She Gets What She Wants (2002) User Reviews

Strong performance from Jane McGregor

[cliff314 · 6/10 · 16 August 2009]

I don't think that this movie has aspirations to greatness, but it was enjoyable enough, and has some very good performances.

Top of the list for me was Jane McGregor. She really gave her all in playing Starla who was, after all, not a particularly sympathetic character. She has a real flair for comedy - at the tender age of 19 - and is very attractive as well. I will be looking out for Jane's work in future.

I also enjoyed the minor role from the little brother, not too overdone, and the mother with the ever present "iced tea".

Overall, a pleasant diversion, fairly lightweight, but with some good work from the cast.

I thought it was funny

[pierceddoomy · 5/10 · 3 June 2006]

Yes it might not be the best movie ever made, but for mindless entertainment, this is a good movie. It made me laugh to see a high school princess's world throw into a frenzy (no, I am not a cynic and don't hate all high school princesses). I kinda liked it, and it kept me awake at work. I am not suggesting going out and buying it; far from it. But if you get a chance to catch it on TV, and are in the mood for mindless entertainment, watch it. It tries to capitalize on the genre of movies like "Mean Girls", "Man of the House", and "Bring It On". I know that I might be clashing with some of your beliefs about this movie, but your comments made this out a lot worse than it was, which is just a funny teenage movie.

Something a little different

[Robert_duder · 6/10 · 9 June 2005]

When my girlfriend picked this movie it was called "She Gets What She Wants" and I had never heard of it before other than Piper Perabo (Coyete Ugly) was in it. So basically I didn't have any expectations going in but I like teen comedies. I was pleasantly surprised, it didn't blow me away but it also didn't suck. It was just in the middle somewhere with decent acting, a so-so plot and some genuinely funny lines.

Slap Her, She's French AKA She Gets What She Wants is the story of Uber Popular girl Starla Grady. She dreams of being the next Diane Sawyer, and is doing everything she can to get known. She wins at everything, head cheerleader, beauty contests, the popular boyfriend and sets all the trends at school. In order to beat out the competition at a beauty contest Starla announces to her town that her family will be graciously hosting a foreign exchange student from France. When Genevieve Le Plouff arrives she seems like the perfect opportunity for Starla to impress everyone. Slowly with some very sly moves Genevieve begins to move her way into Starla's life and her position in the social ladder. Starla begins to realize that Genevieve is purposely overtaking her and it's working. With the help of a former adversary Starla will discover a disturbing secret about the supposed French foreign exchange student and give it her all to overcome her.

Lead actress Jane McGregor who plays Starla does a great job at being the bitchy "Clueless" type girl, obsessed with only herself. Throughout the course of the film she manages to learn a little about being a little nicer but overall she keeps her character true to herself. She's spoiled and kind of an anti hero but fun anyways. Piper Perabo does a decent job at playing the faux Foreign exchange student even at 27 years old!! She plays wicked pretty well but never really gets down and dirty which you kind of expect her character to get. Most of the comedy is either physical comedy or one liners surrounding sexual comments and mistaken English which is still pretty funny. The humor doesn't get really dirty like some teen comedies go with. It's not a bad movie and you won't necessarily be disappointed with it but it's mostly forgettable offbeat and very low key. 6/10

Better than most teen comedies in the past few years!

[jellyneckr · 1 May 2005]

I remember seeing the trailer for this movie a few years ago and wanting to see it. It was originally supposed to come out in the summer of 2002, but ended up sitting on the shelf for a while. A few months ago, I caught it on the ABC Family Channel under the title SHE GETS WHAT SHE WANTS. While SLAP HER...SHE'S FRENCH is a much better title, I can see why it was changed. I guess it's not very PC, but then again, the movie itself isn't very PC, which is one of the reasons I liked it. It wasn't afraid to be a bit edgy. In addition to being edgy, the film is also quite over-the-top at times. While some may be bothered by the over-the-top scenes, I enjoyed them. They fit in well with the tone of the picture.

