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Director Doug Liman's follow-up to the winning Swingers is a rollicking adventure that, while lacking in any substantial plot, speeds along with nonstop adrenaline and style to burn. Taking a cue from Pulp Fiction, Liman plays tricks with time and overlapping plots, all of which play out in L.A. and Las Vegas in a 24-hour period sometime between Christmas and New Year's. Slacker grocery-store clerk Ronna (Sarah Polley) is trying to score rent money by selling hits of Ecstasy at a rave party, but winds up inadvertently double-crossing a ruthless dealer (sexy and scary Timothy Olyphant). She's also invading the dealing turf of her coworker Simon (Desmond Askew), a Brit on his first trip to Vegas, which turns nightmarish after a jaunt with pal Marcus (Taye Diggs) to a "gentleman's club" turns violent. And then there's the two soap-opera actors (Jay Mohr and Scott Wolf) who cross paths with Ronna more than once in their attempts to divest themselves of a drug-related charge by participating in a sting.

The way Liman and writer John August layer these stories owes a huge debt to Quentin Tarantino, but the comedy and action sequences rocket like a bat out of hell with energy, humor, and genuine surprise. In addition to some hilarious dialogue exchanges--including a classic scene between Ronna's stoned friend (Nathan Bexton) and a Zen cat--Liman works wonders with one the most winning ensembles in recent memory, a cast that includes both established actors and TV cuties. Mohr, Diggs, and especially Polley (doing a 180 from her turn in The Sweet Hereafter) are as excellent as you'd expect, but it's Wolf (of Party of Five) and Dawson's Creek's Katie Holmes (as Polley's best bud) who turn in revelatory work; Holmes especially seems poised to be a breakout star. An amazing cinematic ride--like a roller coaster, you'll want to go back again and again. --Mark Englehart ... Read more

Reviews (210)

One of my favorites from 1999
The cast of Go doesn't have a lot of star power, and the director is familiar only to people who keep up with independent films. He directed the critically acclaimed Swingers in 1996. The cover art for the video box is atrocious. If you are over 25, you are not apt to have heard of the artists who make the music for the soundtrack. And in a period where the shallow reigns at the boxoffice, this movie was not a hit. Don't worry about these things. Go is the hippest, hottest, funniest and most unflinchingly honest American movie about young people since Fast Times at Ridgemont High. In fact, it's much better, and it takes place nowhere near an institution of higher learning.

The movie begins normally enough. The fanfare music plays, and there's the statue of the lady with the torch, which tells is this is a Columbia Picture. Suddenly, the studio music is cut off by lively rock and roll. We are suddenly in the midst of a huge rave party. The credits quickly roll, and we are whisked off to a supermarket, the kind where today's kids unhappily toil in order to get the money to pay for their fun, which is lot more expensive than the fun their parents had.

We see young Ronna [Sarah Polley] waiting on a customer in the check out line. She's the kind of customer who quickly puts the work ethic on shaky ground. Then Ronna goes to clock out. Her friend, Claire [Katie Holmes], advises coworker, Simon [Desmon Askew], that this is not a good time for him to ask Ronna for a favor. He doesn't listen. You need to pay close attention to this scene, because it is repeated twice later in the movie and is critical to the densely woven plot.

I don't want to give away much of the story, because it's one of the delights of Go. The plot is not complex, but it unfolds in such a clever way that, if you blink, you miss something. I will say only that it revolves around a drug deal gone wrong and that it is told from three different viewpoints.

The young cast is far from being world famous, but it's a sure bet that some of the actors will be one day soon. The Canadian Sarah Polley is an awesome talent. Taye Diggs, who played Angela Bassett's young lover in How Stella Got Her Groove Back, is hysterical as Marcus, a bright but somewhat too impulsive hustler. Equally amusing is Desmon Askew, whose character, Simon, does bad things because he is too clueless to know the difference between right and wrong. All of the players are first-rate. I think we have in Doug Liman a true directorial talent. The mark of a great director is the ability to elicit from actors performances that are several cuts above what they normally give. They make even ordinary actors shine.

Go is a very modern movie. It uses all the techniques people learn while working on commercials and music videos. Liman uses them wisely. All the quick cuts and odd camera angles are in perfect synch with the style and subject matter of the film. Too often, such tricks are used to mask the fact that a movie is all style and no substance. Here we have both elements in equal parts.

This is a movie for people who either are or who yearn to be free spirited and open-minded. It is certainly not for the judgmental or the self-righteous. It's subject matter may be on the wrong side of the tracks, and it may not send the politically correct messages we insist our kids should see and hear today - as of they were incapable of forming their own opinions. But its heart is in the right place, it is very funny, and it rarely treats its characters unkindly. That's more than can be said of many so-called uplifting Hollywood pictures which are ultimately hollow and empty.

