Never Been Kissed

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Ed R @JustcallmeER Mar 4 Drew Barrymore's effervescent charm is almost enough to make you forgive this teen comedy's incredibly silly storyline. See more Noel L @RT15930389 Oct 17 Some moments felt cringy and like the slogan of the movie, some things are worth waiting for See more Rami A @Bunt101 Aug 30 Forget about kissing. The real miracle is that nobody in this movie ended up in jail, because apparently, the law takes a holiday in this movie. See more em c @RT72417618 Jul 2 one of the worst movies out there See more Entle S @RT55209008 Jun 2 If you’ve ever wanted to relive the worst parts of high school, but with an extra layer of adult awkwardness and questionable ethics, Never Been Kissed is here to haunt your screen for an excruciating 107 minutes. Directed by Raja Gosnell and starring Drew Barrymore, this film somehow manages to be both painfully cheesy and ethically murky — a rom-com that leaves you less in love and more in disbelief. Barrymore plays Josie Geller, a copy editor at the Chicago Sun-Times who goes undercover as a high school student for an investigative story. Sounds quirky? Maybe. But the cringe quickly sets in as Josie — a 25-year-old woman — awkwardly reinserts herself into teenage life. And not just socially; emotionally. It’s like watching someone voluntarily return to the seventh circle of hell, complete with prom queens, Mean Girls knockoffs, and forced slang that already sounded dated in 1999. Let’s talk about the romance. Or rather — the red flag festival. The male love interest (her teacher… yes, you read that correctly) flirts with her while she’s posing as a teenager. Even when the reveal eventually clears things up, it’s still weird enough to warrant a long, quiet sit-down with HR and maybe a therapist. Then there’s the tone. The movie can’t decide if it wants to be a slapstick comedy, a coming-of-age story, or a sugar-coated trauma dump. The result is a Frankenstein’s monster of clichés: glittery prom scenes, bullies with bad haircuts, and dramatic voiceovers that try (and fail) to sound deep. The only thing more painful than Josie’s fashion choices are the lines she’s given. “I’m not Josie Grossie anymore!” she declares, in a moment that’s supposed to be empowering but mostly feels like a deleted scene from Glee. To its credit, Barrymore is charming — even when the script betrays her. You can tell she’s giving it her all, but no amount of earnestness can save this nostalgia-nuked fever dream. Never Been Kissed is like a weird high school reunion where nothing feels real, everything is overacted, and someone definitely should’ve been arrested. If you’re into awkward pacing, moral gray areas, and the kind of dialogue that makes you hide behind a pillow, this one’s for you. Otherwise, save yourself the trauma and rewatch 10 Things I Hate About You instead See more Jonathan S @RT36952101 May 4 I remembered enjoying this movie watching it decades ago, but when I attempted to watch it again recently, couldn’t understand why. I generally enjoy Drew Barrymore movies, and romcoms, but after about 30 minutes of watching her working too hard to show how awkward she is, and trying to forgive the horrendous hair and styling that accompanied this effort (the obvious trope of ugly duckling transforming into a swan), I found it too much. In all fairness, I stopped watching at this point, but regretted the 30 minutes I had invested. See more Read all reviews

Never Been Kissed

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