Staff Writer

7 / 10

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Sydney White who could throw a football better than a guy, fix a leaking faucet, and whose greatest desire was to follow in her mother’s footsteps and pledge Kappa Phi Nu at Southern Atlantic University.

Amanda Bynes stars as Sydney White in John Nussbaum’s film about a girl who is far from the average fairy-tale princess. Sydney must deal with the drama of beginning college, fitting in and trying to join a sorority.

This comedic film is taken from the classic fairy-tale “Snow White,” but has been altered to involve seven “dorks” instead of seven dwarfs, and takes place amongst fraternities instead of a magical kingdom.

As Sydney kisses her dad goodbye, she is introduced as a pledge to the President of Kappa Phi Nu, Rachel Withburn (Sara Paxton). The tension that rises between the two strikes a hateful feeling, and the high hopes that Sydney will be able to survive pledge week and follow in her mother’s footsteps are questionable .

Some of the most hilarious moments in the film are derived from the characters of the “seven dorks” who live in a place called the Vortex. The character Gurkin (Danny Stong) mirrors the familiar attitude of the dwarf Grumpy.

Lenny (Jack Carpenter) is the “dork” who ends up supporting Sydney when she needs a place to stay. Of course, what would a modern day fairy-tale be without a prince charming?

Tyler Prince (Matt Long), the Beta Fraternity President, is quite taken with Sydney, and this sparks Rachel’s jealousy. However, unknowingly to his “princess” Sydney, Tyler is involved in Rachel’s plan to tear down the Vortex, where Sydney and her new friends live.

The most amusing character, who immediately welcomed Sydney’s friendship, is a Texas native named Dinky. With her southern drawl and southern-belle hair, Dinky gives off a spunky energy, and a picture of complete confidence.

While most of the film lacked large bursts of laughter, the character Spanky (Samm Levine) offers several small laughs while continuously complaining about longing for female companionship.

Overall, Amanda Bynes plays her typical role again in “Sydney White,” but maybe she is just trying to stick with what works. Bynes, who is one of the few actresses in Hollywood who really seems comfortable in her own skin, made the film overall enjoyable as a modern-day Snow White.

The heartwarming message of the movie is that basically everyone is struggling to fit in, and that each person is a dork in their own way. “Sydney White” is a great film that shows how everyone’s dorky side only adds color to the world.

Although the movie is not an accurate picture of what Greek life is always like, it was enjoyable to see the battle between the sweet Sydney White, and the shallow Rachel Withburn.

In the end, “Sydney White” shows that, often times, happiness is something that takes work. This film certainly is not the strongest comedy, but leaves the viewer a heartwarming feeling of “happily ever after.”