There are so many memorable moments in Go that some of them are still playing in my head. The movie is full of memorable characters, most of which you wouldn't bring home to met Mom. Still, in a way that only the magic of movies can do, they are a lovable bunch of rascals. I am sure I will see them again several times.

Rollicking, Fast Paced Good Time Film
Looking for some fun, action, comedy, great performances and interesting story-telling in a film. Grab yourself a copy of this movie, throw it in the DVD/Vidoe player and let yourself "Go". (Sorry, it sounded better in my head.) Okay, bad pun aside, this movie is seriously enjoyable (substituting a bad oxymoron for a bad pun). Starring a young cast of pretty faces, this movie "borrows" from Tarrantino the overlapping/shifting through time device to tell the story of several groups of people and their adventures over a 24 hour period around Christmas. Centering mostly around a drug deal gone awry and a trip to Vegas, the characters are thrown into a wild adventure that will thrill and amuse the viewer throughout.

For the most part, the movie is very good. The story is fast-paced and avoids slowing down, sometimes at the expense of developing characters or plot. And despite the overuse of some already tired modern character devices (haven't we seen enough of the "white guy who thinks he's black" character?) for the most part the movie follows a fairly original path through it's narrative.

The cast is young, pretty and can actually act. Katie Holmes, Sarrah Polley, Desmond Askew, Adrienne Harris, Scott Wolf and Jay Mohr are outstanding as the relative strangers whose lives intertwine over the course of a day's activities.

As for the plot, there is plenty of humor and a wild car chase, so what else do you need to know?

A near great movie, it is definitely worth a watch. Rent it first. You may like it enough to add to your DVD collection.

Sarah's a babe... mmmmmmm
This dvd is worth buying just to fantisize about Sarah... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

GO is fast but its not that fast
what I thought about this film is the following: good actors, the script is OK and the outcome is alright. Somethings about this movie lack a lot and some might say its a Pulp Fiction-esque type movie and it is in its only little world. Sarah Polley, Katie Holmes and Timothy Olphant were the only ones that did outstanding performances in this movie. the others were average: Jay Mohr, Scott Wolf, William Ficthner, Desmond Askew, Taye Diggs, Breckin Meyer, James DuVal, J.E. Freeman and many others. highlight would have to be all of Sarah Polley's characters story view because she is so damn hot.

Great Film
No repeats of other reviews here only to say that this is a good, funny, fast paced film; however, it should be noted that during the beginning of the film where there's a contest to name dead actors, that there is a blaring error: Omar Sharif is very much alive at this writing!
Enjoy! ... Read more

Reviews (131)

Jack Black makes this movie
My title pretty much sums up what I have to say about "Orange County" -- which I am not sure was a comedy as the laughs were far and few between.
Both Black, as a total wastoid brother of the main character, Shaun, and the small roles by the comedic actors/actresses from the age 40 and up, were genuinely funny.
The story wasn't bad, it just couldn't decide whether it was a comedy or a drama. It's about Shaun Brumder, played by Colin Hanks(Toms' son), and his quest to attend Stanford so he can study with a writer whose book, "Straight Jacket", he discovers while on the beach with his surfer buds.

Not really a bad idea at all. It just wasn't executed as well as it could have been.
Worth watching if you absolutely LOVE Jack Black. He is hysterically funny in this.

Looks wacky and cool- -a great teen comedy!
ORANGE COUNTY will be a crowd pleaser. It stars Colin Hanks (for those who do not know who Colin Hanks is, he is Tom Hanks's son; he also starred in the first two seasons of the hit TV series, "Roswell", and starred in the hit teen film, GET OVER IT) and also Jack Black. But besides the two of them, there are cameo roles made by some famous big stars playing wacky characters in the movie. Just to name a few, Cathrine O'Hera and John Lithgrow play the parents of Colin Hanks's character and Chevy Chase and Kevin Kline make appearances. I am wondering why Tom Hanks didn't make an appearance in his son's film...but oh well.

Anyway, ORANGE COUNTY is basically a teen movie for the college-aged movie audience, since it is a college movie. It is about a teen living in California where nobody cares about their futures. Sean (Colin Hanks) becomes interested in writing, and wants to be an author. He desparately tries to get into Stanford University, but when the counselor sends him the wrong transcript saying that he's not accepted into the school, he takes his loser brother (Jack Black) and his girlfriend on a road trip to Stanford University where he will try to prove to Stanford that he is smart enough to get accepted into their school. Along the road, they come across some hilarious and wacky kicks and make all kinds of strange side trips.

ORANGE COUNTY will be a great film! I have not seen it yet but I've seen the trailer. From the trailer, it's definitely a movie I will want to see. The acting looks great, and the script looks pretty clever and funny. It's bound for success in the box office! I can't wait for ORANGE COUNTY to hit theaters. Go see it!

