Sydney White
Release Date:
September 21, 2007
On the Big Board |
| Position |
Staff |
In Brief |
| 168/214 |
Max Braden |
Bynes beams for the camera but this story is a too tame version of Revenge of the Nerds. |
Hollywood consistently relies on classic stories as sources for modern movies, especially when the modern movies center on young people. In the last decade, we’ve seen Shakespeare’s plays get re-imagined as teen flicks, from 10 Things I Hate About You (source: The Taming of the Shrew) to O (Othello) and She’s the Man (The Twelfth Night). Now it seems age-old fairy tales are becoming a reliable device for studios to cash in on.
This fall, Amanda Bynes (who also starred in She’s the Man) headlines Sydney White, a modern take on Snow White, which most people will know through the Brothers Grimm fairy tale and Walt Disney’s first animated feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Bynes plays Sydney White, a college freshman with ambitions to join her late mother’s sorority at Southern Atlantic University. To her dismay, Sidney finds the mechanics and downfalls of popularity and social politics have taken over the once-respected organization. She's banished by the wicked Rachel (Sara Paxton) to another Greek house, where she befriends seven nerdy outcasts. Together, they organize to subvert the student government and reinstate justice and equality on campus.
The premise for Sydney White feels light and jolly, and its playful but truthful social commentary may have the power to win over critics, but Universal Pictures isn’t showing they have much faith in the movie by releasing it in September, which has earned the reputation as Hollywood’s “dumping ground” for movies with low box office potential. Then again, such a release schedule could turn out to be smart marketing as many college and high school students will have returned to campus and may feel the need to check out a movie that's similar to their own lives.
This year hasn’t been particularly kind to the young female demographic that Sydney White is obviously aiming to please. Movies like Nancy Drew and Bratz barely made a dent at the box office. It helps that Bynes is fresh off the unexpected success of Hairspray, which could be used as a marketing tool, and the well-known source material could spark mild interest. Thanks to its low production budget, Sydney White won’t have to make too much to become a hit, but if it does, rest assured Hollywood will take notice and start to update other classic fairy tales for a new generation of moviegoers. (Matthew Huntley/BOP)
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