This is the the kind of movie MEAN GIRLS wanted to be. When one thinks about it, it's somewhat unfair that MEAN GIRLS got a theatrical release while this went straight-to-television since this is far superior. It's far better than most teen comedies that have come out in the past few years. **1/2

Teen comedy without brains

[SILV3R · 5/10 · 21 October 2002]

Rating: 12 Stars: Piper Perabo, Jane McGregor Theme: Teen comedy Violence/Language/Nudity: Comedy violence and occasional strong language

Very few films these days have a title which deserve the applause this one does. Regardless of the quality of the movie, Slap Her.She's French is simply a brilliant, and completely unexplained, title. So after worshipping one of the funniest film titles of all time, is the movie any where near as good as the name promises. Well, no. But then the title is a lot to live up to, so its not to say that the film isn't any good at all. A French foreign exchange student comes to stay with a stereotypical hicksville Texan family and their beauty pageant winning daughter. The French girl, however, is not all that she seems. Essentially this film abuses the French and the Texans, so far its appealing to most Brits.

The story is pretty predictable, as are most of the jokes. The characters are all stereotypes, conforming to tried and tested formulae. Slap Her. sets itself up as an inferior version of Drop Dead Gorgeous. The narrative is slow to start and when it eventually does, has plot holes the size of the Lone Star State. Not all the jokes miss the mark though. For every couple of missed funnies, there is one laugh out loud moment. Some of the set pieces are neat and will appeal to the audience with a slightly more discerning tastes, but these moments are rare and unappreciated by the film's creators. You can't help but feel that had this been made by a British team the humour would have been that bit more subtle and consistent. The narrative itself is incredibly slow to start, something which could have been avoided had the director (Melanie Mayron) realised that we already knew everything she was telling us about her characters. A montage sequence would have been far more successful method of exposition.

The performances are varied. Perabo as the "obviously" French Genevieve is either wasted or just plain useless, we can only hope its the former. McGregor's Starla (even the name's obvious) is over the top but appealing. The supporting cast often fair better, but are hideously underdeveloped. The entire lesbian relationship sub plot of Starla's two best friends comes and goes without rhyme nor reason. Starla's mum (Julie White) and her alcoholic ice tea habit could have been a thread worth developing, but there is no reason for it being mentioned at all with the script the way it stands. Even Starla's consumption of an entire flask of her mum's favourite tipple fails to create any humour from her inevitable drunkenness. Starla's saviours are her brother (Jesse James) and school newspaper photographer Ed (Trent Ford). Neither of whom are used anywhere near as much as they should have been. These actors and their performances suggest that this movie could have been so much more than it is, had the actors been given the script that you get the impression could have existed.

Many of the movies problems stem from the sensation that there was originally a much larger and more complete script that followed through some of the story lines suggested in the final piece. It is almost as if the makers didn't want to offend anyone too much and therefore removed lots of the superior narrative. This all leads to an average movie that could have been so much more. Never quite reaching straight to video levels, this is never going to be a classic in the vein of Ten Things I Hate About You, which it easily could have been. As a Sunday night diversion Slap Her.She's French is acceptable. There are enough laughs to prevent you feeling cheated, and a slightly warm fuzzy feeling that you just can't help getting in your stomache. This is simply a teen comedy which missed the opportunity to be a classic of the genre, and you just can't help feeling that it really could have been a contender.

Mark: 5/10 Who to go with: Your girlfriend or younger sister

Excruciatingly awful! And this is supposed to be a comedy?

[thurman_is_beatrix_kiddo · 1/10 · 22 December 2003]

A bad day of movies. First, it's Dreamcatcher, which I couldn't even stand the last twenty minutes of. Now this! This is a chick flick, full of brainless nobodies (besides Perabo, what's she doin in this?), and it's a comedy. But with no laughs. The most hilarious moment would have probably been an unfunny catfight. So, this is definitely one to avoid. AVOID.

Worst

[Fifilafoo · 1/10 · 9 October 2005]

This is one of the worst movies I've seen in a long while and I went to see this with friends, basically it turned us into those kids you hate in movies.

The movie had no plot at all and the pointless turns which drove it about was as good as sticking a knife into a toaster whilst it's cooking. The characters were poorly acted out and very stereotypical. The scenes dragged out a lot and I really can't describe any it was that bad in taste. I'm presuming they were trying a cliché of high school angst and romance but it failed in any of those subjects.

