# Shakespeare rolls over in his grave: She's The Man
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shakespeare-rolls-over-in-his-grave-shes-the-man/340105
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [January 15, 2006, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shakespeare-rolls-over-in-his-grave-shes-the-man/340105 "2006-01-15T18:35:59Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Campion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Campion)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2006, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shakespeare-rolls-over-in-his-grave-shes-the-man/340105/1 "2006-01-15T18:35:59Z")
I saw a trailer for _[She’s the Man](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454945/)_ this weekend. As I’m watching the trailer, though, the names start to sound very, very familiar. The main characters, twins Viola and Sebastian, are in love with people named Duke and Olivia. And then Sebastian goes missing, so Viola has to dress up as him and pretend to be him. And Viola likes Duke, who likes Olivia, who likes Sebastian, but the Sebastian Olivia likes is actually Viola dressed up as Sebastian.
That’s right, folks. _Twelfth Night_ is now a teen comedy set in a posh private school. And, yes, I’m going to go see it. 😉
---
### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2006, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shakespeare-rolls-over-in-his-grave-shes-the-man/340105/2 "2006-01-15T18:38:57Z")
The only way I would watch this is if it had rampant nudity (which is doesn’t) and with the sound off.
I’m waiting for the “teen comedy” version of Hamlet.
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### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2006, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shakespeare-rolls-over-in-his-grave-shes-the-man/340105/3 "2006-01-15T18:52:36Z")
> [@silenus](#):
>
> I’m waiting for the “teen comedy” version of Hamlet.
I would pay to see the teen version of _Titus Andronicus._
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### Author:  [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2006, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shakespeare-rolls-over-in-his-grave-shes-the-man/340105/4 "2006-01-15T19:01:51Z")
Well, we’ve already had the teen comedy version of [The Taming of the Shrew](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0147800/). And [Othello](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0184791/).
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2006, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shakespeare-rolls-over-in-his-grave-shes-the-man/340105/5 "2006-01-15T19:10:40Z")
> [@Campion](#):
>
> I saw a trailer for _[She’s the Man](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454945/)_ this weekend. As I’m watching the trailer, though, the names start to sound very, very familiar. The main characters, twins Viola and Sebastian, are in love with people named Duke and Olivia. And then Sebastian goes missing, so Viola has to dress up as him and pretend to be him. And Viola likes Duke, who likes Olivia, who likes Sebastian, but the Sebastian Olivia likes is actually Viola dressed up as Sebastian.
>
> That’s right, folks. _Twelfth Night_ is now a teen comedy set in a posh private school. And, yes, I’m going to go see it. 😉
Why is this any different from any adaptation of Shakespeare? We’ve had **Much Ado about Nothing** set in both Tuscany and 1898 America, the “slacker” **Hamlet** , **Romeo and Juliet** set in southern California, **Richard III** set in 30s Britain, **A Midsummer Night’s Dream** with bicycles, etc. Some were good, some were bad, but nothing about this is particularly shocking.
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### Author:  [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2006, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shakespeare-rolls-over-in-his-grave-shes-the-man/340105/6 "2006-01-15T19:15:33Z")
Lets not forget multiple updated versions of Romeo and Juliet.
The Classic West Side Story and the Leonardo DeCaprio one in the last decade.
[Romeo + Juliet (1996)](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117509/)
Jim
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### Author:  [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2006, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shakespeare-rolls-over-in-his-grave-shes-the-man/340105/7 "2006-01-15T19:20:21Z")
> [@Thudlow Boink](#):
>
> Well, we’ve already had the teen comedy version of [The Taming of the Shrew](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0147800/).
And as much as I ragged on it when I heard about it, it was a good movie.
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### Author:  [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2006, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shakespeare-rolls-over-in-his-grave-shes-the-man/340105/8 "2006-01-15T19:20:38Z")
Don’t forget [Tromeo and Juliet](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114733/).
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### Author:  [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2006, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shakespeare-rolls-over-in-his-grave-shes-the-man/340105/9 "2006-01-15T19:41:35Z")
There’s also the 1991 film “ **Men of Respect** ”
> **[Men of Respect (1990) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102432/)**
>
> Men of Respect: Directed by William Reilly. With John Turturro, Katherine Borowitz, Dennis Farina, Peter Boyle. A hitman heeds a spiritualist's prophesies that he will rise to the head of his family. He starts his ascension by clandestinely executing...
based on Macbeth. (kind of, sort of)
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### Author:  [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2006, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shakespeare-rolls-over-in-his-grave-shes-the-man/340105/10 "2006-01-15T20:12:08Z")
> [@What Exit?](#):
>
> Lets not forget multiple updated versions of Romeo and Juliet.
> The Classic West Side Story and the Leonardo DeCaprio one in the last decade.
> [Romeo + Juliet (1996)](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117509/)
>
> Jim
That Romeo & Juliet only used the original for its script, so (aside from the editing & soundtrack) it’s little different from a many stage productions.
