"Tucker" Gets Even During Summer Heat

I just saw "John Tucker Must Die" today, and although I will probably not buy this on DVD, I didn't mind buying a matinee-priced ticket to see this teen flick. Although it tries desperately to be different from its many predecessors, "Tucker" falls into the same trap so many other teen films do: the lack of originality is substituted with a formulaic plot. The only place "Tucker" seems to seperate itself is with its misleading title. The scorned women never actually plan to murder their womanizing boyfriend, but instead plan the next best thing: breaking his heart.

And oh how easy it should be! The main cast, (from left) Brittany Snow (Kate), Ashanti (Heather), Sophia Bush (Beth) and Arielle Kebbel (Carrie) are a solid ensemble who bring much beauty and energy to the film. Each girl's personality and looks differ, proving that John is a connoisseur of all women. I particularly enjoyed Jesse Metcalfe (John Tucker), who managed to make me hate and love him simultaneously. The combination of his charm, good looks and confidence gave his performance a great amount of realism, proving that he has come quite a long way from his days on "Passions." Stepping away from her typical over-the-top roles, Jenny McCarthy plays Kate's mother and gives a subdued performance. She was somewhat of a dissappointment for me: although her role was not particularly comedic, I thought casting her in this role was almost a waste of talent. One shining moment in the film is the performance of Penn Badgley, who plays John Tucker's brother, the opposite of everything his brother is. True this has been done before, but what can I say? I'm a sucker for funny geeks with a different taste in music.

This film contains several themes common in teen flicks: individuality is more important than popularity, honesty is the foundation to every relationship, revenge is more trouble than it's worth, it is always better to air out your problems on stage in front of the entire school with a microphone...OK, I'm kidding with that one. All of these themes seem to slap the audience in the face repeatedly yet are never realisticly actualized. As many people can imagine, the ending to this film is not entirely original, with everything wrapping up like a beautiful present to be placed under an exquisite Christmas tree. I did not buy it, nor did I find it interesting in its resolution. But most teen flicks (aside from "Mean Girls") have no chance of actually delivering any great message: they are simply about entertaining an audience for one-and-a-half to two hours, and in this "Tucker" does not fail.

Guys will enjoy this film for all the delicious eye candy (look out for the much publicized kiss between Snow and Bush), and girls will enjoy this film for every man who has broken their hearts (look out for the scene where Metcalfe is caught pants-down sporting women's underwear). There are some entertaining sequences and the fervor with which these scorned women attack their former lover (and the resilience he has against them) is admirable for its sheer audacity. While it may not win any awards, it is a decent way to spend a summer afternoon otherwise spent sweating in the heat.