Revisiting Drew Barrymore's 'Never Been Kissed': Is It Still Relevant Today?
Take a closer look at Drew Barrymore's iconic film 'Never Been Kissed' from 1999. Explore how the portrayal of adults as high school students has evolved over time and whether the movie still resonates with audiences today.
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When Josie Grossie took the pitcher's mound for her first kiss, fans swooned. But how does Never Been Kissed hold up over 20 years later?
The movie, released in 1999, tells the story of Josie Gellar, a young copy editor at The Chicago Sun-Times dreaming of becoming a reporter. When her boss (played by Gary Marshall) gives her a new assignment to investigate teenagers in the '90s, Josie eagerly embraces the opportunity to revisit high school.
Josie realizes high school was a nightmare once she walks through the hallways. However, after a makeover and a request from her brother Rob, things start to look up for her. She impresses her boss with hard-hitting news and sparks fly when she meets her English teacher, Mr. Coulson.
While the film is a classic ‘90s romp filled with humor and heart, the premise is undeniably outrageous. From adults pretending to be teenagers and dating them, to a teacher who considers falling for a 17-year-old acceptable, Never Been Kissed fails to hit the mark.
Barrymore herself reflects on the experience of filming Never Been Kissed in a positive light. Despite any challenges she faced during production, she considers it a meaningful experience. Barrymore shared with fans that this movie was the first official project of her production company, Flower Films. She wanted to create a film that captured the universal theme of growing up.
In a post on Instagram, Barrymore described the movie as both raw and ridiculous, yet beautiful and thought-provoking. She emphasized the importance of humor in dealing with life's challenges. According to Barrymore, a mix of pain and laughter is essential for a story to resonate with its audience. She believes that humor and humility go hand in hand, helping individuals navigate through their journey of self-discovery and personal growth.
Barrymore expressed her gratitude for the cast, the music, and everyone involved in bringing the story to life. She fondly referred to her character, Josie Grossie, as a timeless part of her acting career. For Barrymore, the experience of making Never Been Kissed was a combination of hard work, laughter, and camaraderie that she cherishes.
The women in Never Been Kissed are portrayed as two-dimensional characters.
Despite being a female-led cast, the women over 18 in Never Been Kissed don't feel authentic. Molly Shannon's Anita is funny but is portrayed as overly obsessed with sex, going to extreme lengths for male attention and making suggestive gestures for laughs. Josie is the film's virgin, known for knitting, correcting grammar, and spending time alone with her turtle. Is there no middle ground here?
The same lack of depth applies to the teenage characters. The "popular" mean girls, played by Jessica Alba, Marley Shelton, and Jordan Ladd, have little to do and no clear reason for their cruelty. Leelee Sobieski's Aldys is solely focused on mathletes and erasing school events.
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The Unlikable Girlfriend Trope Strikes Again
Sam's girlfriend, Maya McLaughlin, follows the classic '90s pattern of being instantly unlikable. From the moment she appears on screen, she's already complaining about the "smoke" and "noise" in the club, and talking about how the Met is the only worthwhile social activity, all at the young age of 25.
Sure, Josie is the protagonist here, but there’s no need to make the love interest so viscerally unlikeable.
Adults Hang Out With High Schoolers
… And Then ‘Truman Show’ Them Without Their Consent
The film fails to explain why it is crucial for Josie to go undercover in high school instead of just interviewing teens. It seems like a strange choice. Things get even more uncomfortable when Josie's boss pushes her to uncover "sex scandals" among 17-year-olds. The need for adults to be involved in the private lives of teenagers remains a mystery.
If hanging out in the cafeteria at 30 isn’t bad enough, Josie is asked by the newspaper to secretly record her experience. This involves filming underage kids without their or their parents’ consent, and then sharing their private information with the public.
In addition, there is a man who sits outside the school in an unmarked van all day, editing the footage together. Kids, remember to stay safe and be cautious of strangers.
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Is it Acceptable for a Grown Man to Date a Teenager?
Even older than Josie, Arquette’s Rob returns to high school to help his sister and pursue a baseball career. However, things get complicated when he starts dating a sophomore, who is likely around 16 years old.
When Josie reminds him of the fact, he responds, “I know! And a gymnast.” Yikes! (Don’t forget one of Rob’s first lines in the film: “We’ve got some underage hotties this year!” after seeing photos of Josie’s “classmates.”)
Josie also accepts an invitation to the dance from Guy (Jeremy Jordan), the most popular teen in town. The two never actually hook up, and it’s mostly for Josie to get a chance to relive her disastrous prom experience, but still not a good look.
A Teacher Falls for Someone He Thinks Is a Child
In Never Been Kissed, a significant part of the story revolves around Josie's journey to self-love. However, the romantic relationship between her and Sam, the English teacher, is also a key focus. Despite Josie not actually being a 17-year-old high school student, Sam mistakenly believes she is and still engages in flirtatious behavior towards her.
After going on a romantic Ferris wheel ride with Josie (which was already a red flag), he decides to open up to her about his relationship problems (which was also highly inappropriate). He even goes on to tell her that when she reaches his age, she will have "guys lining up around the block" to date her, and then asks her to the dance. It's important to note that he seems to think she is 17, which is not the case.
The two of them also share a dance at the masquerade ball, right in front of the entire school, and surprisingly, everyone else in attendance finds this acceptable.
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Confusion at the End of the Story
Even though Sam realizes he doesn't have romantic feelings for his underage student, he reacts with anger instead of relief. He threatens to move to New York City with his unsupportive girlfriend, blaming Josie for the situation. Ironically, Rob, who chose to be involved, is upset because he can no longer play in the school's baseball game as a 30-year-old. Josie faces consequences at work, getting fired from The Chicago Sun-Times, despite only following orders from her superiors.
Josie decides to write a piece for a rival paper, revealing her plan to win back her true love. She admits that she will be waiting on the pitcher's mound before the game for her first kiss with Sam, hoping for his forgiveness.
The reason for Josie and Rob not facing more consequences for their scheme seems unimportant. It is vaguely explained that the school, the paper, and everyone involved will somehow benefit from this public display of affection.
Everyone Josie lied to eventually forgives her for her wrongs, and they show up to cheer her on. With seconds left on the clock, Sam appears and the two share a kiss before riding off into the sunset. It’s a happy ending, we’re just not sure how we got here.
