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A quirky, modern-day retelling of a classic fairy tale, Sydney White tells the story of Sydney (Amanda Bynes), a college freshman who’s excited to follow in the footsteps of her mother—who died when Sydney was nine—by going to the same college and becoming a part of the same sorority. But Sydney soon discovers that it’s not quite what she expected. She just isn’t like the other Kappa girls. They’re prissy and blonde, and all they care about is their hair and makeup and shoes. And after being raised by her plumber dad (John Schneider), Sydney isn’t all that girly.
Things get even worse when Sydney meets Tyler Prince (Matt Long), the most gorgeous guy on campus. When he starts falling for her, she’s forced to suffer the wrath of Kappa president (and student council president) Rachel Witchburn (Sara Paxton), who banishes Sydney from Kappa in the most humiliating way possible.
The only place left for Sydney is The Vortex—the home of seven dorks who don’t fit anywhere else. The house is a death trap, but they can’t get any repairs done, so Sydney decides that the only way to be heard is to get all seven of them elected to student council—even if it means running against Rachel.
Though it’s been a while since I last saw Disney’s version of Snow White, I don’t remember it being quite this silly—or quite this much fun. Sydney White gives the old fairy tale a clever new twist—and even though I’m a little bit outside the target audience, I loved it anyway. In fact, I may have laughed even harder than some of the giggly teenage girls in the audience—probably because I’ve lived through those years and I’ve met all the characters.
While the story is definitely cute (though understandably predictable and sometimes cliché), the best thing about Sydney White is its hilarious cast of characters. On one hand, the Kappa girls are all blonde and backstabbing. They eat nothing but celery sticks, and they obsess over their wardrobes and their rankings on the school’s “Hot or Not” page. Then there are the dorks—the loveable losers who are easy to identify in your own life (and who will have you trying to remember the names of all seven dwarves, so you can figure out which dork matches which dwarf). In fact, they remind me of my own college friends.
To top it all off, Sydney is a character with whom pretty much every regular girl on the planet can identify in some way—and Bynes is perfect for the role. Though I once had my doubts about her, she’s managed to grown on me. Maybe it’s because she has an almost Molly-Ringwold-like, everygirl personality. She’s cute and loveable—and she’s far from the wild, stick-thin blonde Hollywood It Girl who makes regular appearances in the gossip mags. She’s a jeans-and-sneakers, burgers-and-fries girl in a world of Prada-and-Gucci, tofu-and-celery-stick celebrities. And she’s not afraid to be a dork. And that’s what makes her so refreshing. It’s also what makes her the perfect movie heroine. Because no matter who you are, you can look at her and say, “That’s just like me.”
With its cast of lovable losers and dynamic dorks, Sydney White makes a fun fairy tale—and you don’t even have to be a teenage girl to enjoy it. So if your daughter wants to see it, feel free to tag along. Just be sure to sit on the other side of the theater, so you won’t embarrass her in front of her friends.
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