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Whatever It Takes

PG-13 Released Mar 31, 2000 1h 34m Comedy List
16% Tomatometer 67 Reviews 45% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
A nerdy teen, Ryan Woodman (Shane West) is smitten with the popular and gorgeous Ashley Grant (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe), who apparently has no interest in him. Meanwhile, dim star athlete Chris Campbell (James Franco) has his eye on Ryan's brainy and beautiful friend, Maggie Carter (Marla Sokoloff). The two agree to help each other in their romantic quests, but, as they come closer to their goals, both Ryan and Chris suspect that they might be pursuing the wrong girls.
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Whatever It Takes

Whatever It Takes

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Critics Consensus

Whatever It Takes is another run-of-the-mill teeny-bopper romance flick. Cliche jokes and a tired plot capture few laughs.

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Critics Reviews

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Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly Rated: B+ Sep 7, 2011 Full Review Rick Groen Globe and Mail What you're actually hearing is the sound of a really old coot preaching a very practised sermon. Rated: 2/4 Apr 25, 2003 Full Review Entertainment Weekly Rated: B+ Mar 24, 2000 Full Review Ellen MacKay Common Sense Media This is simply an assembly of cinematic cliches. Rated: 1/5 Jan 1, 2011 Full Review Michael Dequina TheMovieReport.com Please, oh please, make these teen-targeted romantic comedies go away. Rated: 1/4 Jan 8, 2010 Full Review Mark Halverson Sacramento News & Review Rated: 1/5 Aug 7, 2008 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Eya G Boring, cliché storyline and creepy characters. The acting leaves to be desired and the characters are forgettable. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 09/27/23 Full Review miki t I kinda like it. It was cliche but Not that bad. James was so handsome in the movie. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Just another teen movie. Just another lesser interpretation Of Cyrano de Bergerac. I don't even remember this film and I was the core demographic when it was released. It does have an impressive cast of up and comers (James Franco, Aaron Paul, Colin Hanks). The featured character actors are really the best part Richard Schiff as a sadistic gym teacher and the wonderful Julia Sweeney that I wished had been utilised more - the film would have been much better and infinitely funnier. Instead it's just another teen movie about the dumb guy who doesn't see what's right in front of him until he lies, manipulates, acts like a jerk to his real friends, gives up everything to be with a girl who is a horrible person but is "hot" and helps a scumbag manipulate his best friend into a relationship - then he wakes up to the fact that the girl who has always been there for him and who he's always under appreciated might be the best person for him. Happy ending? Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Audience Member This movie is not a masterpiece nor does it pretend to be. It is in the same category as the American Pie, though perhaps a bit less funny and ted more melodramatic. All in all it is a very enjoyable movie. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review steve d shockingly bad script drags down 4 likable leads! Rated 1 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Benjamin M Adequate at capturing cliche and yet adequate in capturing the true mood of those cliches. Breathing is a cliche and yet a breath of fresh air can be refreshing, Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/05/18 Full Review Read all reviews
Whatever It Takes

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Cast & Crew

Dick 72% 53% Dick Superstar 32% 59% Superstar Can't Hardly Wait 42% 63% Can't Hardly Wait TRAILER for Can't Hardly Wait EDtv 63% 30% EDtv Mr. Accident 17% 31% Mr. Accident Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis A nerdy teen, Ryan Woodman (Shane West) is smitten with the popular and gorgeous Ashley Grant (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe), who apparently has no interest in him. Meanwhile, dim star athlete Chris Campbell (James Franco) has his eye on Ryan's brainy and beautiful friend, Maggie Carter (Marla Sokoloff). The two agree to help each other in their romantic quests, but, as they come closer to their goals, both Ryan and Chris suspect that they might be pursuing the wrong girls.
Director
David Raynr
Producer
Paul Schiff
Screenwriter
Mark Schwahn
Distributor
Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment
Production Co
Phoenix Pictures, I'll Be You Productions
Rating
PG-13 (Sexual Content|Language|Thematic Elements)
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 31, 2000, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA)
$8.7M
Runtime
1h 34m
Sound Mix
SDDS, Dolby Digital, Surround
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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