You know when you just want something big and dumb to watch? Something that you can talk through a little and not be pissed off with someone crunching Doritos obnoxiously next to you in the cinema? Okay, so I didn’t watch this one in a cinema. Quite frankly, it’d be a bit of a weird choice for theatres to re-screen I Love You, Beth Cooper. But this is exactly the sort of movie you should be watching if that’s the vibe you’re going for. And on this day? That is just what I wanted.
I Love You, Beth Cooper is a teen rom-com of sorts, starring then It-Girl Hayden Panettiere and frontman Paul Rust as a big old nerd named Denis. Denis just so happens to also be the valedictorian in his high school’s graduating class, and the film begins with his end-of-year speech. It starts as you’d expect: “we are here to celebrate our years together”, “who knows what the future holds?” etc, etc. When Denis decides to go off on a tangent though, he confesses his love to head cheerleader and the most popular girl in school, Beth Cooper (Panettiere). It could go worse however, since his admission leads to a night of fun, romance and craziness for Denis, Beth and their respective friends groups.
Every cell in my brain says I should hate this movie… but somehow I found it quite entertaining? Remember when I said I needed a film to watch where it didn’t matter if I chatted a little bit through it? I actually ended up being pretty engrossed and interesting in what bizarre antics would unfold next. Who would have expected that? Not me.
Maybe it’s because I watched this film amidst the (very late if you’re in the UK) NFL draft, yet I just did not hate this movie. It’s an easy watch for sure, but isn’t that sometimes a good thing? If you were in the mood for something cerebral or complex akin to a Christopher Nolan film, then this is certainly not the film for you. However, if you’re a bit bleary-eyed and sluggish, this could be exactly what you’re looking for. Basically, I nailed my choice on this day.
It’s not brilliant, don’t get me wrong: it is heavily reliant on and littered with teen stereotypes and topics that we’ve seen a hundred times before in teen movies from years gone by. For instance, there’s the overarching theme of sexual awkwardness that is essentially what the entire movie is based on, and yet American Pie had already done it better 10 years previously. Despite that, some of these side plots are timeless, and you’ll be pushed to find someone who didn’t have at least one of these problems during their younger years. So for relatability? It does quite well.
I can’t say much for the performances; it’s not like many of these actors had outstanding careers afterwards. The two that did, though – Hayden Panettiere and Lauren London – are the two that clearly stand out above the rest, and even this low budget, basic movie proves they were destined to have the most work post-2009.
Again, I Love You, Beth Cooper is not great, and in fact it is mostly rooted in misogynistic thought (it could not be more obvious that it came from a male writer). Despite that, even if I never think about it again, it did entertain throughout and the soundtrack is absolute joy. (Google it.)
I Love You, Beth Cooper is currently available to stream on Disney+ in the UK.
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