Twenty-one years later, the dork outreach program is still going strong.
He's All That—Netflix's gender-swapped reimagination of She's All That—finally popped up in our queues this week, bringing us back to high school and making us question why we didn't have a choreographed dance routine go down at our proms.
Writer R. Lee Fleming Jr., who wrote both movies, delivered a modern-take on the 1999 classic, working in social media and even a Kardashian. While Freddie Prinze Jr.'s Zack Syler was a soccer superstar and the class prez, Addison Rae's Padgett Sawyer is a TikTok influencer known for makeovers whose mentor is Kourtney Kardashian. As for the "bets," Tanner Buchanan's plaid-loving photographer Cameron Kweller takes over for Rachael Leigh Cook's falafel-hat wearing artist.
While there are some major updates to the story—no hacky sacks were harmed in the making of this one—He's All That still found a lot of ways to pay homage to the original, even including an infamous quote from She's All That and putting a new spin on "Kiss Me." (Yes, it will be stuck in your head again.) Plus, two of the stars from the OG appear in the new flick in completely different roles.
Here are all the ways He's All That paid homage to the OG...
Goodbye Laney Boggs, hello Mrs. Sawyer.
The star of the OG film took on the role of Addison Rae's hardworking mother in the reboot, offering sage advice and chaperoning the prom, all while working overnight shifts as a nurse. And no, she didn't sport eyeglasses or a ponytail. How times have changed!
Did you really think he wasn't going to return for the new movie? Aw, you did? That's sweet.
While he didn't reprise the iconic role that was The Real World star Rock Hudson, Lillard did once again show off his dance moves as snarky principal/school emcee Mr. Bosch. But Padgett's TikTok rapper/influencer ex-boyfriend Jordan Van Draanen (Peyton Meyer) is definitely his 2021 counterpart.
An obvious one, for sure, but it's at the heart of each movie and both required a haircut and that's about it. Hotness: achieved.
Oh, don't worry, you know Cameron got to dish out his pissed off take on the F-bomb—"I was a f--king bet"—after learning of Peyton's initial reason for seeking out a friendship with him. Two decades later, it's still just as effective.
While it didn't play the first time Padgett saw Cameron post-makeover, Cyn's cover of Sixpence None the Richer's "Kiss Me" does serve as the backdrop for the movie's final scene and the couple's epic reunion at prom, which does happen beneath the milky twilight, BTW.
Come on, what school doesn't have a fully choreographed routine? Sadly, no Ushers were involved in the making of this dance-off. Like Mr. Bosch said, that school has some "weird-ass traditions."
While it's hard to top Anna Paquin's understated and underrated turn as Mackenzie Siler, Isabella Crovetti's Brin proves to be just as invested in her sibling's happiness. Both are only sophomores, but prove to be the human kick-in-the-pants that both Zack and Tanner needed to get the girl.
You just can never trust a face that pretty (or, you know, petty).
Like Paul Walker's Dean Sampson before her, former Disney Channel star Madison Pettis' Alden proves to be the real antagonist of the movie. While she was initially one of Padgett's closest confidantes, ultimately she was hoping to see her friend be brandished a "loser," and is the one who spills the beans about the bet.
In both movies, "The Bet" has their own artistic alcove that is off-limits to most. For Laney, it was her basement art studio, where she and Zack almost shared their first kiss after she opened up about her mom's death. Cameron and Padgett, meanwhile, do smooch in his photography darkroom.
He's All That is streaming on Netflix.