A waste unfortunately.

Silly but Fun

[bkrauser-81-311064 · 7/10 · 30 June 2016]

She Gets What She Wants, also known as "Slap Her, She's French," this little movie is about a solipsistic Texas high-school cheerleader named Starla (Jane McGregor), whose family takes in a foreign exchange student from France named Genevieve (Piper Perabo). The plot then devolves into a less subtle version of Mean Girls (2004) with the Genevieve becoming popular at school, stealing the affections of the family and taking Starla's place on the cheer- leading squad. Will young Starla be able to take her social life back or will the conniving Genevieve successfully ruin her future.

This movie was released overseas mere months before the invasion of Iraq and wasn't given a TV release in the United States until 2005. By that time freedom-fries were all the rage and Franco-hatred was on the rise. The creators probably felt there was finally a market for this unfairly shelved movie. Thing is this movie is less about Americans hating on France's stance on Iraq than it is a sardonic and satiric look at American culture told from an outsider's perspective. Starla, our protagonist is so insulated to the trappings of American life that she doesn't realize there's something very off about Genevieve. The final reveal at the end of the film only reinforces that idea that our culture as a whole conditions us to be self-centered, confrontational and petty. Even if that comes at the cost of our reputation. Now, in 2015 we've stopped eating freedom-fries but there's not a chance in hell we're eating humble pie.

Fails on every comedic level possible.

[Sarcasticus · 1/10 · 9 January 2007]

When I started watching this movie, I was confused. What the hell is this supposed to be? A comedy? A drama? Is this some surreal Bunuel-esquire flick, full of elements which get introduced then dropped just as fast...But no, it turns out it's supposed to be a comedy. Which is too bad. 'Cause this movie could totally work as a bizarre little movie, with random bits of weirdness (Ms. Beef Pageant? This is funny?) and annoying over-the-top accents. In that sense, it would've been great. But no, it's a comedy. A terrible, terrible comedy. With a plot that only begins to reveal itself an HOUR into the movie. Horrible acting by Piper Perabo. Confused genres (you're watching it thinking, is this supposed to be like Mean Girls? Is this supposed to be like Napoleon Dynamite?) on a level not seen since "Cool As Ice". Moreover, every time Piper Perabo was on the screen, I wanted to punch her in the face. She is a terrible actress and should contemplate killing herself. Avoid this movie at all costs...unless you haven't read this review. And know nothing about it. In which case, enjoy the surreality.

Re-release this movie back into theatres worldwide

[KevinB12 · 6/10 · 12 January 2011]

Even I think this movie is okay. This movie should be back into theatres across Canada, the United States and throughout the world because I thought that was humorous. I assure you that Piper Perabo plays a good European French girl. The way Piper Perabo decided to wreck Jane McGregor's cheer-leading squad really made me laugh. Piper Perabo makes a bogus French cassette made Jane madly insane. This is however is a good movie to watch, even this movie should re-release back into theatres across the United States and Canada for this movie to make more than ten million dollars, which is however the films budget. Why not show this movie worldwide?

The only reason I saw this was because it was free...

[mikeycmikeydo · 1/10 · 22 September 2002]

I frequently receive free movies passes at my place on employment so I get to see lots of movies that I normally couldn't bring myself to pay for. "Slap Her, She's French" is the type of film that I would have been very, very angry/embarrassed if I had paid to see it.

If you took every bland, unoriginal American comedy and removed the two or three funny lines you would have "Slap Her, She's French". This film is nothing but a waste of your precious time. The only positive thing about this movie is the fact that the lead actress is reasonably attractive.

Well acted and funny female cast driven teen comedy

[dlgart · 9/10 · 22 May 2007]

Many of the negative reviews of this film are obviously written by francophiles who have had their feathers ruffled by the original title and apparently haven't actually seen the movie. Slap her She's French makes fun of generically American and more specifically Texan culture, FAR more than the French. I was delighted(and surprised)to find this a very well acted and cleverly written teen comedy that provided a vehicle for showcasing the talents of a number of young actresses. The film does stereotype and titillate but it is a teen comedy and they tend to do that. Those who are offended by such things should consider therapy to get over themselves or simply avoid this genre. Personally I was too busy laughing to be bothered.

