NEVER BEEN KISSED

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 3 out of 5

Because of: sexual humor

Rated:

Twenty-five-year-old Josie Geller (Drew Barrymore) is an underrated reporter for the Chicago Sun Times waiting for a golden opportunity to give the scoop of the century. Unfortunately, her boss has little faith in her and even her friend Anita can't offer much hope... until a competing newspaper beats them to the scoop and the Big Boss wants something done. He wants a big story, something shocking... set in High School, and Josie, with her childlike face, has been picked to go undercover as a teenager.

At first she's thrilled but after talking to her pro-ball-wannabe brother Rob, her confidence begins to fade. "Josie... do you remember High School?" Does she remember? How could she not? "Josie Grosie" they used to call her. An overweight, under-confident, pimple-faced teen, she faced the biggest humiliation at all on prom night. She seems to relive it the following day and her first few hours of school in which she's snubbed, laughed at, heckled, and tormented, right up to having her car stolen. At this point, a science geek named Aldys approaches her warmly and they become fast friends. Her social climb ends there and while Josie may be enjoying High School, the Sun Times is getting edgy for the big story. She's nearly fired for not writing up the local teen hangout spot (where drugs, drinking, and smoking are cool) before the opposing paper did. To get her into the popular group, her brother steps in as an athlete and begins to talk her up and the newspaper wires her for video and sound, wanting a first-hand look at the life of a teen. 

But when their story subject takes an unexpected and undesirable turn, Josie must make up her mind to either play out her charade and tear someone special apart or lose her job, her newfound friends and even her new aura of confidence. Never Been Kissed is the best in the late onslaught of teen-related films such as Drive Me Crazy, Drop Dead Gorgeous and The 10 Things I Hate About You. It has a few potholes but altogether it's a pretty good look at just how delightful High School can be. With a bouncing soundtrack, a cute storyline and memorable characters, it's bound to be a sure-fire hit among the teen crowd. But those few speed bumps along the way may gauge it out of the equation altogether for disconcerting parents and wary teens. Josie's friend Anita is sex-obsessed and throws in innuendos throughout the picture. She's also mistaken for the sex-ed teacher and "educates" them, including the area of "safe sex" and condoms. (The class is required to put them on bananas.) During this class Josie's seatmate whispers that she thinks she's ready to "do it" for the first time but Josie cautions her to make sure it's the right person, the person you want to spend the rest of your life with. 

Not quite an abstinence message but a surprising turn from dirty Hollywood writers. Josie believes that even a kiss should be reserved for "the only person you're supposed to kiss for the rest of your life." The film really does carry a good message and if you can overlook a few crude remarks and the "condom scene," you're basically home free. Hollywood really has no clue about the life of a normal teenager and it shows. Bikini or strapless tops and tiny skirts normally wouldn't be allowed in school. Several of the girls show quite a bit of cleavage, including Josie in her prom gown. At a party she mistakenly eats a brownie laced with marijuana and makes a spectacle of herself. There is some language but it's surprisingly limited. Kissed is a touching romance but it brings up the age old question that seems to plague viewers of Hollywood films. Why must one always ruin a film with smut? Perhaps someday Hollywood will again turn out quality films but until then we must wade through teen flicks such as Never Been Kissed and hope for the best.