Never Been Kissed (1999)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Raja Gosnell

Writers (WGA):

Abby Kohn (written by) &
Marc Silverstein (written by)

Release Date:

9 April 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

The Class Clown Just Turned Chic.

Plot:

A journalist enrolls in her old highschool as part of her research for a story.

Plot Keywords:

High School | Editor | Reporter | Undercover | Teacher

Awards:

2 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Drew Barrymore	...	Josie Geller
David Arquette	...	Rob Geller
Michael Vartan	...	Sam Coulson
Molly Shannon	...	Anita
John C. Reilly	...	Gus
Garry Marshall	...	Rigfort
Sean Whalen	...	Merkin
Cress Williams	...	George
Octavia Spencer	...	Cynthia (as Octavia L. Spencer)
Sarah DeVincentis	...	Rhoda
Allen Covert	...	Roger in Op-Ed
Rock Reiser	...	Dutton
David Doty	...	Hairplug Bruns
Derek Morgan	...	Armcast Henson (as Derrick Morgan)
Kathleen Marshall	...	Sun-Times Worker

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sex-related material and some drug content.

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Malaysia:U | South Korea:12 | Netherlands:6 | Denmark:A | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Chile:TE | Finland:K-10 | France:U | Germany:6 (w) | Hong Kong:IIA | Ireland:15 | New Zealand:PG | Norway:A | Peru:PT | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Philippines:G

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Fox 2000 Pictures

Trivia:

It is an issue in the movie that Josie is considerably older than her "high school crush" Guy (she is supposed to be 25, while he would be about 17), but actually, 'Drew Barrymore' is 2 years younger than 'Jeremy Jordan', the actor who plays Guy.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Josie and Sam are painting, she wipes paint on his face. In the video that everyone at the office is watching, he wipes the paint off before putting paint on her face. In the shot of them "actually" he doesn't wipe the paint off at all.

Quotes:

Josie Geller: Rob, your not going to believe it, I made friends with a whole table of rastafari. Not just one, a whole table... You know what's a weird word? Fork. Oh my God, someone ate my entire pie! I don't know how that happened!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Drew Barrymore/Garbage (#24.16)" (1999)

Soundtrack:

(I Just) Died in Your Arms

High School Do Over

Never Been Kissed gives Drew Barrymore the chance to do something that maybe 70% of us would like to do. Go back to high school and make some necessary corrections. Actually the first time for me was bad enough and at my age I doubt I could pull it off the way Drew does.

Of course the reason could also be that once we leave high school it's like leaving a cocoon and we have to deal with the great big unfriendly world out there. I've known a few in my life who would go back and stay if they could. In fact there is a Law and Order episode which explores the dark side of this same situation. A girl looking young enough to pull it off, goes through high school at least three times and kills the person who stumbles on her secret.

With Drew though it's an assignment. She's a copy editor for the Chicago Sun Times who yearns to be a reporter. Publisher Garry Marshall who plays the part like Donald Trump took over the Sun Times gets this brilliant idea and just sees in Barrymore a young enough looking person to pull off the masquerade.

High School the first time was bad enough. Drew was not the most popular then and she's not doing better the second time around. That is until brother David Arquette also goes back to school and helps her over the rough patches.

Of course this raises a whole lot of issues for Drew, peer pressure from two sources, job and school. What's a girl to do?

Never Been Kissed is a light and charming comedy which to its credit skips over the opportunity to be crassly exploitive and gives us some good entertainment. Drew is very funny and sweet and her performance in moments of stress for her character moves nicely into pathos. Michael Vartan as her English teacher is the kind I wish there were more of in the education field and Leelee Sobieski and Jessica Alba play a pair of the empty headed cool kids that Drew tries so desperately to hook up with.

Still it doesn't inspire me to return to Midwood High School.