GBF

GBF 

Summary: When Tanner is outed at school, the three most popular girls fight for the chance to have a GBF, or Gay Best Friend- a status symbol that will ensure a prom queen win. Tanner's new-found popularity strains his own friendships and he has to decide what's more important.

Stars: Sasha Pieterse, Xosha Roquemore, Andrea Bowen, Paul Iacono, Michael J. Willett

Language: English

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I rarely blind-buy movies anymore but when I saw the trailer for this one, I wanted to get it- mostly because it was directed by Darren Stein, the writer/director of Jawbreaker. I love Jawbreaker and I thought if this was even almost as good, I'd like it. I'm a fan of teen movies, anyway.

This movie is very MTV-ish. To me, GBF has a very similar feel to shows like Awkward. It touches on potentially deeper subjects but keeps it superficial and glossy. I would say that the biggest instance of this is the prom ticket issue. Not being able to buy tickets for a same sex date is completely overshadowed by the official vs unofficial prom competition. This is a light teen comedy, however, so I wasn't expecting a lot of social commentary.

The characters themselves are also rather typical and most didn't have a lot of development. I will say that Tanner, the main character, has a sufficient amount of growth in the typical unpopular-turned-popular boy who has to realize who his true friends are way. The one I was so disappointed in was Fawcett. She had the most potential for growth in the movie and it completely fell flat.

What made this movie a lot more enjoyable than it could have been was the minor cast. In particular, I loved all the adults. Tanner's parents, played by Jonathan Silverman and Rebecca Gayheart, and Brent's mom, played by Megan Mullally, were some of the funniest characters in the movie. I also really liked 'Topher, 'Shley's closeted Mormon boyfriend. 'Shley herself got dropped from main to supporting cast halfway through the movie but she had some of the best lines out of the three popular girls.

GBF is typical of a teen comedy. There aren't really any surprises or twists in the plot. It's not a romance but follows the progression of movies like Can't Buy Me Love. Basically, it's a story of a boy who becomes popular for superficial reasons and gets caught up in it.

Personally, I was slightly disappointed in GBF. It wasn't bad for what it was, but I was hoping it would be a little edgier and darker. I do see myself re-watching it, though, when I do want to watch this type of movie. If you like light teen comedies that are on the safe side of edgy, this is a good one. I'd also suggest it for people that enjoy the MTV style of shows like Awkward. I wouldn't pick this one if you are looking for something like Jawbreaker, as I was, or even like Clueless, despite the DVD cover comparison.