Universal Pictures and Morgan Creek Productions present a PG-13 film directed by Joe Nussbaum with a running time of approximately 105 minutes and starring Amanda Bynes (Sydney White), Matt Long (Tyler), Sara Paxton (Rachel Witchburn), John Schneider (Paul White), Jack Carpenter (Lenny), Crystal Hunt (Dinky), Jeremy Howard (Terrance), Arnie Pantoja (George), Samm Levine (Spanky), Danny Strong (Gurkin), Adam Hendershott (Jeremy), David Skyler (Hacker), Ashley Drane (Alicia), Kierstin Koppel (Goth Girl), Lauren Leech (Katy), Jeff Chase (Big Ron), Brain Patrick Clarke (Professor Carlton), Lasandra Vazquez (Amy) and Libby Mintz (Christy).
A modern day fairy tale based on the film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs instead it is Sydney White and the Seven Dorks. The story takes place during their freshman year of college in the Greek system meaning life in sorority and frat houses. Personally, I have never pledged to a frat but several of my friends have and loved it. I on the other hand would not deal with the childish hazing antics that take place sometimes going a bit overboard in my own opinion but hey to each their own.
Sydney, who was raised by wolves, actually construction workers and her plumber father since her mother died when she was three years old had one chosen path in college life which was to pledge as a legacy to the Kappa Phi Nu. Just like her mother, Sydney looked forward to becoming a part of a sisterhood. On campus she first meets another legacy to the house, Dinky, a southern girl with charm and big hair. Not soon after, the plot albeit all too predictable and familiar as boy meets girl, loses girl but gets her back kicks in, Sydney meets Rachel's ex-boyfriend, Tyler, President of the frat house, Beta. A cat fight with claws soon ensues, get the picture! Rachel, blonde, beautiful, President of the Student Council and basically a bitch on wheels won't stand for the fact that Tyler has struck an interest in the somewhat dorky but cute, Sydney.
Ok, so we have the princess, the prince and the evil witch, now for the seven dwarfs, I mean dorks. They live in the Vortex house on the same street as Kappa, Beta and the other houses. Rachel with the help of Tyler has a devious plan looking to demolish the Vortex in order to build a new Greek complex. The dorks, as the story unfolds have many of the same traits as the Disney dwarfs with a modern day twist, of course. Rachel's mirror mirror on the wall happens to be the school myspace Hot or Not page which as always has her ranked as number 1 that is until the princess, Sydney moves into town.
After Rachel, not so fair after all, ends up casting Sydney out into the rain, she moves in with the dorks and discovers that life outside the sorority is a much better place. She along with the dorks run for council, build friendships among all groups not discriminating based on race, religion, orientation or lack of designer clothes. Love even blossoms in some of the oddest of places amongst some of the unlikely of characters, which by the way were well written and developed. But when Rachel succeeds in condemning the Vortex house she soon finds out that what goes around comes around and sometimes two fold, hi ho, hi ho. Not even Sydney's apple getting hacked can keep her from fighting for what's right over wrong that is until exhaustion sets in. Leave it to the kiss of a princely boy to awaken her energy bringing freedom to the seventh power and pride to all the dorks on campus.
Amanda Bynes who happens to look like my niece, Sara, is a true delight on the big screen in the roles she decides to take on which helps make this feel good movie worth a trip to the theatre. Bynes is truly a talented actress that will continue to grace the screen for many years to come. Even when surrounded by many unknown actors she still can carry a film to at least a healthy box office success. Overall, the story may have been done before albeit this time with a hip score but there was definitely enough originality mixed in to make it enjoyable and worthy of that weekend date. Hi ho, hi ho it's off to the theatre we go, enjoy this light and charming comedy.
Reporting for Talkin' Pets, I'm Jon Patch.