I Love You Beth Cooper

Denis Cooverman has a problem. He loves Beth Cooper. But the key question here is will you? I Love You Beth Cooper is based on the book written by Larry Doyle and Doyle comes with some pedigree, as he’s written for shows like The Simpsons. For me, this is one of those rare instances when I have actually read the book before seeing the movie.

The movie revolves around Denis and Beth. Denis (Paul Rust) is the nerdy valedictorian who has been madly in love with the most popular girl in school Beth (Hayden Panettiere, in case you couldn’t tell by the cover). Beth doesn’t even know he exists, especially since he’s sat behind her all these years. During his valedictorian speech, Denis decides this is his only chance to tell her how he feels. So he tells the entire graduating class and their parents that he does, in fact, love Beth Cooper. The rest of the movie takes place during the ensuing night and morning.

Who can’t identify with the plot? Who hasn’t secretly harbored a crush on someone for years? It doesn’t have to be high school; it can happen at work, within friends, etc. The plot is immediately endearing, because who among us actually had the balls to do something about it? One of the strong points of the book is that it is “written like a movie”. I guess Doyle’s TV experience serves him well, and it also helps that the book is very funny. I only have two chief complaints about the book. First, the laughs tend to tail off as the story winds down and, secondly, the climax seems a bit far fetched. Regardless, I was wary of seeing how the flick would compare to the book.

By and large, the movie is faithful to the book. The action really starts when Beth and her two girlfriends (they do always travel in packs) actually show up to Denis’s lame party. Rich, Denis’ movie quoting and possibly gay best friend, does his best to lighten the mood as the girls quickly grow bored. Things are quiet until Beth’s coked up military boyfriend Kevin tracks her down. It’s here that hijinx (and hilarity) ensues.

The rest of the movie is the five dodging Kevin and his military cronies. As they do, Beth and Denis reveal more about themselves. Beth isn’t the idyllic girl Denis has spent years building up. Nor is Denis the total nerd that Beth has seen. Yes, it’s formulaic, and yes it’s all been done before. But ILYBC maintains a certain innocence and sweetness not seen in similar ‘teen’ movies. One scene can have you laughing, the next feeling for the characters. Story develops at a good pace, and humor is even throughout.

Doyle does a good job unraveling stereotypes, and the main characters develop as the movie progresses. Beth turns out to have a very keen sense that high school might be her high point. The characters are easy to relate to. Everyone knows a “Beth” and “Denis” type. We’ve all seen the friends of the hot girl, and we sadly know of at least one pervy gym teacher.

Directed by Chris Columbus, the execution of the story is good, but it’s still at a trade off. For example, the kitchen scene above just didn’t come off as good as the book, even though the dialogue was just about the same. Conversely, the following scene with Denis fighting Kevin with a light saber came across really well. In addition, the climax was different and better-as in realistic-in the movie. (The alternate ending is much closer to the book.)

So is the movie worth your time? I say yes. I think it appeals to most age types. It’s a relatively clean movie that teens on up can watch, but has more than enough laughs for the adults. It works as a good comedy, and a good date movie as well. If you like the movie, I also recommend reading the book as well. It’s a quick read, and funnier than the flick.

Tagged as: Hayden Panettiere

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