Who allowed funding to be provided for this?

[susanburke3183 · 1/10 · 20 July 2003]

This insult to the 'teen comedy genre' is both formulaic and predictable. This however is no surprize, as a movie like this is not, nor should be watched for its indivuality. However, my low expectations were still too high. It offers nothing to anybody with anything resembling a normal brain capacity. The only time I smiled was when the end credits starting to scroll up the TV screen - that was a happy moment.

Good. Yes, Good!

[Karl Self · 14 November 2005]

OK, I'll go out on the limb here by stating that I really liked this movie, and was pleasantly surprised by it. This flick simply does what it says on the cover: a comedy that is actually funny, rather than gross or grotesque. There is a real story, real development, a real turn-around, real acting; the plot is funny, as are the quotes and dialogues ("Our love dried up like a three day-old croissant!") and the running gags (such as the students adopting "Ouais!" as their interjection-du-jour in an attempt to emulate Geneviève, or Starla's alcoholic mum's fixation on her "special" ice tea); in fact, and especially considering the movie's provenience and target audience, the humour is often astoundingly dark. This is all the more laudable as both cast and production are sort of B-listish (by fame, not performance).

My only brickbat would be that I thought that Starla's magic conversion from teenage queen-bee to "real person" with concomitant change of boyfriend was predictable, moralistic, unnecessary and naff.

Pointless movie

[kris_blue · 2/10 · 15 June 2009]

I was surprised to see the wide range of opinions in the other reviews of this movie, from "terrible" to "brilliant". I go with the former. From start to finish this movie is uninspired, unfunny and just plain silly.

The plot is a weak mixture of implausible and meaningless. Apart from once or twice, I laughed _at_ the movie, not _with_ the movie. The twist at the end doesn't explain much and just makes the movie that much more random.

This is a strong contender for the worst movie I've ever seen. Totally pointless.

Dreadful

[j-lacerra · 2/10 · 29 July 2009]

I got this movie by doing a search of Piper Perabo movies, trying to find something as good as Imagine Me & You, which I saw her in. So far I have been striking out. This movie was no help. Perabo is awful here, with a very poor accent and bad acting. That said, there was no one else in the picture worth checking out. The script was bad. The premise was tired. We've seen it all before, done better.

But above all, this teen comedy does something that makes all other consideration moot, it is not funny. It's not even interesting! Actually, it is just annoying.

A great movie to MISS.

Comedies are not supposed to be serious, but still...

[ghostravenfin · 1/10 · 2 July 2013]

Reading through these reviews, I must agree with a lot of points I hate agreeing with. It's a comedy and not supposed to be taken seriously. That much is true, but if not taking something seriously is what makes a good comedy, then Epic Movie is a comedy masterpiece.

But no, Epic Movie is painfully terrible, and so is this film. This does not imply I don't have a sense of humor like many will probably accuse me of. I actually find some parts that I COULD find funny in some circumstances, but here I don't.

The film clearly implies that it's meant to be a comedy with a slight serious edge to it. Okay, the comedy in itself is slightly amusing at best and gave me a bit of a chuckle in one part or another. So it shouldn't deserve a score so low as 1/10, right? Well, maybe not, but it's the highest I can give when the rest of the movie is so hateful. I found only the little brother likable, and he was like from another world compared to the rest of the characters. The main protagonist in particular, is stupid, shallow, narrow-minded, homophobic c**t who always gets what she wants despite being a bimbo of a repulsive personality. And when things get ruined for her I'm probably supposed to feel sorry for her, but I start feeling good.

When a movie clearly wants me to root for one character, but ends up making me hate him/her from the deepest reaches of my soul, something is done terribly wrong. Even the environment where Starla lives in seems to feed her success with its culture and that is just unsettling. It makes me wonder in fear, if this culture actually exists in America or is this a plain parody of it. Even if it's just a parody, the rest of the film just ruins it for me. Especially when in the end Starla could have just learned, that being such a terrible person isn't the best way to live, she ultimately wins and learns that it is okay to be terrible, because if you're popular, you'll survive everything. That and no clear mark of any lesson learned in the process make me want to write an alternate ending where Starla and her new boyfriend (forgot his name) have their car explode on their face as they drive in the horizon at the end of the film.

