He’s All That review: A gender-flipped rom-com remake

He’s All That is Netflix’s newest makeover rom-com movie. It’s the gender-swapped version of the ’90s film She’s All That, which isn’t streaming on Netflix right now.

He’s All That stars TikToker Addison Rae as Padgett Sawyer, a girl who is a social media beauty influencer and a popular high schooler. She lives in a modest home with her divorced mom, played by Rachael Leigh Cook. Your first thought might be if Cook is reprising her She’s All That role as a grown-up Laney. Sadly, no. Cook is Padgett’s mom, and there’s no link to her time as Laney, and it’s supposed to be a funny casting decision, I guess.

Padgett’s two best friends are Alden (Madison Pettis) and Quinn (Myra Molley). They are from more affluent families, and Padgett feels she needs to keep her real house a secret. Alden streams a live social media video of Padgett freaking out on her cheating boyfriend, which results in a gross close-up of Padgett with a snot bubble.

The live stream costs Padgett her primary sponsor, and she’s desperate to get her followers back. Padgett decides to make a bet with Alden to makeover a loser and turn him into the prom king.

Is He’s All That worth watching?

Alden and Quinn pick Cameron Kweller (Tanner Buchanan) as the project. Cameron has grunge-style clothing, has long hair, and loves wearing a hat all the time. Padgett quickly befriends Cameron, and he gives in to her makeover before a big party. They form real feelings for each other fairly fast, but Cameron finds out about the bet while asking Padgett to prom.

Padgett does some soul searching and re-evaluates her social media presence. She eventually determines who her real friends are and who are not.

He’s All That is missing the unique weirdness that She’s All That provided in 1999. Viewing Cameron as a loser isn’t very believable. He’s not necessarily quirky, and he has eight-pack abs and expert equestrian skills. Even with the hat and the long hair, Cameron is an attractive guy.

She’s All That wasn’t that believable either. We are supposed to believe Cook was ugly because she wore glasses. She was magically beautiful once she removed her glasses. The same concept is attempted with Cameron because his makeover mainly consisted of cutting his hair and taking off the hat.

I think it would have been more fun if Cook took on the role of Laney as a mom. It would have felt more like a sequel than a gender-flip remake, and Cook could potentially have been more involved. Cook could have told her daughter what a horrible idea it was to trick someone into a makeover to win a bet.

The other She’s All That returnee is Matthew Lillard. Like Cook, he doesn’t reprise his previous She’s All That role. Instead, Lillard is the somewhat goofy Principal Bosch and not a cruel reality TV star.

He’s All That brings up the forever popular question, “Did we need that?” No, we didn’t. If you adore high school rom-com movies, then He’s All That is a simple, somewhat fun weekend watch, but you might find more nostalgia and enjoyment by re-watching She’s All That. The story is almost identical, but the acting is poorer, and the chemistry is much more forced. But there are some funny moments that you may enjoy.

He’s All That is streaming on Netflix now!