And I don’t know what you’re talking about. West Side Story is a [zombie movie](http://www.alldumb.com/item/15976/).
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### Author:  [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2006, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shakespeare-rolls-over-in-his-grave-shes-the-man/340105/11 "2006-01-15T20:50:20Z")
If you can set \*Hamlet \*in a pride of cartoon lions, you can set \*Twelfth Night \*in a modern highschool.
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### Author:  [@Baine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baine)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2006, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shakespeare-rolls-over-in-his-grave-shes-the-man/340105/12 "2006-01-15T20:56:14Z")
Wasn’t there a movie from the 80’s with that same premise? I believe it was called _Just One of the Guys_.
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### Author:  [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2006, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shakespeare-rolls-over-in-his-grave-shes-the-man/340105/13 "2006-01-15T20:56:56Z")
> [@Thudlow Boink](#):
>
> Well, we’ve already had the teen comedy version of [The Taming of the Shrew](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0147800/). And [Othello](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0184791/).
By no means was “O” a comedy. I actually rather enjoyed it, though it could have used signficantly more Julia Stiles.
---
### Author:  [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2006, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shakespeare-rolls-over-in-his-grave-shes-the-man/340105/14 "2006-01-15T20:57:54Z")
> [@silenus](#):
>
> I’m waiting for the “teen comedy” version of Hamlet.
That could be cool. I’d call it “Summer Vacation”. A hot teen, Dane (Ryan Reynolds), comes home from studying abroad and finds that his dad (John Lithgow) has died and his mom (Jennifer Coolidge) has married his dad’s brother (John Lithgow- this time with a moustache). Only Dane can see his dad’s ghost hanging around the house, and his dad’s guardian angel (Morgan Freeman) tells him he can’t get into heaven unless Dane makes his lookalike brother admit to murdering him, so Dane makes his mom and stepdad/uncle watch a DVD of Mel Gibson’s _Hamlet_, but it doesn’t work because the Blockbuster made a mistake and gave him _Madagascar_. Dane pretends to have severe adult ADD and OCD which causes hijinks when his psychology major girlfriend Ophelia (Alicia Silverstone) tries to diagnose him, and Dane’s friends Rosenberg (Adam Goldberg) and Stern (Jason Ritter) are secretly working for the evil uncle because he’s agreed to finance their porn film if they get Dane medicated and put away. Throw in Joe Pesci’s dad as mob boss family friend Jimmy “Polo Pony” Pollonari and a wacky gay houseboy (Jai Rodriguez) and, of course, a happy ending, and I think you’ve got a hit.
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### Author:  [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2006, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shakespeare-rolls-over-in-his-grave-shes-the-man/340105/15 "2006-01-15T20:59:04Z")
> [@panamajack](#):
>
> That Romeo & Juliet only used the original for its script, so (aside from the editing & soundtrack) it’s little different from a many stage productions.
>
> And I don’t know what you’re talking about. West Side Story is a [zombie movie](http://www.alldumb.com/item/15976/).
Awesome, I had seen the \*\*Shining \*\* remix not too long ago. This was even
better.
Jim
---
### Author:  [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2006, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shakespeare-rolls-over-in-his-grave-shes-the-man/340105/16 "2006-01-15T20:59:44Z")
> [@Fabulous Creature](#):
>
> By no means was “O” a comedy. I actually rather enjoyed it, though it could have used signficantly more Julia Stiles.
That is, Julia Stiles NUDITY. :smack:
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### Author:  [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2006, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shakespeare-rolls-over-in-his-grave-shes-the-man/340105/17 "2006-01-15T21:03:59Z")
> [@wolf\_meister](#):
>
> There’s also the 1991 film “ **Men of Respect** ”
> [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102432/](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102432/)
> based on Macbeth. (kind of, sort of)
Based rather more closely, IMO, than _My Own Private Idaho_ was based on _Henry IV._
---
### Author:  [@Amaranta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amaranta)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2006, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shakespeare-rolls-over-in-his-grave-shes-the-man/340105/18 "2006-01-15T21:07:02Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#):
>
> Don’t forget [Tromeo and Juliet](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114733/).
And [Gnomeo and Juliet](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0377981/).
---
### Author:  [@Atticus\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atticus_Finch)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2006, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shakespeare-rolls-over-in-his-grave-shes-the-man/340105/19 "2006-01-15T21:13:34Z")
Meh. We’ve had Shakespeare with samurai swords in Kurosawa’s **Throne of Blood** (Macbeth) and **Ran** (Lear).
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### Author:  [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2006, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shakespeare-rolls-over-in-his-grave-shes-the-man/340105/20 "2006-01-15T21:31:57Z")
Don’t forget the slightly muddled retelling of Hamlet in _Strange Brew_
> **[Strange Brew (1983) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086373/)**
>
> Strange Brew: Directed by Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas. With Dave Thomas, Rick Moranis, Max von Sydow, Paul Dooley. Canada's most famous hosers, Bob and Doug McKenzie, get jobs at the Elsinore Brewery, only to learn that something is rotten with the...
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