Independent Films, Film Profiles

John Tucker Must Die

John Tucker Must Die is a 2006 American high school comedy romance film. The film is about a trio of girls (played by Ashanti, Sophia Bush, and Arielle Kebbel) who plot to break the heart of manipulative basketball star John Tucker (Jesse Metcalfe) after they learn he has been secretly dating all three and pledging each is "the one". They recruit cute wallflower Kate (Brittany Snow) in their scheme to publicly humiliate the cad. The movie was released in North America on July 28, 2006. It was directed by Betty Thomas. The film reached number 3 in the U.S and number 1 in Australia.The movie begins with Kate (Brittany Snow) relating various details of her life up to the point when the film takes place. Her mother Lori (Jenny McCarthy) has moved towns multiple times after bad relationships with men (Kate refers to them all as 'Skip', supposedly in relation to the way they 'skip' the relationship). She describes herself as always being "invisible."While working as a waitress, she sees local hottie John Tucker (Jesse Metcalfe) on dates with three different girls, Carrie (Arielle Kebbel), a chronic overachiever who spends her life in extracurricular clubs and working on her college application, Heather (Ashanti), who is a sassy, aggressive head cheerleader and Beth (Sophia Bush) a vegan activist who is rumored to be a slut. Kate learns from a co-worker that John dates girls from different cliques at his school so that they never interact and convinces the girls who he dates to keep their relationships secret by telling them that his father does not allow him to date during basketball season.One day in gym class Kate, Carrie, Heather, and Beth all end up on the same team for a volleyball game. The girls learn of Tucker's scheme because of Carrie`s big mouth and begin fighting, landing them all in detention. Kate, who gets detention for no reason except trying to break it up, is enlisted to help in the retaliation against John Tucker. In the meantime Kate becomes friends with John's brother Scott (Penn Badgley) better known as "The Other Tucker".Despite the girls' strengths, their initial attempts to undo John are eventually utilized by him and he remains as popular as ever. Finally after he breaks up with Carrie, Heather and Beth, they agree that breaking his heart is the ideal revenge and enlist Kate to aid them. Kate joins the cheerleading team in order to get John's attention. He sees her after the practice, then compliments her. Kate meets up with the troupe and tells them of John's compliment. She and John go on a series of dates, while the other girls watch with surveillance equipment. At an away basketball game, the girls try another plan to embarrass John Tucker, this too fails. Meanwhile, Kate's mother and Scott both discover the plan and lament the change in Kate's behavior.Later, at John's birthday party, Kate steps on stage and Heather, Beth, and Carrie reveal the entire plot. Still, John Tucker is unfazed, and the party devolves into a cake fight.A few days later, John and Kate agree to be friends, and John resolves to be honest, telling his new girlfriend about his other girlfriend. Scott, happy that Kate admitted the plot, accepts to be her lab partner again, coming up with a cheesy excuse that he cut his partner's finger off. It is hinted the two will begin dating, and Kate is now friends with Beth, Carrie, and Heather.