Adapted from a novel by a former Simpsons writer, Larry Doyle, the film version of I Love You, Beth Cooper proves that not all high school romantic comedies are created equal. When Dennis Cooverman (Paul Rust) announces his unrequited love for the Beth Cooper (Hayden Panettiere of Heroes), he redefines his own relationship with the girl in question but also challenges everyone who hears him to say that thing that they’ve always wanted to say but couldn’t.
Included in the examples of people who have a secret that they need to relieve themselves of are the school bully, Dennis’ best friend who might or might not be gay, and various other people with secrets (emotionally or physically). Along the way, Dennis has also insulted Beth’s boyfriend, Kevin (Shawn Roberts), who hangs around the high school even though he’s in the military (and a high school grad), but he also has the guts to invite Beth to the party his parents are throwing that night to celebrate his graduation and impending trip to Stanford.
Dennis’ awareness of the world is quite different from that of his friend, his peers, and his father (Alan Ruck of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off). Dennis has the kind of humor that fans of The Big Bang Theory’s Sheldon (Jim Parsons) will appreciate: he’s overly educated and too informed to be good for a high school student longing to make friends. The movie strives for some of that same educated flair, but it also swoops lower, sometimes inappropriately, even as it waters down the effort Beth puts into getting the beer off of a convenience store clerk.
Honestly, the movie has some sight gags that make the film funny from time to time, the obvious discomfort that Dennis feels in the presence of Beth is typically “cute,” and the battle plans of a nerd facing the likes of Kevin and his posse make for some entertaining scenes. Still, the humor that involves the wordplay (”wine makes me think of Jesus” was pretty clever at the time) serves up some good stuff. So maybe The Simpsons influence or vice versa shows that even though high school comedies might be the second lowest form of humor (after comedies about marijuana), you can still find a new way to recycle the same ideas.
In the end though, this is about one guy telling the truth and changing the situation he finds himself in, as well as the lives of those around him. And, in the end, maybe he falls in love with a girl he thinks he has loved for a while but hasn’t really been in a relationship with. Which begs the question that all of these movies raise: what is real love? This film isn’t all about the two lead roles ending up having sex (even if they do) but the difference between infatuation with an ideal that you don’t really know versus loving someone you actually know stands in stark contrast. While I believe that love is a relationship that must include God (because God is love), for a high school comedy, the film goes far toward moving out of infatuation into relationship… and that’s a good start.
By no means perfect or entirely wholesome, the romantic comedy that envelops I Love You, Beth Cooper finds a way to subtly change the perspective, and turn back the view of relationships to actually include a relationship, not just obsession. I’m not encouraging tell-alls from the podium at graduation, but I guess there are worse ways to tell someone that you love them.