Delightful comedy that everyone should see!
Whenever Jack Black's name can be found on a movie, you know you're in for some genuine laughs that usually result in you on the floor holding your chest til it hurts. Black is this way in this movie, and, unlike some of his other movies (Saving Silverman, for example), he is backed by a talented cast that knows how to generate some laughs. While the script seems to be a bit weak, which is starting to become an unfortunate trend in Holywood movies nowadays, the cast definitely makes up for it.

Basically, Shaun Brumder (Colin Hanks), is trying to get into Standford University to become a professional writer, but his dysfunctional family and moronic guidance counselor seem to be preventing him from doing so. Now, I've been hearing a lot of critics complaining about Colin's style of acting, and quite frankly, I don't see what all the fuss is about. Colins, for a new actor, is great in this movie, kinda like my brother and I are around our family (he plays the whole "why does all this crap happen to me; God must hate me" role very well, and it's hilarious). I especially like the scene where he argues with his guidance counselor, exclaiming "because you are a moron!" when she doesn't quite grasp his frustration with sending the wrong transcript to Stanford. Lily Tomin, who plays this guidance counselor, is hilarious the brief time she is on screen, and made the confrontation between her and Shaun that much more enjoyable. Shuan's family, however, takes the cake in this movie.

Like I said earlier, your chest will hurt from laughing whenever Black, as Shaun's stoner brother, is on screen (though he could have been on more). He nearly kills Shaun and his girlfriend while driving down the road high on drugs and discussing his job idea to open up a Hawiian clothing store (hilarious scene!). Catherine O' Hara plays Shaun's drunken mom who wants the world to revolve around her; she also does a brilliant job with her given material. Jon Lithgow (3rd rock from the sun) is always funny; he could be starring into space and you'd crack up. Also, the dean of admisssions to Stanford is quite funny, played by Harold Ramis. He is given some exstacy instead of pain killers (by accident), and he plays a drugged dean very well (I was laughing quite hard at that part!) The only character that bugged me was Shaun's animal-obsessed girlfriend (played by Scuhyler Fisk). Her role is not only lousy, but, as an actress, she tends to suck the funny out of Colin whenever she is on stage with her sappy and predictiable lines (ex. "When you prayed to get into Stanford, I prayed that you wouldn't." Noooo........really? Like we didn't see that coming from a mile away!) Infact, she pretty much stunk the whole movie, and I don't see her being in many movies after this one. Overall, however, this is a brilliant comedy that the critics underrated (as they always do) and that everyone should have the pleasure of at least seeing, if not owning.

Watch it AGAIN!!!!
I assumed Orange County was just another corny, half-baked comedy that studio's release way too many of every year. I was dead wrong. Jack Black is at his absolute neurotic peak and Colin Hanks does an admirable job playing the straight man in a whirlwind of insanity that hilariously envelopes him at every turn. The supporting cast is terrific and really makes the film hum along. You feel like you're along for the craziest adventure of your life with these nuts. 4.5 stars for Orange County.

Funny movie
I had low expectations going into it, but I enjoyed the movie. Jack Black had a great character. Watch and enjoy. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Whatever It Takes initially seems little more than another comedy with impossibly attractive teenagers trying to get into each other's pants. Ryan (Shane West) is a bit of a geek with eyes for the school sex bomb, Ashley (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe), which induces cringing in his neighbor and best friend, Maggie (Marla Sokoloff), a cute intellectual girl. But popular jock Chris (James Franco) has his eye on Maggie, and he offers to help Ryan win Ashley if Ryan will help Chris woo Maggie. So begins a two-headed variation on Cyrano de Bergerac; Ryan composes soulful e-mails for Chris, and Chris advises Ryan to treat Ashley like dirt, which seems to be the only way to get her attention.

At first, neither finds it easy to change their ways; Chris comes on too strong, and Ryan is too nervous to be a jerk. But as they start to succeed, Ryan begins to see Maggie in a new light and wonders if he's pursuing the right girl. Which could all be very standard and shallow, but as the story unfolds the movie examines staying true to yourself and finding self-worth in surprisingly trenchant and unpreachy ways. Which is not to say that Whatever It Takes is high-minded--everyone's excessively good-looking and prone to wearing tight or revealing clothing, and there's a subplot about a kid who aspires to achieve school immortality through a topnotch prank. But the movie offers more than you might expect, which sets it apart from many of the recent swarm of teen flicks. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (45)

Very cute film
Whatever It Takes is an adorable teen movie. It tells the story of Ryan (Shane), an unpopular kid in high school, who falls in love with Ashley (Jodi Lyn), Miss Popularity. He needs help getting Ashley to notice him, so in comes Chris (James), Ashley's cousin who is also very popular. Chris wants to date Ryan's best friend Maggie (Marla). He convinces Ryan that he has good intentions for wanting Maggie and that in the end, they will both have their dream girls, so Ryan agrees to the plan.

