She-s The Man «WORKING»

Let’s give some respect to the Bard. Twelfth Night is a play about mistaken identity, unrequited love, and the absurdity of gender roles. She’s the Man keeps the skeleton: Viola disguises herself as her brother Sebastian (Cesario in the play), falls for her roommate Duke (Orsino), while Olivia falls for "Sebastian."

For the uninitiated, follows Viola Hastings (Amanda Bynes), a fiery, competitive high school soccer star whose team is cut due to budget concerns. When she tries out for the boys’ team, the chauvinist coach tells her, in no uncertain terms, that girls don't belong on the pitch.

This was pre- Magic Mike , pre- 21 Jump Street , pre-Oscar-nominated Channing Tatum. Here, he is Duke Orsino: a himbo poet trapped in a striker’s body. She-s the Man

Watch her walk. She lowers her center of gravity, puffs out her chest, and does that weird "bro-nod" that teenage boys think makes them look mysterious. She doesn’t just wear a wig and a hoodie; she changes her entire physical vocabulary. The scene where she practices being a guy in the mirror—tightening her tie, spitting like a jock, muttering "s'up"—is a physical comedy masterclass. Bynes understood that the joke wasn't that she looked like a boy; the joke was that she was better at being a boy than the actual boys.

: Starring Amanda Bynes and a young Channing Tatum in his breakout role. Let’s give some respect to the Bard

And yet, nearly two decades later, it is untouchable. Here is why She’s the Man is the most underrated sports rom-com of the 21st century.

Viola succeeds at Illyria because she works harder than everyone else. She doesn't become a boy; she simply removes the obstacle of prejudice by hiding her identity. The film argues that the only reason women are kept off the field is outdated bias, not lack of skill. When she tries out for the boys’ team,

: It’s a loose adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night .

Amanda Bynes (Viola/Sebastian), Channing Tatum (Duke Orsino), Laura Ramsey (Olivia), and Vinnie Jones (Coach Dinklage). Inspiration:

It is a Shakespearean recipe for chaos, and the film executes it perfectly.