen rites of passage drama. Instead, "Tucker" tosses the humorously contrived dating situations, then, before you've finished smiling, the film cuts into a serious chic debriefing session or hall reactions the next day at school.
Choppy segues inhibit the overall impact, since the four girls fail to believably bond as they inch forward with the broken heart caper. Kate, who has no dating experience, remains too susceptible to Tucker's wooing despite her advance knowledge of his pandering.
Ms. Snow appears forever caught in ameba quandaries , which essentially demand characterization turnarounds from scene to scene. She's much too inhibited and easily led. Sustaining a stance often trips her since she can not become more than a 'nice girl' caught stuck in a deceitful web.
Using the hurtful men skipping out on her hot looking mother as fodder, Snow’s character has amble foundation from growing up seeing her mom date jerks, but she personally fails to muster the charismatic allegiance to the goal of making Tucker undateable. For instance, she's fending and fretting about her own social status, rather than enjoying the charade, not to mention falling into the ebb and flow of a private cruise.
The three would-be “Mean Girls” scuffle with each other without establishing cool chemistry in their interactions. They blend well with video camera evidence gathering escapades, but none of the three offers enough depth to more than superficially deal with Kate’s disloyalty from complaining, “I’m not me anymore.”
And, in a nutshell, that's where "John Tucker Must Die" lies mortally wounded. It wants to mock and redeem every woman who has been cheated on. Instead, the film languishes in a vexing oil and water state where it sends too many messages as it tries to 'do it all.'
The resourceful seed material could have sprouted as a drama about a girl learning to be herself, could have been a teen allegory reflecting steps to fulfilling relationships, or could have been an ample farce of young women caught in whimsical gotcha’ back scenarios that implode differently than planned. But “John Tucker Must Die” does not have the script or talent (Molly Ringwald could have made it work, maybe!) all three at the same time!