HE’S ALL THAT
An entertaining, redemptive teen comedy best reserved for discerning adults.
Should You Watch It?
He’s All That has enough entertaining and funny moments to earn its three-star rating. It offers a useful lesson about how social media is rarely what it seems and shows Padgett learning not to live through her smartphone, to face the consequences of manipulating others, and to apologize for hurting people.
But the movie’s moral lessons come wrapped in excessive foul language and strong sexual content. Teenagers talk about hooking up, pursue fame at one another’s expense, and engage in a minor homosexual subplot. The worldview is mixed: Padgett’s ambition and care for her family have merit, but her plan begins with using another person without his knowledge.
If you are an adult who can weigh those concerns carefully, the movie has some redemptive value. For children and young teens, choose something else. The practical answer: WORTH THE TRIP — ADULTS ONLY.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESPadgett Sawyer is a high school social media influencer whose carefully managed life changes after a viral breakup costs her biggest sponsor. Worried about paying for college, she and her friends devise a plan: transform a socially isolated student into prom royalty and document the journey for new followers.
The selected student is Cameron, a sour photography enthusiast with one friend and a younger sister who already admires Padgett. As prom approaches, Padgett’s makeover project begins to complicate the online story she hoped to control.
Is It Any Good?
Three stars means an entertaining but uneven romantic comedy. The movie has funny moments and functions like an average coming-of-age story. It also may tug on nostalgia for its 1999 predecessor, She’s All That, which featured Rachel Leigh Cook and Matthew Lillard.
The limitations are clear. The acting is elementary in places, and some dialogue is cheesy. Still, the movie knows what it is and delivers an accessible story about a teenager learning that online appearances do not tell the whole truth.
The Worldview
The movie presents a mixed humanist, moral worldview. Padgett uses her own resources and social media business to pursue popularity, fame, and college funds, but her plan depends on manipulating Cameron without his knowledge. She eventually apologizes for hurting people and learns the consequences of always trying to make things go her way.
The film also values hard work, family responsibility, and the efforts of Padgett’s single mother to provide for the family. It includes pro-capitalist sentiments through Padgett’s business and her desire to earn money for college. At the same time, teenagers pursue fame while using gratuitous language and hurting one another. The story’s warning about not living through a smartphone is worthwhile, though its moral framework remains humanist rather than biblical.
The film’s central longing is to be seen truthfully rather than through a carefully managed image. Scripture connects genuine change with repentance: “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret” (2 Corinthians 7:10).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements
Mixed pagan worldview with humanist, moral elements where the lead female character tries to take matters into her own hands to gain popularity, fame and funds for college, but positively she learns the value of not living life through her smartphone and social media, she must apologize for hurting people, and she learns the consequences of always trying to make things go her way, with some pro-capitalist sentiments where a daughter acknowledges the hard work of her single mother to provide for the family and lead character has a social media business to raise money for college, some homosexual references where teenagers speculate that a teenage girl is a lesbian, and two girls go to prom together, a mention of Christmas and Hannukah, and a character likens social media to a cult
Foul Language
26 obscenities (including one “f” word), 15 light profanities (mainly OMG), some vulgarities, a mention of a toddler spitting up, mention of farting, a character goes viral on the Internet for having a snot bubble, teenagers shovel horse manure for work, teenager spits out milk onto a counter, and former girlfriend tells her old boyfriend to “blow me”
Violence
Some light violence includes slapstick bullying such as teenager gets thrown into a trash can, a locker gets slammed on teenager’s head and food gets thrown in teenager’s face, plus an angry girlfriend throws baked goods at her cheating boyfriend ,and two teenagers get into a fistfight, and one ends up on the ground
Sex
Strong but mostly implied sexual content overall includes girlfriend walks in on her boyfriend and another girl fornicating, but nothing is shown, couple kisses, suggestive dancing and grinding at a pool party, crude sexual innuendoes and comments, and some homosexual references
Nudity
Upper male nudity and girls appears in bikinis in several scenes and implied lower male nudity
Alcohol Use
No alcohol use, but teenagers have a “mocktail”
Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse
Nurse recounts a story of a meth head in the E.R., and a teenager pretends to smoke with his fingers;
Miscellaneous Immorality
Name-calling, bullying, character makes a threat, and lying.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Padgett learns that social media does not show the whole truth. How can you practice honesty when presenting yourself to others?
Ephesians 4:25 · Proverbs 12:22Padgett uses Cameron for her own goals and later apologizes. What makes an apology sincere, and how should we respond when we have harmed someone?
2 Corinthians 7:10 · Matthew 5:23–24Padgett helps support her family and recognizes her mother’s hard work. How can your family honor faithful work that often goes unnoticed?
Colossians 3:23–24 · 1 Timothy 5:8The teenagers pursue popularity and fame at one another’s expense. What does Jesus say about gaining the world while losing your soul?
Mark 8:36 · Galatians 1:10The Final Word
He’s All That offers funny moments and a redemptive lesson about image, responsibility, and apology. Its excessive language and strong sexual content make it unsuitable for children and young teens. For discerning adults, it is WORTH THE TRIP — ADULTS ONLY. For a safer family choice, see.
