She's the Man is a romantic comedy film released in 2006 and starring Amanda Bynes and Channing Tatum. Its story was inspired by Shakespeare's comedy Twelfth Night, and it takes many direct cues from this classical work. Director Andy Fickman created an updated and contemporary take on the farcical gender-swapping of Shakespeare's original, transposing Renaissance courtly love into the halls of a private boarding school.
Bynes plays Viola, a high schooler whose soccer program is cut when not enough girls sign up. Taking matters into her own hands, Viola pretends to be her twin brother, Sebastian, so that she can attend his school and play for the boys' soccer team. What starts as a simple plan quickly gets complicated, as Viola develops feelings for her hunky roommate Duke Orsino (played by Channing Tatum) and has to fend off the affection of the most popular girl in school, Olivia.
Upon its release, the film received mostly negative reviews, but it became a hit with viewers. In his review for Rolling Stone, Peter Travers wrote, "There I sit, suffering total numbness of body and brain, no longer having to wonder what it might be like to be buried alive in gooey marshmallow."
