In 2015, the film was ranked number 48 on Entertainment Weekly's list of the "50 Best High School Movies".[4]
Plot
Terri Griffith is an aspiring teenage journalist in Phoenix, Arizona, who feels that her teachers do not take her articles seriously because of her good looks. After failing to obtain her dream job as a newspaper intern, she concludes that it is because she is a girl.
With her parents out of town on a two-week Caribbean vacation, Terri decides to remedy the situation. She enrolls as a boy ("Terry") at a rival high school, her real identity known only to her sex-obsessed younger brother, Buddy, and her best friend, Denise. On her first day, she meets Rick Morehouse, a socially awkward transfer student whom she finds attractive. Trying to stay close to Rick, Terri helps him through an image makeover and encourages him to start talking to girls.
After many episodes in and out of school, including fending off a group of bullies led by bodybuilder Greg Tolan, dealing with her real college boyfriend Kevin, and being set up on a blind date with a potential new girlfriend named Sandy, Terri manages to be accepted as "one of the guys".
At the senior prom, a jealous Greg picks a fight with Rick, who ultimately trounces the bully in front of the entire class. When Terri's boyfriend shows up unexpectedly and discovers the ruse, Rick assumes that Terri's big secret was that "Terry" was gay. To prove otherwise, Terri opens her shirt and reveals her breasts to Rick. Although she admits to loving him, Rick rejects her, prompting a desperate Terri to kiss him in front of everyone. To placate the awestruck students, Rick derisively announces that Terri "has tits" before leaving the prom and Terri behind.
Heartbroken and humiliated, Terri retreats to her room and writes a long article on what it is like to be a girl in boys' clothing, detailing all of her experiences, both good and bad.
Terri returns to her own school. When her article is printed in the newspaper, she receives high praise and finally earns her dream job at the newspaper. Nevertheless, she still finds herself yearning for Rick, who has not spoken to her since the prom.
One day during the summer, Rick suddenly turns up after reading her article. Realizing their true feelings for each other, they reconcile and make plans for another date. They decide to go for a drive in Terri's car, but before Buddy can join them, an attractive blonde on a motorcycle rides up and beckons to him with a smile. Buddy then climbs onto the back of her motorcycle, and both couples happily part ways.
Principal photography began on October 22, 1984, in Phoenix, Arizona, under the working title I Was a Teenage Boy.[5] According to Lisa Gottlieb, she co-wrote six drafts of the screenplay with her writing partner Mitch Giannunzio, but they were denied writing credit by the producers.[6]
Just One of the Guys was released on April 26, 1985.
Home media
The film was released on Blu-ray Disc under Sony Pictures on April 28, 2020. Special features include filmmaker and cast commentary and theatrical trailer.[7]
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 57% based on 14 reviews, with an average rating of 4.8/10.[8]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 57 based on 6 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[9]
See also
She's the Man, 2006 teen comedy with a similar premise