And still it would be letting her go easy...

Ouch. But still 'borderline' watchable...

[Gimmickthegnome · 5/10 · 30 March 2005]

First, you have to be wary of a movie that was advertised as one title ("Slap Her... She's French") and viewed by me as another ("She Gets What She Wants") That said, it would be EASY to nitpick all the bad things about this movie, but let's try not to. Instead, let's concentrate on the good.

Piper Perabo scratches the surface of her versatility in this movie with a great performance. Relative fresh face Jane McGregor does a good job in the lead performance despite her character developing as slowly as it does. (Be sure to check out her face as she delivers the line: "If these turn out good, could I order prints?" It's gold.) There are a few wonderfully witty lines that, unfortunately, get lost in the shuffle of teen goofiness and less-than-stellar faux accents.

All in all, this movie could have easily used a few more laughs and a bigger budget, but you gotta appreciate its spunk. If you're looking for a 'classic' like a 'Bring It On', 'American Pie' or 'Not Another Teen Movie', you might want to pass on this one. However, if you keep an open mind, you might just catch this movie poking fun at itself.

Rather ridiculous, but... well, no, that's about it.

[thetalentedmrharvey · 4/10 · 14 May 2005]

I must admit, I only turned on this movie because of how hot Jane McGregor and Piper Perabo are, and that's the only reason I watched it all the way through. I thought the entire plot was rather implausible; plausibility isn't a requirement for a movie, but this movie is implausible for no good reason. It has some funny moments, such as Starla's (McGregor) French exam, which got a few chuckles out of me, but a lot of things which I suppose were meant to be funny fell flat.

I say it's implausible for no reason, because it wasn't very entertaining. The whole idea of Genevieve (Perabo) taking over Starla's life isn't even one of those ideas that sounds like it could be made interesting, but maybe that's just me. Why an exchange student would come to America from France and even risk a stunt like ruining the life of one of the members of her host family is beyond me, and the movie isn't enjoyable enough to make me forget that. It's predictable, and it's not terribly smart or funny.

Actually pretty darn funny

[tramsbottom · 8/10 · 25 June 2003]

Like most people I groaned when I saw the trailer and, ahem, the title for this movie. But I rented the DVD on a whim and hey, turns out this is pretty darn funny after all.

It's not subtle, but it is good fun, which is more than can be said for other teen comedies from 2002. The two leading ladies are genuine stars of the future (McGregor is that rare breed of beautiful actress who isn't afraid to humiliate herself for the sake of comedy) and some of the jokes are laugh-out-loud funny.

If you liked Drop Dead Gorgeous or The New Guy, you'll love this.

Funny but clichéd

[howie73 · 5/10 · 8 January 2005]

This says more about Texans than it does about the French, but was the joke realized by its target audience? If you like cheesy films you can thrown popcorn at in the multiplex this is an ideal date movie. Its stereotyping, inane plot-twists and exaggerated performances reinforce its generic limitations, but I presume it wasn't supposed to expand anyone's mind. It has many funny moments and some good lines, and for a refreshing change, the subject of derision is satirized as much as the accuser. The best part of the film is its title but it could also have been called, Slap her she's Texan. Would that be too controversial? Seems as if the French are an easy target for Hollywood now.

Title Change

[toedancr05 · 31 December 2004]

I saw this movie back in 2002 when it came out, luckily I went to the cheap theater. Imagine my surprise when I saw a preview on ABC for a new movie, the "Premiere," they were saying. I watched the preview and the more times I saw it the more I insisted to family and friends that I had seen this film. They pointed out it was an "ABC Family Original," and this was the premiere, no way could I have seen it. Raunchy cheerleader moves, flippy hair, French student, girly cat fight, lots of posturing in front of mirrors, yeah I've seen this movie. However, ABC decided to get a little more PC (guess we're on better terms with France,) and they changed the title to "She Gets What She Wants."

