Sydney White: Amanda Bynes Ventures Out of ’Tween Territory—and Falters

Gene Page/Universal

Bynes charms her way across campus.

Details

Opens at area theaters, Fri., Sept. 21. Rated PG-13. 108 minutes.

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More About

• Amanda Bynes
• Sydney (Australia)
• William Shakespeare
• Sara Paxton
• Rachel Witchburn

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Just a guess here, but the majority of Amanda Bynes fans probably didn't get most of the Shakespeare references in her As You Like It–inspired She's the Man, so, behold: This time she's gone for something a bit more familiar with Sydney White. Originally entitled Sydney White and the Seven Dorks, the movie takes the classic Snow White tale and resets it at a modern university. You might expect a college comedy version of a fairy tale to skew a bit older and be a bit risqué, but this is a more kid-friendly version of the Grimms' tale than even Walt Disney's animated take. Bynes is arguably the most macho Snow White ever as Sydney, a plumber's daughter who intends to join her late mother's sorority. But the sorority is run by Rachel Witchburn (Sara Paxton), and just in case you miss the significance of her surname, we get two separate close-ups of the nameplate on her parking space. Unfortunately, this film doesn't have the cojones to take the fairy tale all the way and have Rachel marry Sydney's dad (or cast actual dwarfs). But director Joe Nussbaum knows his dorkdom, and nails it, filling the nerds' frat-row house with full-size Darth Vader and Greedo replicas, not to mention a rare "Return of the Jedi Power of the Force Luke Skywalker in Combat Poncho" action figure. Trust me, the nomenclature is correct.