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Nell Bedworth (Samaire Armstrong), a teenager nerd is not impressed with her neighbor and high
school mate Woody (Kevin Zegers) though he is the most popular football player in school. Not only do their families belong to different social registers, the two teeners
also have entirely different tastes and interests.
Nell shows the manners of her middle class breeding, has no interest in anything physical, and is enthused about literature, especially Shakespeare and poetry. But Woody goes for ear-splitting music, is sometimes uncouth in his manners and has no predilection for anything intellectual. One fateful day on a visit to the science museum, they notice a statue of an ancient Aztec god of sorcery. The statue brings about a change in their genders. Upon waking up the following morning, Woody realizes he has the body and looks of Nell, and Nell finds herself in the body of Woody. This transformation brings about embarrassments and misadventures as each has to act according to his /her physical body and looks. Though they resent each other, they realize they have to do something fast because Woody (now Nell) has an important foot-ball match coming up and Nell (now Woody) has been accepted for an interview for entrance to Yale University. The movie shows how the two teenagers cope with their predicament.
Being teenage oriented, It's a Boy Girl Thing
will interest and entertain young people, especially students in high school, despite the fact that it has a hackneyed premise (body switching) and it is utterly predictable. The movie has its light moments but most of the jokes are crude, overused and off-color. The two leads Armstrong and Zegers must be credited for their good performances, successfully giving life to their characters. But the others in the cast are just one-dimensional.
Most teenage comedies/romances anchor their jokes on sex and this movie is no exception. But
one notices, with relief, that unlike most others of the same genre, It's a Boy Girl Thing
does not show an acceptance or tolerance for pre-marital sex. There are no explicit sexual scenes. The movie also shows some values like having respect and love for parents. Most important, there is a realization on the part of the two leads that putting oneself in the place of another can bring about greater understanding of each other and that ultimately results in becoming better persons.
(Date Reviewed: 2 March 2007)
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