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Movies / On DVD / John Tucker Must Die
John Tucker Must Die

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John Tucker Must Die (2006)

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Reviews Counted:89

Fresh:22

Rotten:67

Average Rating:4.3/10

Consensus: This derivitive teen comedy tries to go for cute when it could use more bite.

Runtime: 1 hr 35 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: If hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, just think of the damage three teenage girls could to do if pushed to their romantic breaking points. Okay, now, take whatever you’re imagining, and... If hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, just think of the damage three teenage girls could to do if pushed to their romantic breaking points. Okay, now, take whatever you’re imagining, and triple it. That’s how much havoc a band of resourceful high school girls end up wreaking on the triple-timing campus stud in the comedy John Tucker Must Die. The destruction begins when three gorgeous, popular girls from competing high school cliques discover that they’ve each been dating the same guy: the school’s smooth and hunky basketball team captain, John Tucker (JESSE METCALFE). After comparing notes, the fuming trio – reporter-wannabe Carrie (ARIELLE KEBBEL), head cheerleader Heather (ASHANTI), and vegan activist Beth (SOPHIA BUSH) – conspire to teach Tucker a lesson he’ll never forget. They decide to attack his game and make this guy, who is never without a date, “undatable.” Unfortunately, every wacky, grossly embarrassing scheme they hatch to undermine “Tuck” backfires and only makes him more popular than ever. Desperate, the girls realize they’ll have to step up their assault. There’s only one way left to take: to break his heart…the same way he’s broken theirs. Carrie, Heather, and Beth then recruit a pretty, but anonymous school newcomer, Kate (BRITTANY SNOW), to get the hot jock to fall for her, so she can ceremoniously dump him. Kate’s hesitant to play along but, desperate for new friends and a chance to finally be “visible,” she agrees to help the girls execute their dastardly plan. The trio soon turns Kate into the girl of John Tucker’s dreams and, right on schedule, he falls head over heels for the attractive blonde. At first, Kate plays hard to get, which completely confounds Tucker, a guy who usually has women falling at his feet. But, despite her best efforts to resist him, Kate finds herself drawn to Tucker, and gets caught between her loyalty to her new gal pals and her unexpected attraction to John. Meanwhile, Kate’s struck up a friendship with her chemistry lab partner, Scott (PENN BADGLEY), who just happens to be “Tuck’s” younger brother. Scott, who’s used to taking a backseat to his sibling, can’t let Kate know how he really feels about her, especially as he sees her falling for John. Even Kate’s single mother, Lori (JENNY McCARTHY), who’s on her own dating merry-go-round, tries to warn Kate against her mission to dupe the unsuspecting John Tucker. But Kate’s in too deep – there’s no turning back now. Or is there? Can Kate keep her romantic wits about her and pull off the ultimate revenge against a girl’s worst enemy: the serial dater? Can fantasy guy John Tucker possibly change his ways and become a one-woman man? And can Carrie, Heather, and Beth actually stay friends with Kate – and with each other – or will they eventually end up back in their respective cliques, never to cross over into such “uncharted” social territory again? John Tucker Must Die is the wild movie comedy that proves, when it comes to high school, dating is still the hardest subject of them all. -- © 20th Century Fox [More]

Starring: Arielle Kebbel, Jesse Metcalfe, Ashanti, Penn Badgley

Starring: Arielle Kebbel, Jesse Metcalfe, Ashanti, Penn Badgley, Brittany Snow, Sophia Bush, Jenny McCarthy

Director: Betty Thomas

Screenwriter: Jeff Lowell
Producer: Karen Lunder, Bob Cooper
Composer: Richard Gibbs
Director: Betty Thomas
Studio: 20th Century Fox

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Reviews for John Tucker Must Die

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61 - 80 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

... a teen payback comedy that squanders any potential it might have had on the altar of that all-important teen desire: It wants us to think it's cute.

Full Review Source: Detroit Free Press | comment Comment
07/28/06
Terry Lawson
Terry Lawson
Detroit Free Press

This idiotic teen comedy settles for being silly and cutesy when just a little bit of snarkiness (a la Mean Girls) could have saved it.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
07/28/06
Jeff Vice
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

[A] tart-tongued mediocrity.

Full Review Source: Denver Post | comment Comment
07/28/06
Michael Booth
Michael Booth
Denver Post

John Tucker Must Die isn't half bad. It's about two-fifths bad, mostly toward the incoherent ending, but that ratio is... well, not bad.

Full Review Source: RogerEbert.com | comment Comment
07/28/06
Jim Emerson
Jim Emerson
RogerEbert.com

There's something mildly charming about this cheerful revenge comedy's lack of any straightforward moral agenda.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
07/28/06
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader

This one is like watching 100 minutes of acne.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
07/28/06
Wesley Morris
Wesley Morris
Boston Globe

Starting with the fact that its "high school students" look closer to 30 than 16, John Tucker Must Die is a film out of joint.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
07/28/06
Cynthia Fuchs
Cynthia Fuchs
PopMatters

In the typical vein of high school teen movies full of joie de vivre, John Tucker Must Die is unadulterated fluff. Derivative but somewhat amusing.

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
07/28/06
Kit Bowen
Kit Bowen
Hollywood.com

John Tucker Must Die isn't as good as it could have been, especially with veteran comedy director Betty Thomas at the helm. However, it's not terrible, either.

Full Review Source: 7M Pictures | comment Comment
07/28/06
Kevin Carr
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures

[A] glossy, enjoyable comic fantasy ...

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
07/28/06
Justin Chang
Justin Chang
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Despite a bold and promising title, John Tucker Must Die lacks the courage of its convictions.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
07/28/06
Kirk Honeycutt
Kirk Honeycutt
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

... a gender-reversed youth variant on In the Company of Men -- sans skill, satire or point.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
07/28/06
Luke Y. Thompson
Luke Y. Thompson
E! Online

It's not grating the way many of its genre are, and the pandering it does to its teenage female audience seems good-natured, not cynical.

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
07/28/06
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com

Bless her heart, but Thomas is a 58 year-old director making a movie that is meant for tween slumber parties. It's an uphill battle she can't fight in good faith, leaving Tucker a dreary, autopilot directing job.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
07/28/06
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
eFilmCritic.com

The direction by Betty Thomas is snappy and bright... (but) the film lacks the nerve for any genuinely nasty fun or comic bite.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
07/27/06
Sean Axmaker
Sean Axmaker
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Made for teenagers and they'll be seeing it no matter what we say. I would too if I was 16 and saw the poster. Wait for the DVD.

Full Review Source: Supercala.com | comment Comment
07/27/06
John Venable
John Venable
Supercala.com

After a riotous opening fifteen minutes, John Tucker Must Die quickly settles into a groove that is sporadically funny but often forced.

Full Review Source: FromTheBalcony | comment Comment
07/27/06
Bill Clark
Bill Clark
FromTheBalcony

some of the most entertaining trailers and commercials of the year, but they should have hired that editor to make the whole movie

Full Review Source: WaffleMovies.com | comment Comment
07/27/06
Willie Waffle
Willie Waffle
WaffleMovies.com

It's not really John Tucker who must die. But we ought to lay his tired teen-movie premise to rest.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
07/27/06
Bill Muller
Bill Muller
Arizona Republic

Can't make up its mind whether to be Mean Girls or Sixteen Candles, opting instead for a mixture of the two that doesn't really gel.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
07/27/06
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion
 
 
61 - 80 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 >> >|
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