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Never Been Kissed

Never Been Kissed

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Sweet
Review: I concur with many of the other reviewers. This movie is not realistic, but it wasn't really meant to be. Though I'm fairly indifferent to her in other movies, I thought Drew Barrymore did a fine job in this one, and I find her completely believable as a nerd. The romance between her and Sam Coulson was done very subtly (as it would have to be--after all, if they had had a teacher coming on to someone he thought was an eighteen year old student, the situation would have been a bit disturbing, rather than sweet), but deserved more time in the movie. In fact, that is the only real problem I have with the movie (other than the preachy speech at the end). I've noticed that the trailer shows at least three segments that were not in the movie (two of which are between Josie and Sam). I assume that these scenes were cut, but would like to know why and would also like to know how to get them. Many DVDs feature cut scenes as special features, and generally explain why they were cut. Why wasn't this done?

Despite these relatively minor complaints and the fact that the film has little intellectual value, I have to say that Never Been Kissed is one of the most enjoyable movies I have ever seen. For pure entertainment value, it is a great choice.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: not very good
Review: This movie definitly isn't realistic. I mean, come on: a 25 year old who's "never really kissed a boy"? And I can't even BEGIN to describe how extremely obvious it is that all the actors (including Drew) are trying WAY too hard in their roles. Overall, I found this movie to be very cheesy & predictable.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Josey Grossey Goes To School
Review: Josey,an undercover journalist,is sent back to highschool and hopes that she can be popular this time around.Drew Barrymore is a true actress,different in every movie,perfect in every character she portrays.Watch it to see a great actress,or a fun and heartwarming movie.(I have given this flick only 3 stars because I don't actually like high school movies).

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Besy You'll eva See
Review: This is the best movie that you will ever see! Mike Vartan
and Drew click so many times in this movie! The end scene where they kiss awwww it is just do romantic! it is the best movire for when u are in a down mood! Buy it!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Sure. And neither have I.
Review: The premiss of this romantic comedy/teen escapist fare is, what would it be like to go back to high school a few years later? Would you with your worldly wisdom triumph over the brutal social structure that so onerously held you down, and would you join the socialites at the prom with the cutest guy? Inquiring minds want to know.

First of all, we want to know how Drew Barrymore, the sweet, trashy siren of the first Poison Ivy (1992), and the way accomplished actress and sex symbol of sixty (count 'em) other flicks, could be cast as a "Josie Grossie" nerd of a clumsy, socially inept wallflower? Make-up, yes. Good editing of course. And some fine acting by Barrymore, an actor not afraid to look her worst, and indeed she does look her worst here. Alas. The clinging gowns, the ratty hair, the make-up emphasizing her worst features (a nose looking a little on the Miss Piggy side, shot from slightly below) and down-playing her best, her pretty eyes, her sensual mouth. Instead of looking pleasingly plump, Drew comes off as plainly fat. But this is all the better for the metamorphosis to come.

I didn't stick around for that, secure in the knowledge that it was inevitable (but you might want to see for yourself). Incidentally, Drew was the executive producer, which shows she has guts as well as some loose change for such ventures.

Second question: does Drew sell out her chess and math club friends to join the cheerleaders? And if so, how does Director Raja Gosnell pull that off without making the darling of E.T. (1982) look like a shallow social-climber?

I'm not sure that was pulled off as well as it might have been, again not sticking around for the finale, but you might want to check it out. Also worth checking out (if you're a girl) is Michael Vartan who does a fine job playing Drew's sympathetic teacher.

Bottom line: Connoisseurs of Drew will find much worth while here, as will 15-year-old home alones on a Saturday night plotting their eventual triumph, but experienced movie-goers will probably want to watch reruns of Seinfeld or Just Shoot Me. Or better yet, if you're looking for a girl-nerd flick that really is funny and painfully sad and true-to-life in a totally original way, I highly recommend Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995) which really is brilliant.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A funny, uplifting romantic comedy
Review: While the plot is not airtight, Never Been Kissed succeeds because it does not try to be anything other than what it is--a quirky, fun romantic comedy. I adore Drew Barrymore, and she is wonderful in this movie, allowing us to see her as a pitiful, geeky teenager, a plain and mousy young lady, and ultimately as a beautiful, self-confident woman. Josie Geller (Barrymore) is a copy editor at a Chicago newspaper who desperately wants to be a reporter. The eccentric head of the newspaper selects her to go back to high school undercover and produce a story about today's teenaged youths. Excitement turns to horror as Josie flashes back to her torturous high school days as "Josie Grossie," but she puts all of her effort into fitting in with her new classmates. She eventually "transitions" from geek-dom to join the cool group and develops a real connection with her English teacher Mr. Coulson (Michael Vartan from TV's "Alias"). Predictably, things go screwy on prom night, but Josie manages to deliver a story that has all of Chicago talking.

The flashbacks to Josie's teenaged years, especially the prom night fiasco, are incredibly touching and painful to watch. The chance to go back to high school and be one of the cool, popular people is almost every geek's ultimate fantasy; as this movie shows, though, such acceptance by your teenaged peers does not guarantee happiness--what matters most is being true to yourself and to your real friends. The love story component of the movie ends up seeming a little rushed and could have used a little more foundational structure, but its culmination is a beautiful, heartwarming thing. Along the way, there are plenty of laughs, as Josie's attempts to fit in at high school are both pitiful and hilarious.

