Pop-Culturalist.com

Changing your appearance to fit in or have someone else see you in a new light, but, then, discovering you’re fine just the way you are (except maybe now you are a bit more confident) has been a popular theme for movies for ages. On this #TBT, here are 5 of our favorite makeover films.

 

Never Been Kissed

Drew Barrymore as Josie Geller is infectious. Her enthusiasm, joy, and heartbreak practically leap off the screen. You can empathize with Josie every step of the way, and you can feel the butterflies that Michael Vartan as her dreamy English teacher, Sam, induced (side note: Michael Vartan was my dream man for a good period of time in high school because of this movie and Alias. He was just so quietly handsome! Ok, swoon over.). Popularity is so dumb (as her brother Rob says, “All you need is the right person, one person to think you’re cool, and you’re in.”), and Josie learns that it isn’t the thing that makes or breaks you. She gets her second chance at high school and discovers she’s still better off being herself. When Sam meets her on the baseball diamond…all the feels!

 

She’s All That

Let’s be real. No one EVER thought that Rachel Leigh Cook was a nerd in this movie. She looked good in her “nerdy” glasses. Her makeover basically consisted of not wearing baggy overalls and putting some contacts in (and a red bathing suit). That aside, how could you not love jock-y Freddie Prinze Jr. (Zach) falling for Laney the art student as he tries to make her into Prom Queen? (Side note: by today’s standards being the art chick with nerd glasses would probably make her the girl everyone wants…). Also, who could resist this cast? Paul Walker (he was such a glorious California boy), Anna Paquin, Kieran Culkin, Matthew Lillard, Dule Hill, Gabrielle Union, and Usher are all such a random yet amazing group of characters. Honorable mention: the coordinated dance scene at the dance that seems to be in every 90s teen dance movie.

 

What a Girl Wants

To discover a) your long-lost dad and b) discover that he is a high society British Lord is every young girl’s dream, right? Oh, and meeting a cute British boy named Ian (Oliver James) who rides a motorcycle and sings in a band comes along with that whole other scenario? Sign me up! Daphne (Amanda Bynes, back when she was an adorable and fun comic actress) makes herself over from a free spirited teen with a hippie mom to a buttoned-up British society girl to try and build some sort of relationship with her dad, but realizes that he should love her for who she is (spoiler alert: he does). Did I mention that Colin Firth is her dad? Watch it solely for his scene trying on leather pants.

 

Mean Girls

Hands-down one of the most popular movies from the early 2000s. Cady (Lindsay Lohen, pre-crazy) changed everything about herself to become popular. She changed her clothes, her hair, her makeup, and her personality. When she harshly comes back to reality to realize being yourself is the way to be, we’re right there with her. The catchy dialogue (some of my favorites include, “You can’t sit with us!”, “I’m sorry that people are so jealous. I can’t help it if I’m popular.”, or “That’s why her hair is so big. It’s full of secrets.”), the way of telling the story (high school students as wild animals in Africa–genius!), and the random cameos (Amy Poehler as Regina’s mom? Awesome.) all make up for a solid film. Plus, Regina George (Rachel McAdams) is the most legendary mean girl of all time.

 

Penelope

This one is a hidden gem. Unlike the other films, Penelope never actually gets a makeover that pushes her to love herself (it comes after); she just dreams about it. Penelope (Christina Ricci) was cursed with a pig’s nose when she was born. Literally, cursed. She spends her life hiding from the public eye, hating what she looks like, and desperately wanting to get rid of her nose. Only when Penelope takes charge of her own life and accepts herself does she actually break the curse (and lose the nose). Everyone can identify with being an outsider and wanting desperately to fit in. And, then, there’s Max/Johnny (James McAvoy…so splendid in this role and obviously crush-worthy).  He comes along and loves her as she is, and you, in turn, love him for it.