Unfortunately, Ryan doesn't realize until it is too late that he's totally mismatched with his dream girl and that Chris is a total jerk.

The cast is absolutely amazing, and they do a wonderful job. This is one of the best teen movies I've seen in a while.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to see a good romantic comedy.

A Decent Diversion
In the midst of all those teen romance high school movies you would take Whatever It Takes just another teen movie and most of it is. But some of it is actually entertaining . Whatever It takes is about Ryan played by Shane West who is some what of a geek who eyes the school sex bomb Ashley played by Jodi Lyn O'Keefe Thus cringing on Ryans neighbor Maggie played by Marla Sokoloff but Chris a popular Jock played by Chris Franco wants Maggie and Ryan wants Ashley. So Ryan and Chris decide to help each other out therefor a version of Cyrano der Bergerac. Ryan composes e-mails for Chris and Chris advises Ryan to treat Ashley like Dirt which works most of the time and is the only way to get her attention.

First neither find it easy to change their ways but they do. But then comes the manditory studio ending with Ryan getting Maggie. Directed by newcomer David Rynar he does get convincing acts out of Shane West and Marla Sokoloff. But most of the movie is lame and not very convincing but i did like Julia Sweeney's bit part as Ryans Mother whith her i did laugh. But ultimately it was predictible and boring. What the movie needed the most was some snappy dialogue like in She's All That. Another thing Jodi Lyn O'Keffee who was in She's All That again played the sex bomb but had some very funny lines.

How low will they go to get the girls of their dreams?
It has taken me a while to get around to checking out this 2000 teen romantic comedy for the simply reason that when it came out I had actually finished writing a movie script for the first time and it was a teen romantic comedy entitled "Whatever It Takes" (using the song from Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Go's first solo album as inspiration) and I was crushed by cruel fate once again taunting me. But I was having a good week so I thought I could stand to watch this and not curse the heavens. Of course I somehow missed out on the 1999 "Whatever It Takes" which had Andrew Dice Clay and Fred Williamson in a film about undercover cops checking out steroid use by body builders, the 1998 animated short by director Joanna Quinn, the 1993 sexploitation comedy by director Michael Quarles, and the 1986 drama starring Martin Balsam. Gee, if only I had stopped crying long enough to find out that films were coming out with this title every year I could still done nothing but felt better about it.

This particular version of "Whatever It Takes" was hurt by the idea that it was a modern version of "Cyrano de Bergerac," the way "Ten Things I Hate About You" is an updated "Taming of the Shrew" and "Cruel Intentions" is a teenage version of "Dangerous Liaisons." However, while we do have a version of the famous balcony scene, there is a big difference in that this time around the scene is missing the pivotal irony that a man who is in love with a woman gives another man the words to woe her (although the scene is a pivotal moment in the film). So the "Cyrano" connection is a minor one, especially compared to Steve Martin's "Roxanne."

The situation is that Ryan Woodman (Shane West) has the hots for the school's reigning sex goddess, Ashley Grant (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe). Ryan is a good kid who has the twin misfortunes of playing the accordion and having a mother (Julia Sweeney) who is the school nurse. Meanwhile, the campus bad boy jock, Chris Campbell (James Franco) wants to add good girl Maggie Carter (Marla Sokoloff) to his list of conquests. Ryan and Maggie are nextdoor neighbors whose bedroom balconies almost touch and who have been best friends almost since birth, while Chris happens to be Ashley's cousin. So Chris comes up with the great idea that he and Ryan can help each other get the girl that they want.

The only real problem with this story line is that Ryan falls way behind the audience in terms of realizing the truth about both Ashley and Maggie. The cinematic reference I flashed on during this film was actually "10." But if Ryan is slow on the uptake this "Whatever It Takes" gets redeemed because West and Sokoloff really do come across as nice kids and the pivotal scenes are the best in the film, which really saves it. The homage to the "Cyrano" balcony scene is probably the best in the film, the grand gesture required of Ryan turns out to be an elegantly simple example of public humiliation in the name of true love, and Maggie carries off a nice case of the requisite comeuppance. That is not bad for any sort of teen romantic comedy, even one with a title for which lots of people apparently like to write scripts.

Cute
I really liked this film. THe heart throb Shane West protrays a main character Ryan, or Bryan Ryan. He has his heart set on the beautiful Jodi Lyn who is your typical high school snob.

Marla and James try to "Get something" happening, but it all fails. The movie incorporates many funny parts along with the smooth plot, and the ending sets happy "I told you so's"

The teenage audiances will enjoy the quick movie.

HuH?
This wasn't the worst movie I have ever seen, but it left me just feeling sad that I spent money to buy it. The characters are predictable, the plot is predictable.. well, I should have seen it coming. However, there are a couple of funny moments. That's why I give this movie one star. ... Read more