Look for a definitely pre-Dark Angelish Jessica Alba as one of the cool girls and SNL's Molly Shannon as Josie's friend Anita. David Arquette is quite good (much less annoying than usual) but does not seem to merit the sharing of the main credits. To be honest, this rather formulaic movie with its stereotypical depiction of high school society could have been a forgettable, disappointing experience had it starred someone without Drew's immense acting ability and natural charm. For that reason I am giving it only four stars, but I must say I myself never tire of watching this funny, heartwarming movie.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good teen movie, bad newspaper flick
Review: It's a good thing Drew Barrymore has [somewhat] recovered from her early 90s "wildchild" phase and gone back to being that sweet little geeky girl we came to love a long time ago.

"Never Been Kissed" is just one of those sweet but geeky movies in which Ms. Barrymore, despite her well-known wild streak, is a perfect fit. It's not a deep, complicated movie, but a cute, sappy, first-date-on-a-Friday-night movie.

Barrymore plays Josie Gellar, a copy editor with the Chicago Sun-Times who was forced into going undercover as a high school student. The problem is, of course, she was a geek 10 years earlier as a real student, and quickly finds she isn't much better socially now. Until her brother, played by David Arquette, sneaks in and joins her. Her brother was a popular student and re-established himself as part of the lemming-like in-crowd. And along the way she falls in love with her English teacher, played by Michael Vartner.

Now, as a recently retired journalist, I worked at the local high school a lot. Once, I was even told by a teacher to get to class. Needless to say, high school wasn't that long ago for me.

As a newspaper flick, this is awful. Most copy editors despise the thought of being a reporter, most don't have their own office, most don't attend offical meetings, and most don't have assistants.

The high school half is better, especially illustrating the shallow nature of high school "coolness," drawn with a colorful character cast.

I recommend this movie as a date-movie only. And on a cool side note, I once interviewed a guy who was an extra in this movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: High School. Again.
Review: In an era where teen comedies are commonplace and come out one after the other, you get your good ones and your bad ones. Luckily, "Never Been Kissed" is one of the good ones. What makes this teen comedy stand out from all of the rest is that it has genuine acting talent, Drew Barrymore included; a plot with meaning; and this film is often very touching.

Josie Geller has graduated high school and holds a job for a prestigious Chicago newspaper. She needs to submit a story or her job and her boss's job are on the line. She is given the task of going undercover into a high school to get the scoop and what's going on in today's schools and to come up with a story. So, she's back in high school and she is picked on just like when she was originally in high school. This is the start to one of the most touching teen comedies that has ever been produced.

There are many things that make this movie one to remember. The acting is great and you don't have just anybody thrown into this film. You get great acting talent with people like Drew Barrymore and David Arquette among others that hold skill in acting. This movie also has a plot that is cliched but gives more backbone to the cliches and the movie just seems very original. When there are flasbacks of Josie's days back in high school you feel for her character and you'll ask yourself, "How can people be so cruel to one another?" All of these things make for a great teen comedy that won't be forgotten. This is a movie for a comedy fan that wants a touching story.

Happy Viewing!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: I dispute the bad review on never been kissed
Review: never been kissed was a great movie. They did a great job by making her (Drew Barrymore) look like a dowd. In some High schools across the U S this is real. It was a romantic movie. A dream come true for all those High School nerds who were never popular. And the romance was poignant and heartfelt. Maybe you never fell in love or had a crush but this was definitely believable.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Heartwarming and hilarious
Review: Heartwarming and hilarious, Never Been Kissed takes you down a path of self-discovery for Josie Gellar (Drew Barrymore), a shy copy editor for the Chicago Sun Times. At a staff meeting one day, she is given the chance of a lifetime. She gets to be an undercover reporter and she'll be going back to high school. She is incredibly excited until she realizes that none of her co-workers think she can really do it and her brother points out that she was a loser in her high school days.

Unable to cast aside her past experiences and doubts, Josie is unable to overcome her insecurities until her brother Rob (David Arquette) convinces her that all she needs is to believe in herself, and have someone else believe in her. With his help, she begins to find her wilder and more free-spirited side, both in and out of school. This attracts the attention of the popular kids and the eyes of her English teacher, Sam Coulson (Michael Vartan), who she begins to fall in love with.

Unfortunately, as her romantic feelings begin to blossom for Sam, her boss decides that her romantic interests in Sam (and his reciprocating feelings) must be the story. This causes Josie to almost ruin any chance she might have with Sam just so she can save her job.

In the end, she writes an incredibly popular story about her self-discovery. She also apologizes to everyone who she hurt along the way, including Sam, who she doesn't specifically name. She informs him of her feelings and asks him to please meet her on the pitcher's mound on the night of the state baseball championship for her first 'real' kiss.

NBK is a happy love story with some very sad flashbacks that help the viewer to understand the pain that Josie once endured and is now overcoming. The performances by the entire cast are incredible.

This is definitely a great movie for teen girls, or anyone else, to watch!


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