Never Been Kissed

Never Been Kissed was directed by Raja Gosnell and was produced in 1999. It was given three stars by highly acclaimed film critic, Roger Ebert. This film is about a young and lonely copy-editor (Drew Barrymore) for the Chicago Sun Times. She has aspirations to be a reporter and does not give up sending her boss new story ideas. One day during a staff meeting, the editor-in-chief, Rigfort (Garry Marshall), assigns her to pose as a high school student for her first story, an undercover feature. The aim of the story is to gain the trust of the pretty, popular girls who are stereotypically vain and intolerant of anyone who is not like them; and the high school heart-throb, Guy Perkins. At first, despite her best efforts and the support of her best friend at the paper, Anita (Molly Shannon), Josie reverts back to her geeky, misfit, high school persona. However, Josie learns how to not only fit in, but thrive. The real romance begins when Josie falls in love with one of her professors. He also falls for her but the whole time apparently thinks he is dealing with a seventeen-year-old school girl determined to do her best to fit in and achieve her goals. This film is a definite "HEA". It ends happily but leaves the audience guessing as to what path the professor ends up taking when he realizes the truth about Josie. The link is a review by Roger Ebert.