I was a little hesitant about watching this prequel to one of my favorite comedies of the 90s. A made-for-TV movie, starring neither of the original stars, and on the ABC Family Channel, not exactly a network known for great movies. But after looking it up on IMDb and finding that it had been written and directed by the original's author, I figured I'd give it a shot.
The opening scene, shot in a brown-tint, was not promising, but within a few minutes I knew I'd made the right choice. For starters, simple math explains why a casting change was a logical move (the story takes place 7 years prior to the original's setting, a movie which was released 8 years ago - how believable would Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow have been as a couple of 20-year-olds?) And the prequel retains the original's clever wit and dead-on characterizations. Alex Breckenridge does a good job as Michele, but the real standout is Katherine Heigl, who shows an amazing gift for comedy. There are also a lot of great early-90s bits of nostalgia and music, and, just like the original, there is still something oddly touching and endearing about these two characters - maybe the portrayal of friendship; as dumb and vapid as they may be, their love for each other is genuine and unbreakable.
The opening scene, shot in a brown-tint, was not promising, but within a few minutes I knew I'd made the right choice. For starters, simple math explains why a casting change was a logical move (the story takes place 7 years prior to the original's setting, a movie which was released 8 years ago - how believable would Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow have been as a couple of 20-year-olds?) And the prequel retains the original's clever wit and dead-on characterizations. Alex Breckenridge does a good job as Michele, but the real standout is Katherine Heigl, who shows an amazing gift for comedy. There are also a lot of great early-90s bits of nostalgia and music, and, just like the original, there is still something oddly touching and endearing about these two characters - maybe the portrayal of friendship; as dumb and vapid as they may be, their love for each other is genuine and unbreakable.