After making Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) and Clueless (1995), two of the definitive films about the joys and terrors of American high school, writer/director Amy Heckerling moves on to college with this bittersweet romantic comedy. Paul Tannek (Jason Biggs) is a bright but socially inept college freshman who has just arrived at NYU from the Midwest. Frumpy and studious, Paul has trouble meeting people, doesn't get along with his roommates, and most of his fellow students hardly acknowledge his existence. But Paul finds a soul mate in Dora Diamond (Mena Suvari), who has even more problems than he does: she's out of money, has nowhere to live, works a humiliating job as a waitress at a strip club, and has become involved with one of her professors, Edward Alcott (Greg Kinnear), whose callous treatment hardly boosts her shaky self-esteem. Dora gives Paul some advice on how to fit in with his roommates, and Paul lets her stay with him while she looks for work; when he becomes infatuated with her, he has to figure out how to win her away from Edward. Loser marked a reunion for Jason Biggs and Mena Suvari, who starred together in the hit teen comedy American Pie. Mark Deming, Rovi
In this teen-oriented romantic comedy, Ryan Woodman (Shane West) is a socially inept high school senior whose idea of a good time is practicing his accordion, while Chris Campbell (James Franco) is a BMOC football star (and intellectual lightweight) at the same school. Ryan is hopelessly in love with Ashley Grant (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe), who is beautiful, popular, and entirely out of his league, while Chris has a serious crush on Maggie (Marla Sokoloff), a pretty but bookish friend of Ryan's. Chris and Ryan realize that they're in a position to help each other, and through a complicated arrangement of phone calls, e-mails, and double dates, they try to work out a system by which each guy will be with the girl of his dreams -- though things hardly turn out the way anyone expected. Produced under the title Got to Be You, Whatever It Takes also features Julia Sweeney and Colin Hanks. Mark Deming, Rovi
- Genre: Comedy Drama
- Category Teen Movie, Coming-of-Age, Romantic Comedy
- Theme: Teachers and Students, College Life, Assumed Identities, Opposites Attract, Love Triangles, Unrequited Love
- Studio: Sony Pictures
- Run Time: 03 hr 09 min
- Language: French, English, Portuguese, Spanish
- Subtitle Language: French, English, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai, Korean
- Picture Format: widescreen, pan_and_scan
- Release Date: February 3, 2009
- Lead Actor: Mena Suvari, Colin Hanks, James Franco, Jason Biggs, Manu Intiraymi
- Supporting Actor: Richard Schiff, Greg Kinnear, Aaron Paul, Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, Tom Sadoski, Zak Orth, Dan Aykroyd, Marla Sokoloff, Twink Caplan, Julia Sweeney, Kip Pardue, Scott Vickaryous, Shane West, Andy Dick, Steven Wright, Jimmi Simpson
- Director: Amy Heckerling, David Raynr
