Grade: C

Verdict: A predictable romantic comedy for the Clearasil set.

Details: Starring Freddie Prinze, Jr., Claire Forlani. Rated PG-13 for sexual content.
1 hour, 33 minutes.

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Review: If the young leads of "Boys and Girls" had ever watched "When Harry Met Sally," they could've saved us at least an hour. Ryan (Freddie Prinze Jr.) and Jennifer (Claire Forlani) spend most of their movie's running time ignoring the fact that, as the most photogenic and articulate of the screen characters, it's their Hollywood imperative to quit bantering and get into bed.

A peculiarly old-fashioned romantic comedy trapped in college clothing, "Boys and Girls" throws in one innovative switch by reversing gender roles. Here it's Jennifer who's the casual one-night-stander and Ryan the near-virginal ingenue who natters on about having "to work at love if you want it to last."

The movie predictably trashes this switcheroo by making Jennifer change her ways. In the last reel it's the girl who chases the boy, proving her love by giving up her plans for travel and further study. Gee, maybe in the sequel we'll get to watch Jennifer make Ryan breakfast or clean their condo while he goes to his important job in the city.

The two meet as cute young adolescents, airplane seatmates en route from New York to their hometown, Los Angeles. Feisty Jennifer explains that she almost missed the flight because "I got my first period." It's a brusque little intro that actually doesn't reflect the rest of the movie's squishy dialogue. You might wish for some of the grosser excesses of "Road Trip" or "American Pie" just to stay awake.

Jennifer and Ryan keep running into each other, first in high school, then at University of Californiain college at Berkeley, which seems to have been chosen primarily for its proximity to pretty San Francisco. These kids never study. They spend their time walking around scenic spots in the Golden Gate city, drinking coffee in cool cafés and checking out the dance clubs. Though neither of them appears to own a car, they hang out around the Marin County headlands across the bay, miles from campus; that's probably because its scenic view is almost as pretty as their movie star faces.

Prinze is charming but bland; he can't fill in the blanks that shortchange his character. It's surprising that none of Ryan's classmates speculate that this handsome, non-dating dude might actually be gay. Forlani, who has the wittier role, also scores the livelier performance.

Amanda Detmer makes an impression as Forlani's live-wire roommate, though the script never decides whether she's just wacky or seriously in need of psychotropic medication. As Prinze's roomie, Jason Biggs of "American Pie" plays a buffoon who lies to impress girls. Like Detmer, he suffers from having to play a character who's never developed beyond easy comic relief.

Then there's Heather Donahue, of "The Blair Witch Project," as a very brief romantic interest for Ryan. In this flick, she doesn't scream or cry, but shows some skill at playing comic neurosis.

More than anything, her appearance might finally hush those gullibles who still think she really did disappear in those Maryland woods.

— Steve Murray, Cox News Service

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