'He's All That' fails to match the 'quirky charm' of the OG 'She's All That,' critics say

"She's All That" made every teen swoon over finding their soulmate – even if that person was the complete opposite. Now, more than 20 years later, Netflix flips the script, well, mostly the genders, for a remake of the 1999 movie unsurprisingly called "He's All That."

And the critics are mostly like Laney Boggs: "That's a hell no."

In the original movie, handsome jock Zack Siler (Freddie Prinze Jr.) loses his popularity when his hot cheerleader girlfriend dumps him for a reality TV star. To save face, he makes a bet with his buddies that he can get the school's "nerd" Laney (Rachael Leigh Cook) to become prom queen. Spoiler alert! They fall in love.

In the 2021 remake, it's Padgett Sawyer (played by TikTok star Addison Rae) making over Cameron Kweller ("Cobra Kai" actor Tanner Buchanan) in attempt to make him prom king.

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"OG star Rachael Leigh Cook popping up as Padgett's mom is a highlight," writes USA TODAY film critic Brian Truitt, yet a dancing Matthew Lillard and the bad "Kiss Me" remix is not so much. "It's ultimately a shallow exercise with none of the original's quirky charm," he says.

But you can decide for yourself. "He's All That" is now streaming on Netflix. Here's what other critics are saying:

Addison Rae and Tanner Buchanan lack 'spark'

The remake "lazily rehashes the original but without its endearing weirdness," writes Devika Girish for The New York Times, noting that Buchanan struggles to pull off being a "loser" as much as Leigh Cook struggled to look "ugly" merely because she wore glasses.

But the bigger problem is the lack of "spark" between Rae and Buchanan.

"Rae struggles to modulate her camera-ready bubbliness in moments that require pathos, while Buchanan plays the emo loner with reluctance, switching too easily to handsome-loverboy mode. If they dutifully deliver the film’s platitudinous message — 'be yourself' — it’s with the conviction of a makeup brand selling a 'natural look.' "

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Rachael Leigh Cook's return can't even save it

"'He’s All That' is not all that — not even a little bit of that," writes Washington Post reporter Sonia Rao, who also slams on the lack of chemistry between Rae and Buchanan.

Rae is "an earnest actress but lacks the vocal inflection and range of facial expressions required to give depth to Padgett." Buchanan "tries his best with the material," as do the other cast members, Rao says, "but some things just can’t be saved, not even by the nostalgic returns of 'She’s All That' stars Cook and Matthew Lillard, who appear in small, unrelated roles."

The 'She's All That' cast was better

The Hollywood Reporter's Robyn Bahr had a softer spot for the remake and for Rae and Buchanan's performances, writing the two "have a cute sort of chemistry…and seemingly about 800 teeth between them."

But Bahr still prefers the original, especially the original cast. "The film imprinted on me at a young age, sure, but I genuinely believe its performances are much stronger than the ones in the 2021 film."

Bahr adds: "Both films are charming enough to get away with about one anal sex innuendo joke apiece."

'He's All That' doesn't establish a 'distinctive identity'

"He's All That" is neither a "bland regurgitation nor innovative retelling," writes Courtney Howard for Variety. "The remake falls somewhere in between, suffering greatly by not establishing a more distinctive identity."

Howard writes that the film "fails to engage further with salient points raised about societal sexism and class structure," but praises Rae and Buchanan.

"The two leads succeed in spite of their spotty material. The duo have a breezy, sweet chemistry together."

'He's All That' could never be as good as the original

Entertainment Weekly's Mary Sollosi gives "He's All That" a big fat D, writing that it doesn't have anything on the original – but don't we know by now that remakes never live up the original?

"'She's All That' is hardly a masterpiece — it's not even the best classics-inspired teen rom-com of 1999, having come out two months before '10 Things I Hate About You' — but its light magic and large cast of appealing young actors on the verge of stardom are undeniably winning." 

Sollosi says that the "greatest moment" of "She's All That," when Laney walks down the steps in a red dress to meet Zack while "Kiss Me" plays over, can never be recreated.

"There's not so much as a fraction of a second of 'He's All That' with the power that it has."