Showing off to Shakespeare

Andy Fickman's interpretation of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night protests too much. It's an American high-school comedy, in which Viola impersonates her twin brother in order to get into the hideously macho male soccer team.

But it wants you to know how clever it is, and even uses a few of the Bard's lines.

Admittedly, Amanda Bynes as Viola does her busy best to convince. She's clearly a very decent actress, although a performance that might have worked in the theatre looks too obvious on the screen.

Some of the rest of the cast are either too old for their parts or just not good enough. The result is grossly uneven, and surely somebody should have asked Vinnie Jones, playing the team's coach, about the basic rules of soccer.

Another problem is that a modern version of Twelfth Night which doesn't mention the word 'gay' seems somewhat unreal.

The whole thing's a cheerful, energetic mess but may suffice for those for whom Shakespeare is a closed folio.

She's The Man
Cert: cert12A