John Tucker
Must Die
2.5 of 4 Stars
Rated: PG-13 for Sexual Dialogue and Language
Starring: Jesse Metcalfe, Sophia Bush, Ashanti, Brittany Snow, Sophia Bush
Directed by: Betty Thomas
Produced by: Karen Lunder, Michael Birnbaum, Bob Cooper (IV)
I wouldn’t say that John Tucker must die, but I will say that the writers should.
Although this is a moderately enjoyable movie and a relatively decent older teen
comedy, the movie suffers from an ending that comes up extremely short. John
Tucker Must Die is the story of a teen super jock in the local high school who is the
ultimate player. He will do whatever it takes to get a girl into bed and date multiple
girls at the same time, which is quite a balancing act as each relationship takes on a
life of its own. Eventually three of the girls figure out what is going on and, with the
help of the mild and sweet mannered Kate, they conspire together to do to John
Tucker what John Tucker has done to them, break his heart. Kate becomes the
object of his affection for the sole purpose of using him to accomplish their
loathsome mission of bringing him to his knees. Kate, whose live-in mother (Jenny
McCarthy) tends to date all of the wrong (read – predatory) men, has her own
personal vendetta against men like John Tucker.
The movie could have actually been a fun teeny-bopper movie with all of the
trimmings; however I am sick and tired of watching movies about teens where sex is
one of the main plots of the writing. Can’t they make teen movies without sexualizing
everything? It is beyond me why they feel that every single kid is sexually active by
the time they are 16. I am not naive at all, but I know that most 16 year olds are not
how they are portrayed in movies, however the danger of watching movies like this,
is that they make sex seem like just a normal part of their high school experience,
thus encouraging kids to explore.
This movie reminded me of a shallow and poorly written “Ten Things I Hate About
You” (which is an awesome movie). Although fun, “John Tucker” just lacked the
spunk of “Ten Things.” John Tucker with all of its flaws is a fun and somewhat
enjoyable teen comedy with a moral and a message about choosing the right guy. It
has a great cast and the characters are well developed. I absolutely loved the fact
that mega “naughty girl,” Jenny McCarthy switches things up a bit and plays the
positive role model and loving parent. I am so used to her doing trashfest films that
this was a breath of fresh air. I was probably even more stunned that she can
actually act.
Warning to Parents: This movie is not for younger teens and does have a lot of
sexual discussion and some foul language. It is not “gratuitous” but it certainly does
talk about teens in sexual situations quite frequently.
2.5 of 4 Stars for an enjoyable yet weak movie.
Must Die
2.5 of 4 Stars
Rated: PG-13 for Sexual Dialogue and Language
Starring: Jesse Metcalfe, Sophia Bush, Ashanti, Brittany Snow, Sophia Bush
Directed by: Betty Thomas
Produced by: Karen Lunder, Michael Birnbaum, Bob Cooper (IV)
I wouldn’t say that John Tucker must die, but I will say that the writers should.
Although this is a moderately enjoyable movie and a relatively decent older teen
comedy, the movie suffers from an ending that comes up extremely short. John
Tucker Must Die is the story of a teen super jock in the local high school who is the
ultimate player. He will do whatever it takes to get a girl into bed and date multiple
girls at the same time, which is quite a balancing act as each relationship takes on a
life of its own. Eventually three of the girls figure out what is going on and, with the
help of the mild and sweet mannered Kate, they conspire together to do to John
Tucker what John Tucker has done to them, break his heart. Kate becomes the
object of his affection for the sole purpose of using him to accomplish their
loathsome mission of bringing him to his knees. Kate, whose live-in mother (Jenny
McCarthy) tends to date all of the wrong (read – predatory) men, has her own
personal vendetta against men like John Tucker.
The movie could have actually been a fun teeny-bopper movie with all of the
trimmings; however I am sick and tired of watching movies about teens where sex is
one of the main plots of the writing. Can’t they make teen movies without sexualizing
everything? It is beyond me why they feel that every single kid is sexually active by
the time they are 16. I am not naive at all, but I know that most 16 year olds are not
how they are portrayed in movies, however the danger of watching movies like this,
is that they make sex seem like just a normal part of their high school experience,
thus encouraging kids to explore.
This movie reminded me of a shallow and poorly written “Ten Things I Hate About
You” (which is an awesome movie). Although fun, “John Tucker” just lacked the
spunk of “Ten Things.” John Tucker with all of its flaws is a fun and somewhat
enjoyable teen comedy with a moral and a message about choosing the right guy. It
has a great cast and the characters are well developed. I absolutely loved the fact
that mega “naughty girl,” Jenny McCarthy switches things up a bit and plays the
positive role model and loving parent. I am so used to her doing trashfest films that
this was a breath of fresh air. I was probably even more stunned that she can
actually act.
Warning to Parents: This movie is not for younger teens and does have a lot of
sexual discussion and some foul language. It is not “gratuitous” but it certainly does
talk about teens in sexual situations quite frequently.
2.5 of 4 Stars for an enjoyable yet weak movie.
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