Unless you’ve been living under a rock (we get it, no judgement, we’re in lockdown), you’ve probably heard there’s a new gender-switched 90s rom-com with a modern twist in town. Netflix released its latest teen romance He’s All That on August 25 and it’s as corny as it sounds. 

The film stars Addison Rae, an American teenager who sprung to fame quickly in 2020 after a TikTok video of her dancing with her mum went viral. 54 million TikTok followers later, Rae’s fame has grown and stretched as far as Youtube and Kourtney Kardashian’s Instagram page. 

The film begins as Californian teen influencer Padgett Sawyer (Addison Rae) catches her pop star boyfriend Jordan Van Draanen (Peyton Meyer) cheating on her. Her life then quickly unravels as the world catches her emotional meltdown on an Instagram live feed.

From that moment on, the film follows a similar trajectory to the original She's All That. Instigated by her frenemy Alden (Madison Pettis), Padgett has six weeks to create another prom king to be crowned beside her in order to restore her ‘It Girl’ reputation. 

Whether people are genuinely interested in the movie to witness Addison Rae’s new foray into acting, or watch because they love to hate this type of remake, this film has something for everyone.

The film is fresh and relevant in its portrayal of teen technology use and anti-capitalist sentiment. Not to mention it thankfully lacks the rude misogynistic comments that were featured in predecessor She’s All That. 

This remake features an array of things that we need more frequently on the silver screen: Queer representation, BIPOC characters that are more than just a passive best friend and a raw emotional bond between siblings. This movie certainly shows us that society has progressed a lot since the ‘90s.

Sure, the slightly backwards ‘taking off your glasses and suddenly being beautiful’ trope still exists. Who knew a shave of minimal facial hair and a haircut barely hidden by a beanie could turn Padgett’s classmate Cameron from ‘artistic brooding nobody’ into prom king material.

Nevertheless, there are plenty of nostalgic nods to She’s All That throughout the film, such as couples tattoos, strangely choreographed dances at prom, and recasting the now-grown-up actors from 1999's She’s All That, with Rachael Leigh Cook as Padgett's mum. Not to mention the hilarious PA commentary from the school principal who’s revealed as Matthew Lillard, who even brings back a few of his moves.

As for acting talent? Not knowing who Addison Rae was prior to this movie, I can confidently say it's definitely not the worst acting around. That prize goes to Kourtney Kardashian's character who, although basically portraying herself, could have acted with a little more effort to make her performance less bland and boring.

Whilst it’s arguable that traditional auditions of actual actors are the way to go, it was a smart move by the film’s producers to bring in someone with a large following like Rae to secure the financial success of the film.

Ultimately, He’s All That is one of many films such as My Fair Lady, Pretty Woman and She’s All That built off an age-old Pygmalion story which refers to the idea that a creator can mould the social identity of someone in a way that benefits them. This also leads to the creator falling in love with what they’ve created.

However, we’ve reached a point where movies based on classic literature should move away from these tropes and give way to more important stories and literature-based films that are more diverse in gender, sexuality and race. This will allow directors to add more value to their films’ messages.

Overall, the film is not quite the “soulless Netflix clickbait” it appears to be. Despite a few cringeworthy moments, this movie was a fuzzy feel-good, easy-watching lockdown movie, and its nature as a Netflix release – as opposed to a traditional cinema debut post-lockdowns – probably attracted a greater viewership. 

He’s All That is surprisingly enjoyable and a step in the right direction for representation and diversity on screen. Simply put, it is a must-watch for fans of the classic '90s rom-com.