Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer
John Tucker (Jesse Metcalfe), is confronted by the four women seeking revenge for his romantic misadventures. From left: Kate (Brittany Snow), Beth (Sophia Bush), Heather (Ashanti), and Carrie (Arielle Kebbel). - Contributed
There is a difference between a movie about airheads and an airheaded movie. Movies about airheads can be cool, witty and fantastically fun.
John Tucker Must Die is
decidedly the other kind of movie. Airheads are involved, but it is definitely an airheaded flick.
Directed by Betty Thomas and written by John Lowell, John Tucker Must Die's greatest claim to fame is that it has a very pretty cast. Other than that, it's a pretty dunce movie about pretty dunces. It has about as much substance and flavour as cheap chewing gum, but even so it is relatively harmless.
John Tucker Must Die is the story of three girls' (Carrie (Arielle Kebbel), Heather (Ashanti) and Beth (Sophia Bush)) attempt at wreaking vengeance upon their boyfriend whom they learn has been dating them all, as well as other girls, simultaneously.
Lies with ease
Tucker (Jesse Medcalf) is supposedly the ideal high school bachelor. His parents are rich, he's captain of the basketball team and he's good looking. Very good looking. Additionally, he lies with more ease than a snake can slip out of its skin.
As such, one can in part understand why one would want to kill John Tucker. However, killing the silly girls who flock around him would be just as easily understandable. Ashanti's character's death would be particularly forgivable, as that weave she wears in the movie is a punishable offence.
The girls hope to break his heart and for this they employ the services of new girl in school, Kate (Brittany Snow).
Occasionally fuuny
Despite its limp plot, sketchy characterisation and shaky dialogue, the movie manages to be momentarily pleasant and occassionally funny (in that knee jerk kind of way). It would probably be more funny if one is younger than 18, male, and believes that oestrogen is what makes women worry about their weight and that being feminine means crying a lot.
One need only worry about not liking John Tucker Must Die if stupidity offends you. The movie is merely a poorly imagined attempt to play on what has made the WB11 so popular, white teens running about, getting into sexually charged situations and occasionally engaging in sports. John Tucker Must Die is clearly cut from that same cloth.
Fortunately, performances are tolerable and, even better, John Tucker only runs for just under 90 minutes and so the pain is over reasonably quickly. In its defence it probably will not be the worst movie you see this year and, if nothing else, at least its pretty.
