She's the Man

Amanda Bynes throws herself into a dual role as Viola and her twin brother Sebastian in this fizzy teen comedy that transplants Shakespeare's Twelfth Night to the hyper-competitive world of high school soccer. When Viola's girls' team gets cut, she hatches a scheme: swap places with her brother at Illyria Preparatory Academy, try out for the boys' squad, and prove the coach wrong. The plan gets complicated fast when she's assigned to room with Duke Orsino (Channing Tatum in his first major film role), the star striker who asks "Sebastian" for help winning over the artsy Olivia (Laura Ramsey). Olivia, of course, falls for the sensitive fake Sebastian instead.

Director Andy Fickman keeps the energy high and the laughs steady, leaning into the absurdity of the premise with a game cast that includes Vinnie Jones as the growling Coach Dinklage and David Cross as the school's delightfully weird principal. The film cost $20 million to make and pulled in $57 million worldwide, a solid return that helped launch Tatum's career. Shot around Vancouver with actual soccer players filling out the teams, the movie has aged into a nostalgia favorite for millennials who remember its early-2000s fashion and earnest message about girls playing sports.[edit]

Viola Hastings lives and breathes soccer. She's the best player at Cornwall High, but when the school cuts the girls' team, her dreams of playing in college hit a wall. The boys' coach won't even let her try out. Her twin brother Sebastian, meanwhile, is about to leave for Illyria Prep, a boarding school with a strong soccer program. But Sebastian would rather focus on his band than on classes or athletics. When he sneaks off to London for a two-week gig with his bandmates, Viola sees an opening.

With help from her best friends Paul and Kia, Viola transforms into "Sebastian", shorter hair, baggy clothes, a deeper voice, and a lot of practice walking like a guy. She enrolls at Illyria and immediately tries out for the soccer team. Her skill on the field impresses Coach Dinklage, but she's assigned to room with Duke Orsino, the team's star forward. Duke is nursing a broken heart over his ex Monique and has his eye on Olivia, a beautiful art student who seems to prefer the sensitive type.

Duke asks his new roommate for help getting close to Olivia. This puts Viola in an impossible spot: she's falling for Duke, but she has to pretend to be a guy and play matchmaker. Olivia, meanwhile, finds herself drawn to the gentle, well-groomed "Sebastian" instead of the jock Duke. The love triangle gets messier when Viola realizes she can't keep up the act forever, especially when the real Sebastian comes back early, Monique starts sniffing around, and the championship game looms.

Viola juggles soccer tryouts, study sessions, and the constant fear of exposure. She has to bind her chest, fake facial hair, and remember not to laugh like a girl. Her friends cover for her, but the lies keep piling up. Duke confides in "Sebastian" about his feelings, not knowing he's spilling his heart to the girl who has her own feelings for him. And Olivia keeps dropping hints that she prefers "Sebastian" to Duke, which only makes Viola's guilt worse.[edit]