Taglines: How low will they go to get the girls of their dreams?
Ryan (Shane West) is a bit of a geek with eyes for the school sex bomb, Ashley (Jodi Lyn O’Keefe), which induces cringing in his neighbor and best friend, Maggie (Marla Sokoloff), a cute intellectual girl. But popular jock Chris (James Franco) has his eye on Maggie, and he offers to help Ryan win Ashley if Ryan will help Chris with Maggie. So begins a two-headed variation on Cyrano de Bergerac; Ryan composes soulful e-mails for Chris, and Chris advises Ryan to treat Ashley like dirt, which seems to be the only way to get her attention.
At first, neither finds it easy to change their ways; Chris comes on too strong, and Ryan is too nervous to be a jerk. But as they start to succeed, Ryan begins to see Maggie in a new light and wonders if he’s pursuing the right girl. He realizes Ashley is not meant for him, and tries to convince Maggie about Chris’s affection for her. Maggie is reluctant to take him “back” at first, but then realizes Ryan has a change of heart.
The film entered the North American box office at #6, making approximately US$4.1 million in its opening weekend.
Whatever It Takes (2000)
Directed by: David Raynr
Starring: Shane West, Marla Sokoloff, Jodi Lyn O’Keefe, Manu Intiraymi, Aaron Paul, Julia Sweeney, James Franco, Kip Pardue, Scott Vickaryous, Colin Hanks
Screenplay by: Mark Schwahn
Production Design by: Edward T. McAvoy
Cinematography by: Tim Suhrstedt
Film Editing by: Ronald Roose
Costume Design by: Leesa Evans
Set Decoration by: Debra Echard
Art Direction by: Alan E. Muraoka
Music by: Edward Shearmur
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for thematic elements, sexual material and language.
Distributed by: Columbia Pictures
Release Date: March 31, 2000
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