Summary
That night in their dorm room, Viola tells Duke that he put in a good word with Olivia. "Should I ask her out?" Duke asks, but Viola insists that they have to have a casual conversation first. Viola proposes that they play a game where she pretends to be a girl and he roleplays having a conversation with her. Duke is initially weirded out by the prospect of pretending that his male friend is a girl, but Viola convinces him.
They have a fake conversation, with Duke asking Viola her favorite cheese. "My favorite's gouda," Viola says, putting a hand up to her chin in an especially effeminate way. Duke laughs at the game, when suddenly he notices Malcolm's tarantula crawling around on the carpet beneath them. They both scream in fear.
The tarantula leaves the room and Duke slams the door, telling Viola not to do the girl voice ever again. "Freaked me out!" he yells. Suddenly, Viola's mother leaves a voicemail on Sebastian's phone telling him that he and his sister need to be at the carnival the next day. Duke tells Viola that his mom is in Junior League also, so he will be there too and he will have the opportunity to flirt with Olivia.
The carnival. As Viola arrives with the other guys, Olivia walks past and tells them she's working the kissing booth. Suddenly, Viola spots Monique and starts freaking out. She runs away to avoid talking to Monique and changes into girl clothes in a nearby port-o-potty. In a tent, Viola's mother tells her that she is next in line for the kissing booth and complains that Sebastian is late. Hastily, Viola runs away, saying she's going to look for Sebastian.
Outside the tent, Viola runs into Duke, who thinks she looks familiar. She runs away before he can notice anything, but then runs into her ex, Justin, who says he's been calling and wants to talk. Viola goes on a spinning ride and changes back into her Sebastian costume. When she gets off the ride, she accidentally gets too close to Monique, who chases her down. Viola tells Paul, Kia, and Yvonne to handle it, and they stop Monique before she can follow Sebastian onto the Moon Bounce.
On the Moon Bounce, surrounded by screaming kids, Viola changes back into her girl clothes. At the kissing booth, Duke prepares to kiss Olivia, but Viola shows up just before he's about to kiss her and switches places with Olivia. Viola sits down and Duke awkwardly decides that he'll kiss her instead. They kiss passionately, when suddenly Justin walks up and confronts Viola about kissing Duke, saying that she's still his girlfriend. In this moment, Duke realizes that Viola is Sebastian's sister and tries to get Justin to agree to settle the tension on the soccer field. Justin suddenly punches Duke and they get in a fight. Viola jumps on top of Justin, trying to get him to stop, and her mother comes over and scolds her for not being more ladylike.
Later, Viola, dressed as Sebastian, arrives back at her dorm room, where Duke is spinning a soccer ball and has a tampon up his nose. He tells Viola that he got in a fight with Viola's ex because he kissed Viola. "You kissed her?" Viola asks, feigning surprise, and Duke tells her that it's kind of weird to talk about. Viola encourages Duke to ask Viola out, saying, "I'm not sure that you and Olivia really mesh well together."
When Viola tries to act more like a guy, she goes too far by asking whether Duke would rather see Olivia or Viola naked. Duke tells Viola that she is too hung up on the physical, saying, "Relationships should be more than just the physical stuff...when I'm with someone, I want to be able to talk about other stuff." He then threatens Viola not to tell anyone about what they're talking about.
We see Viola and Duke playing soccer together. Later, Viola stares at Duke while he lifts weights. Duke suddenly says that he might ask Viola out for dinner that night, when suddenly they are interrupted by Coach Dinklage, who tells Viola that she's on the first string now.
In another part of the gym, Olivia tells her friend that she has a big crush on "Sebastian" (Viola), but that he doesn't like her back. The friend tells her that she ought to make him jealous, so Olivia walks over and begins flirting with Duke. Viola, exasperated, walks away and pulls out her cellphone. Putting on her more feminine voice, she calls Duke's phone and tells him she'd love to go to dinner, but he is distracted by Olivia's seduction and hangs up. Olivia and Duke make a plan to get dinner at the pizza place, Cesario's, that night.
Viola follows Olivia outside and confronts her about flirting with Duke. "He's not a piece of meat, Olivia," she says, trying to discourage her from pursuing Duke. Olivia suggests that Viola come too, and calls to Eunice, the school nerd, to be her date.
That night at Cesario's, Duke and Olivia barely know what to talk about. He asks her if she likes cheese and she cringes; then Eunice and Viola come and sit down. At the sight of Sebastian/Viola, Olivia gets very physical with Duke. Unable to handle it, Viola runs from the restaurant, saying she has to shave. Olivia follows, relieved not to have to hang out with Duke anymore.
Suddenly, we see the real Sebastian on an elevator, leaving a message on Monique's voicemail, telling her he's been in London and that he's arriving back a day early.
Analysis
In this section, we learn that Duke Orsino, for all his good looks and popularity, is not very secure when it comes to talking to women. The qualities that make him so popular with other guys make him a bit naive when it comes to dealing with girls, so Viola sets about trying to coach him in how to make himself more appealing. Just as Duke trains Viola to be a better male soccer player, Viola teaches him how to be a more sensitive and feminine man, unafraid of himself and his softer side.
Matters continue to get more and more complicated for Viola when she has to make an appearance at the carnival as both Sebastian and herself. Worlds collide at the carnival, with her school friends, mom, Monique and others all attending. She must seamlessly switch between her two identities to keep everyone happy. Not only that, but she must keep her story straight all the while, so that she does not blow her cover.
In this section, Viola begins to fall for Duke, and even gets to share a passionate kiss with him while out of drag at the carnival. While we have seen glimmers of Viola's attraction to Duke throughout the film, it comes fully to light in their moment at the kissing booth, and though he is disappointed not to be kissing Olivia, he does seem to be pleasantly surprised by his moment with Viola. The two of them seem like a perfect match—but the only problem is that Viola is also Sebastian.
The night after Duke kisses Viola, Viola, dressed as Sebastian, asks Duke about his desire for her. Duke is surprisingly candid and heartfelt as he tells "Sebastian" that he wants to be with someone who it's easy to talk to. The masculine posturing that Viola has been working so hard to simulate in order to fit in is not something that Duke is very impressed by. While he might play along to fit in with his fellow guys, he has a sensitive side and he wants to make it clear to Viola that he wants more than just sex. This moment of confidence is both sweet and humorous, as we see Duke open up, but also are privy to the dramatic irony that Duke thinks Viola is his male roommate.
The pace and tone of the film are both light and brisk. Events move forward quickly and with flourish, and every moment of dramatic tension is usually accompanied with a lighthearted gag or a touching innocence. She's the Man is a quintessential teen comedy, complete with complicated hijinks, misunderstandings, genuine romantic stakes, and satirical humor.
