Directed by Brian Robbins
Written by Marc Hyman, Jon Zack, Mark Schwahn
Starring Erika Christensen, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johannsson, Darius Miles
Release Date January 30th, 2004
Published January 29th, 2004
As a director, Brian Robbins has excelled at mediocrity. From Good Burger to Varsity Blues to his latest film, The Perfect Score, Robbins has mastered the kind of mediocre, inoffensive comedy that kept his TV show Head Of The Class on the air for 5 seasons. To Robbins credit, large enough audiences seem to like mediocre inoffensive comedy, but that still doesn’t mean the rest of us have to like it.
Chris Evans stars in The Perfect Score as Kyle, a high school student whose dream is to become an architect. Kyle's dream would come closer to coming true if he could get into Cornell University's School of Architecture. All Kyle needs is a 1430 on his SATs, something that he has failed at once already. He has a second chance coming up but he's not confident he can do any better.
Kyle's not alone, his buddy Matty (Bryan Greenberg) also bombed the first try at the SATs. He needs a score strong enough to get into Maryland where his girlfriend is waiting for him. There's also Anna (Erika Christensen), a straight-A student who freezes up on big tests and did so on her first shot. Then there is Desmond (Darius Miles), the star of the basketball team with a free ride to any college he wants as long as he gets a minimum score. The desperation of these four kids somehow brings them together with a plan to steal the SATs.
Enter Francesca (Scarlett Johannsen) who had no trouble with her SATs but her father does own the building which houses the testing offices where the answers are. When she overhears what the other four are planning she wants in as a way of getting back at her father. And finally there is Roy (Leonardo Nam) who also just happened to overhear the plan. To keep him quiet he is brought in on the plan, his stoner facade hides the fact that he also already aced the test.
With the crew assembled we move on to the mediocre heist portion of the film, full of dull slapstick and forced couplings as the girls pair off by rote with their cardboard cutout boy of choice. The tone of the film is at times melodramatic, at times moderately amusing but often just mediocre. Director Robbins knows how to point his camera straight ahead, he understands three-act structure, he's definitely read books on screenplay writing and knows how to hit his three big scenes. I didn't say they were three good scenes but there are scenes that appear to matter to this story.
Scarlett Johannsen should have known better. She is clearly the best thing about the film, she has the best scenes, but remember, they are the best scenes in a mediocre movie. This role is a good example of what a star Johannsson is likely to become because it shows she can outshine bad material and make the best of a bad movie. That still does not justify having chosen to make this remarkably mediocre film, one exceptionally below her talent and star power.
It seems that Brian Robbins and writers Mark Schwan, Jon Zack and Marc Hyman wrote this film specifically for test audiences. The Perfect Score hit's it's marks, it's cast has the perfect look to put on a poster, full on Benetton, Colors of the World, test market science, and the story has all the boring relatable qualities of a teen sitcom. Dull, inoffensive, and unmemorable, The Perfect Score is like filmed Muzak. It melts forgettably into the background, not so bad that you get annoyed but not good enough for you to remember the next day.
