She’s the Man appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this single-sided, double-layered DVD; the image has been enhanced for 16X9 televisions. Most of the flick looked fine, though it wasn’t a memorable presentation.
Sharpness usually appeared acceptably accurate and detailed. At times, however, I found the image to come across as somewhat fuzzy and soft, with lesser definition seen in some of the wide shots. Nonetheless, most of the movie appeared clear and appropriately focused. Moiré effects and jagged edges presented no concerns, but a bit of edge enhancement appeared. No source flaws caused any distractions.
Colors were fairly accurate, though they seemed to be a little murky at times. While they generally appeared acceptably vivid and bright, they lacked tremendous tightness at all times. Black levels were fairly deep and rich, but shadows were a little flat and muddy. The highlights were enough to boost this to a “B-“, but some disappointments came along the way.
Given the teen comedy roots of She’s the Man, I expected little from its soundfield. Indeed, this was a fairly restricted soundscape that fell in line with films of this genre. The audio stayed largely focused on the front channels. A few elements like soccer games opened up the surrounds a bit, but there wasn’t a lot of information on display. Music showed good stereo imaging, at least, and the general ambience was fine.
Audio quality was acceptable if less than impressive. Music showed lackluster bass response and could have offered more satisfying depth. Nonetheless, the track was usually reasonably solid. Speech sounded crisp and distinctive, and effects were clean and clear. Music seemed peppy despite the absence of great low-end. This was an unexceptional mix that earned a “B-“.
Man comes equipped with a surprisingly large roster of extras. We open with two separate audio commentaries. The first presents director Andy Fickman, co-writer/producer Ewan “Jack” Leslie, and actors Amanda Bynes, Channing Tatum, Laura Ramsey, Robert Hoffman and Alex Breckenridge. It appears that all of them sit together for this running, screen-specific chat. That keeps things consistently lively, albeit a little chaotic at times.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t mean that we learn a ton about the movie. We get some basic notes about the cast and crew, performance issues and various challenges, sets and locations, and general trivia. The level of depth remains low, as the track doesn’t provide a great overview of the production. Things usually stay light and fluffy, especially since the young actors like to joke around and rag on each other. There’s also a lot of praise for all involved and the end product. This becomes a listenable track but not a terribly informative one.
For the second commentary, we get Leslie and producer Lauren Shuler Donner. Both sit together for their own running, screen-specific discussion. They cover production basics, some of which echo material in the prior commentary. We hear about locations and weather problems, cast and crew, costume and set design, making Bynes look like a boy, music, cut and altered scenes, and general notes.
All of this offers a decent overview of the production. It comes with a fair amount of praise and never develops into anything scintillating, though, as the participants maintain a low-key demeanor. The piece also fades during the movie’s third act. Nonetheless, it serves as a good complement to the other, rowdier track and provides the superior view of the movie’s creation.
More information comes via a trivia track. Called “Shakespeare, Soccer and Such”, it hits on the expected topics. We discover info about cast and crew, shooting specifics, music, Shakespearean influences, details of elements in the flick like soccer and other trivia bits. Of the three alternate ways to view the movie, this one proves the most informative. It mixes the somewhat superficial notes about Altoids and the Union Jack with solid details about the film’s creation and fun facts like improvised lines. Of course, some of this repeats from the other sources, but we get plenty of unique details in this fine presentation.
Three featurettes follow. Making the Man goes for 15 minutes and seven seconds. It offers the standard mix of movie clips, behind the scenes shots, and interviews. We hear from Fickman, Donner, Leslie, Bynes, Tatum, Hoffman, Breckenridge, co-writers Kirsten Smith and Karen Lutz, soccer choreographer Dan Metcalfe, and actors Jonathan Sadowski and David Cross. The show looks at the development of the script and the adaptation of Shakespeare, finding the director and lead actor, rehearsals and improv, shooting in Vancouver and dealing with the soccer, and some sequence specifics.
I figured “Making” would offer the standard promotional puff piece, but it gives us more than that. Yes, it includes some of the usual happy talk and it repeats a few notes from the prior elements. However, it provides new insights and offers good glimpses of the set. This turns it into a surprisingly useful program.
For the seven-minute and 51-second The Troupe, we find notes from Bynes, Tatum, Donner, Hoffman, Fickman, Breckenridge, Sadowski, Ramsey, Cross, and actors James Kirk, Julie Hagerty, and Vinnie Jones. This looks at the movie’s actors and gives us various notes about them and their experiences on the set. While “Making” avoided the fluffiness, that problem affects “Troupe”. We hear a lot of praise for all involved. A few decent notes emerge, but not enough to overcome the generic feel.
For the final featurette, we get Inspired By Shakespeare’s… In this four-minute and 26-second show, we hear from Fickman, Smith, Lutz, and Leslie. They discuss the parts of the film that emulate Twelfth Night and other Shakespearean allusions. This gives us a tight look glimpse of the references.
Nine Deleted Scenes run a total of 11 minutes, 17 seconds. We find “Burger King” (0:21), “In Hallway With Principal” (2:37), “Dunk Tank” (0:56), “Mom Swings the Hammer” (0:35), “Principal’s Office” (1:16), “Locker Room” (0:25), “The Cheerleaders” (1:36), “Soccer Montage” (2:01) and “Debutante Ball” (1:28). Most of these provide nothing more than unnecessary filler and aren’t missed. A few throw out exposition with the principal and Malcolm. These are more interesting, but they don’t serve any big purpose.
We can watch these with or without commentary from Fickman, Bynes and Leslie. They give us a few notes about the clips and let us know why the scenes failed to make the movie. We get the basics but not much else in this somewhat bland discussion. At least they finally address the fact that the Illyria cheerleaders dress in an absurdly provocative manner for high school girls; they don’t explain it, but they laugh about it.
A Gag Reel lasts three minutes, 25 seconds. Should you expect anything beyond the usual collection of goofs and giggles? Nope. This is standard stuff.
Stills show up in the Cast Photo Album. 40 pictures appear here and mix publicity and candid snaps. Some will be pleased to find more shirtless shots of Tatum – does the guy own clothes? – but otherwise this is a bland collection. We also find a Music Video for “Let Go” from Dave Lichens. Both song and video seem quite unmemorable, though at least the clip breaks with tradition and fails to include any movie snippets.
Along with a trailer for Man, the DVD includes some ads. We get clips for Over the Hedge, Failure to Launch, All You’ve Got and Laguna Beach. These appear in the disc’s Previews area and also start the DVD.
Shakespeare gets an ineffective update via She’s the Man. The movie has some charms but not enough to sustain, partially due to a genuinely irritating lead performance from Amanda Bynes. The DVD provides decent picture and audio along with a pretty satisfying roster of extras. Man might entertain the teeny-bop audience it aims for, but I don’t think many others will get much from it.