A visionary and metaphoric time-capsule

[The_Void · 5/10 · 9 September 2004]

To the untrained eye; Slap Her, She's French is just another pointless teen comedy (albeit it, one with a title that is more snappy than most), but to the more astute eye; this film is a metaphor for the current state of international affairs. A portrait of the western world and it's relationship with it's eastern counterparts. Of course, it's a metaphor that is saturated with make-up, shoes, cheerleaders and shallow people in general; but you have to admire the imagination and astuteness of this film's observations.

The main character of Starla Grady, played to perfection by the sublime Jane McGregor is a hollow cheerleader from Texas. An all-American girl; She rules the roost, talks with a funny accent and comes across as being rather stupid. Remind you of anyone? A certain...American politician, perhaps? Of course, Starla Grady is much more attractive than George Bush, but the comparisons between the two are too obvious to ignore. Starla's opposite number is Genevieve LePlouff; a French exchange student, played by Piper Perabo, a young lady whom you hopefully wont remember from Coyote Ugly. Genevieve is the quintessential French person, or at least the quintessential American idea of what French people are like. She's primitive; impressed by everything "American". This is a metaphor for American values...America is so much better than France (not to mention everywhere else), don't you know? This is also linked to the Iraq war as France obviously opposed it, which has lead to French Fries having their name changed to Freedom Fries, among other such childish activities. The title is metaphoric too.... she's French, let's slap her! The comparisons between world politics and raunchy teen comedy don't end at the main characters either. Starla's younger brother, Randolph is a walking dictionary. He helps Starla out when she's in a tight spot later on in the film. Where do we know him from? That's right, he's America's younger brother, the nation of walking dictionaries...Great Britain! Even the underlying lesbian tones coming from Starla's friends can be seen as...oh wait, let's just forget about that.

The film is about as funny as your average teen comedy. The storyline, however, is slightly above average. It follows the story of the aforementioned Starla Grady; the most popular girl in school, who agrees to take a French exchange student on in order to win a competition (somebody else played the 'god card', if you're wondering why she didn't just do that). This taking on a French student is also very "American"...look at us, we HELP nations. However, to our heroine's surprise, this Frenchie is not all frog legs and beret caps; she's secretly evil...I didn't see that one coming! This is indicative of the backlash of the Iraq war, and also provides the film with some of it's best laughs. Seeing Starla in jail is priceless...actually it isn't, but it is sort of amusing.

On the surface, this movie is silly and forgettable; but if you look past the facade of innocence and stupidity, what we have here is a very deep and complex masterpiece that is indicative of the time it was made in. Slap Her, She's French is a mind game, it will play with you and it will make you think. Few movies have this kind of vision and still manage to be funny and accessible at the same time. A modern classic.

.... Or maybe it's just a silly teen comedy.

Texas will never be the same...

[moviedude1 · 5/10 · 6 February 2009]

When a teenage beauty queen from a small town in Texas has big dreams of anchoring "Good Morning America," it comes with an agenda that includes taking in a foreign exchange student from France, but what she wasn't counting on was all the mayhem that followed her across the Atlantic Ocean.

This movie is a farce! First of all, let's be real! What teenager would go to such lengths to try and pull something like this off? And who would have those kind of resources at her age to put a plan like this into action? Too many questions, and no answers! The only reason this film caught my attention was that I saw a scene while channel surfing and Piper Perabo was "doing her thing" in the film and it caught my attention, to where I looked ahead in the program guide and planned accordingly to watch it, but just because I liked Perabo in "Coyote Ugly" and tolerated her in "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle" does not mean she's my favorite, but I was very glad when the film was over. Funny parts in the film, but not a funny film, itself.

5 out of 10 stars.

It worth the shot !

[elodie-brasey · 10/10 · 7 April 2012]

Actually, it's been a long time since I didn't see a "silly teen movie" that makes me laugh like this.

It was a very, very good surprise !

I think that the actual grade of the movie is totally unfair. The movie worth so more than 4.9...

Usually I just don't even see bad ranked movies, but I don't know why this time I did. And I'm glad I saw it !

BTW, I'm a French exchange student in the USA, and both stereotypes about American and French people made me laugh a lot.

See it, it worth the shot !