She's All That - Plot

Plot

Zack Siler (Freddie Prinze, Jr.) — soccer star, class president, honor student — is the big man on campus at his Southern Californian high school. His popular girlfriend, Taylor Vaughan (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe), ditches him for a faded reality TV star from The Real World, Brock Hudson (Matthew Lillard), whom she met on spring break in Florida. Although bitter over the break-up, Zack consoles himself by claiming that Taylor is replaceable by any girl from the school. Zack's friend, Dean Sampson, Jr. (Paul Walker), disagrees and challenges him to a bet on whether Zack can turn any random girl into the Prom Queen within six weeks. While walking around the school, Dean picks out Laney Boggs (Rachael Leigh Cook), a "dorky", solitudinous, unpopular art student, as his choice for Zack.

Zack starts to approach and attempt to befriend Laney in the hope of subsequently transforming her into prom queen material. His first encounter with her is a complete failure, when she pointedly ignores his advance and walks off on him. With help from Laney's friend Jesse Jackson (Elden Henson), Zack is eventually successful in getting Laney to take him to a theater lounge that is frequented by artists and performers. Intended to deter him, Laney arranges for Zack to be called onto the stage and perform, out of his surprise. However, Zack manages to improvise a show with the Hacky Sack he happens to carry in his pocket. Laney is impressed by the performance, but rejects him again after he attempts to charm her. Zack continues to try approaching her by becoming friends with her brother Simon (Kieran Culkin) and, in an attempt to stop this, Laney agrees to go to the beach together with him for once. He then successfully persuades her to attend a party at Preston's (Dulé Hill) house the same night, by making the JV soccer team help clean her house and employing his sister Mac (Anna Paquin) to give her a makeover, transforming the ugly duckling into a stunning beauty. Laney's attendance to Preston's party results in a humiliation by Taylor, but she is consoled by Zack, who has now developed a true affection towards her.

As a result of her new appearance and Zack's interest, Laney is nominated for Prom Queen and begins an uneasy battle with Taylor for the crown. In the meantime, Dean begins to show an interest in Laney as her popularity begins to soar and Zack's victory becomes more imminent, and tries to invite Laney as his prom partner in an attempt to ruin Zack's attempt to boost Laney's winning chance with his own popularity. After falling out with Zack, Dean deliberately tells Laney about the bet and she forces a confession out of Zack in public. Feeling objectified and betrayed, Laney refuses to see Zack again. Unable to reconcile with Laney, Zack ends up attending the prom with his sister, while Taylor arrives alone thinking that Zack is still interested in her. On prom night, a disheartened Laney reluctantly dresses up after persuasion by her father Wayne (Kevin Pollak) and goes to the dance with Dean when he shows up at her house in a tuxedo to invite her as his prom date.

At the prom, after an in-depth dance scene presided over by the school's resident DJ (Usher Raymond), Mac meets Jesse and they become friends. Drunk, Dean boasts to Preston and others in the bathroom that he is succeeding in seducing Laney and has hired a hotel room with intention of having sex with her. Jesse overhears this and warns Mac and Zack. Taylor is then crowned Prom Queen with just over half the votes; she begins a long moaning speech which is interrupted by her microphone being turned off by a teacher. Laney leaves the prom with Dean, while Zack attempts to intervene but loses track of them.

When Laney returns to her house, Zack is there waiting for her. Laney explains how she fought off Dean's advances by deafening him with her air horn. Zack confesses his true feelings to Laney, and asks for forgiveness as well as the chance to further their relationship, which she grants. Laney tells Zack that she is considering art school after graduation, and Zack jokingly tells her that she has inspired him to pursue a career in performance art. After their first dance and kiss, Laney asks Zack about his bet with Dean (which is now lost), and Zack claims that he would gracefully honor the terms.

At the graduation ceremony, the terms of the bet are revealed — Zack must appear nude on stage if he lost. After his name is called, Zack heads to the stage naked, wearing only a graduation cap and carrying a soccer ball to cover himself, but then throws the soccer ball to Laney.