Bacchanals held during Roman times were well-known for excesses of drinking, sex and drugs. Conventions were turned upside-down and outrageous revelry was considered top priority.
In other words, it laid the groundwork for your typical Hollywood version of that one last night of crazy night of high school.
“I Love You, Beth Cooper” concerns that night, the one where all bets are off and the normal social caste rules don’t apply. Anything can happen, and it often does.
At first glance, “Cooper” appears to be yet another entry into that canon, where the entire class comes together for one last epic rager. It risks re-treading ground already worn thin by classics like “Dazed and Confused” and “Can’t Hardly Wait.” But this doesn’t mean that the previous films have had the final word on the subject.
Valedictorian Denis Cooverman (Paul Rust) gives his speech during the graduation ceremony about living with no regrets, logically leading him to declare his hidden love for class hottie Beth Cooper (Hayden Panettiere). She’s flattered by the declaration, and later shows up at his house with her female posse. Denis and his best friend Rich (Jack Carpenter) are then targeted by Kevin (Shawn Roberts), Beth’s overly-jealous boyfriend, with his own gang of Army buddies. Shenanigans ensure as Denis and Rich try to stay one step ahead of Beth’s vengeful boyfriend, keep up with Beth’s ever-changing whims and make memories that will last a lifetime. Oh yeah, and learn something about themselves in the process.
The characters are fleshed out beyond mere cliches. Yes, Beth Cooper is the head cheerleader and Denis is the captain of the debate team, both activities being Hollywood short-hand for their supposed personalities. But the script allows them to be more than that, giving the proceedings a sweet undertone. They come across as believable characters that a person would recognize from their own high school experience.
Also realistic is the film’s dialogue. When Denis and Rich talk, it’s filled with awkward pauses and occasionally talking over each other as life-long pals. Around Beth, Denis stumbles over his words in his desperation to verbally win her over, making obscure references and jokes that fall flat. By turns awkward and poignant, the interactions ring true.
Teen movie aficionados will easily recognize the hallmarks of the genre. The slo-mo shot with Beth and her girls walking towards Denis and Rich, complete with signature track blasting, has been used in nearly every teen film of the last ten years, from “Jawbreaker” to “Mean Girls.” Likewise the inclusion of Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out” as a means for the main characters to rock out for a car ride sing-a-long (a reference made possible by the first “Wayne’s World”).
Those who cut their teeth on 1980s teen comedies will recognize Alan Ruck, better known as Cameron Frye from 1986’s “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” Moonlighting from his “Greek” day job, he plays Denis’s dad. Ruck doesn’t have much to do here, save for a speech to his son about enjoying the upcoming summer and potentially getting lucky. But what little screen time he has, he makes the most of it.
Much has been made of Panettiere’s nude scene, hyped up during promo spots and interviews with the actress herself. However, given the film’s PG-13 rating, it was dubious that anything would actually be shown. Sure enough, the shot only consisted of her back from the waist up, along with a touch of side-cleavage as she exited stage left. Bottom line, if you’re seeing this merely for some Panettiere cheesecake, you’d be better off Photoshopping her face onto an anonymous Internet body.
Sweeter than “Superbad,” “Cooper” rightly claims its spot as the incoming freshman in the teen canon.
