I love You Beth Cooper Review

I get the sense I’ve seen I love You Beth Cooper again and again and again and again. There is almost nothing new in this latest incarnation of the now classic nerd meets hottie genre, at least nothing I haven’t seen 50 times before. So many great teen romantic comedies: Pretty In Pink, Can’t Buy Me Love and my personal favorite Better Off Dead have great acting, terrific characters, good plot and great story elements, why oh why do we need one that has none of these.

I don’t want to be totally negative…after one of the worst beginnings in film history I love You Beth Cooper does begin to pick up a little steam and made me at least want to stay to the end (I was prepared to walk out), but it never reached even lukewarm on my movie meter. Though many of the films mentioned above have elements in common with the film there was nothing I could think of that makes I love You Beth Cooper unique.

The plot begins with Denis Cooverman (Paul Rust), in his valedictory speech, confessing to Beth Cooper (Hayden Paniettier) that he loves her and has since Junior High. Unfortunately he tells the school bully, Beth's boyfriend and even his own best friend what he thinks of them too. Talk about telegraphing a plot and story, a 6th grader could have written it from there. I hearken to Weird Science as another film embedded in this one. Beth’s brutish boyfriend Kevin (Shawn Roberts) is the spitting image of Mister Bill Paxton only he can't act. Paxton as the same bully boy character was interesting and fun, he didn’t need two henchmen to back him up. Roberts just seems obnoxious.

There are funny moments in the film and a rather sophomoric but semi-interesting plot involving Cooverman’s best friend, Rich Munsch (Jack Carpenter): everyone in the film believes he’s gay except himself. It was a nice setup, but his lack of acting chops doesn’t let it play terribly well and when the answer to the gay question comes it’s rather anti-climactic. I cannot find a single thing to recommend the film except…if you really like teen romantic comedies and need a fix, I love You Beth Cooper marginally get you by.

1.5 stars out of 5.

See you down in front, at the movies.