“I Love You Beth Cooper” is released on DVD and Blu-ray disc, Tuesday November 3rd. Below I posted an internet based review of the film:

A kind of bimbo pride teen comedy, I Love You Beth Cooper asserts in its own unusual way that hey, airheads are human beings as well with their own unique insolent brand of charm, while bringing smug-leaning eggheads down a notch or two. And though the movie may be as aggravating to adults as actually having quirky teens with minds of their own like these residing in your home, there’s a genuine appeal here, however insular, in its take on adolescent angst and agony.

Directed by Harry Potter’s Chris Columbus and based on the novel by screenwriter Larry Doyle (The Simpsons), I Love You, Beth Cooper stars Paul Rust as clownish valedictorian debating team geek, Denis Cooverman. Hopelessly infatuated with it-girl cheerleader Beth Cooper (Hayden Panettiere) for like forever, or at least ever since sitting behind her in Literature Of The Oppressed class and others year after year, Denis mans up enough during his graduation speech to announce his love for the reigning hottie to the entire audience, while candidly coming clean concerning other assorted annoying classmates, from bitches to bullies, about exactly what he thinks of their superbad behavior.

And though Beth is initially shocked that a matriculated loser, as far as the in-crowd is concerned, would have the brash balls to publicly declare his crush on her, she’s simultaneously intrigued by his absolute nerve. Which leads to an ensuing cat and mouse courtship, with a fair amount of wit and wacky though at times over the top escapades in between, including assorted bookworm/bimbo/bully bonding interludes transcending chronic culture clashes, along with best friend Rich (Jack T. Carpenter) doing his best not to fret over his indecisive sexual identity, while obsessed with spouting movie and Spanish soundbite witticisms alike.

Eventually Beth and her snobby cheerleader girl entourage of shallow sexpots Cammy (Lauren London) and Treece (Lauren Storm) get enlightened about how ‘useful’ and even entertaining these smart guys with tons of brainy information to spare can be, even if totally lacking in hunk appeal. Though that Beth Cooper long shot romance gets a sobering wakeup call too, concluding with its awkward dose of teen wisdom that smart and not so smart are not necessarily bad or good, just different.

DVD Features: Alternate Ending; Deleted Scenes; Featurettes: The Graduate; College Worthy Handyman; Beth Digs for Buried Treasure; Beth Remembers a Cooverman Moment; I Love You, Larry Doyle; We Are All Different But That’s A Good Thing: Behind The Scenes with the cast; Peanut Butter Toast: Improvised song by Paul Rust; FOX Movie Channel Presents in Character with Hayden Panettiere; FOX Movie Channel Presents in Character with Paul Rust.

Review in a Hurry: Supremely dorky high-school valedictorian Dennis (Paul Rust) decides to tell it like it is in his commencement address, trashing bullies by name and declaring his love for head cheerleader Beth Cooper (Hayden Panettiere). We’ve seen nerds pine for less-unattainable-than-expected hotties before, but rarely does it feel this real…and funny.

The Bigger Picture: After a decade or so of death throes under the watch of generic cutie-pies like Amanda Bynes and Hilary Duff, the teen comedy makes a strong comeback in this adaptation by Larry Doyle of his own comedic novel.

Rust is no hunky actor pretending to be nebbish under glasses and a bad hairdo—he is genuinely strange-looking, and his Dennis is so realistically awkward and askew that you can understand why people might not want to hang out with him. As is his best friend Rich (Jack Carpenter), a possibly closeted movie geek who thinks Jack Nicholson impersonations are the height of hilarity.

So when Dennis decides to talk smack in front of the whole school, seizing his final opportunity to say everything he was always afraid to utter, he might as well be painting a target on his head, especially in the eyes of Beth’s psychotic, Terminator-built military boyfriend Kevin (Shawn Roberts). Fortunately, Beth takes enough pity on her sad-sack suitor that she saves him and Rich from a massive beatdown, and along with her sidekicks—plainspoken Cammy (Lauren London) and nymphomaniac Treece (Lauren Storm)—they spend the evening crashing parties while fleeing not just from Kevin’s posse, but also the numerous other aggrieved parties from graduation, all while avoiding the parents (one even played by former Ferris Bueller BFF Alan Ruck).

I Love You, Beth Cooper pushes the limits of PG-13, with some very frank sex talk and even brief nudity. Yet that isn’t the main reason it feels so honest: The secret weapon here is Panettiere, who may lure in the boys with her looks, but who is also a genuinely formidable actress who renders in Beth a complex soul. (Fans are advised to rent her little-seen, off-kilter kids movie The Dust Factory).

If the credits didn’t say so clearly, we’d never have believed this movie was directed by über-sentimentalist Chris Columbus, who’s usually content to replace life’s complications with simplistic smiles and tears. Columbus has long been associated with John Hughes, most notably on the Home Alone films. Here, at last, he channels the best of his mentor.

The 180—a Second Opinion: Impressionable kids should probably be kept away, as the movie’s teen heroes break multiple laws, wreak massive havoc and aren’t even remotely punished; their experiences prove almost entirely rewarding. If you like morals to your movies, this ain’t the one.

Here is the first review of Hayden’ film, “I Love You Beth Cooper.” Unfortunately, it’s not a rave review.

He may love you, Beth Cooper, but the audience likely won’t. Marred by bad acting, an unoriginal premise and characters that are no more interesting than card-board cut-outs, I Love You Beth Cooper feels like one of those upteenth straight-to-DVD sequels of American Pie or Bring it On that have been beaten to death yet still keep getting churned out by the studio. Except this one has no franchise to stand on and will likely find itself in the 99 cents bin at Big Lots. It is so over the top bad that at times it feels like a spoof of the genre.

What’s even more upsetting is that this poor excuse for a movie was directed by Chris Columbus, the guy who wrote such classics as Goonies and Gremlins and directed money-makers like Home Alone and two films in the Harry Potter franchise. If the saying that “you’re only as good as your last picture” holds true, then Columbus should be placed in “director’s jail” indefinitely. Now if Cooper was a first effort by a kid straight out of film school he might get a free pass, but from Columbus this is just inexcusable.

The film begins when high school valedictorian Denis Cooverman (Paul Rust) blurts out to the entire gymnasium that he’s had a crush on cheerleader Beth Cooper (Hayden Panettiere) for six years. She’s never noticed him before but after that declaration Beth and her two cheerleading friends (known as The Trinity) show up at Denis’ house that evening where he’s hanging with his best friend Rich (Jack T. Carpenter). In no time at all, Beth’s jealous military boyfriend Kevin (Shawn Roberts) shows up with his army buddies and a night of car chases, car crashes, cow-tipping, beer-drinking, house parties and locker room showers ensue.

For a teen-geared movie, the violence Kevin inflicts is a little extreme – it’s amazing that not a single character ever thinks to call the police or get a restraining order against him. There’s no motivation as to why Beth chooses to date the guy or why Kevin feels compelled to go after the physically inferior Denis like some pre-programmed Terminator. It’s also inexplicable that on the last night of high school when the entire school is partying together, the three popular cheerleaders choose to spend an evening with a nerd they’ve never said two words to their entire lives.

Panettiere’s Beth is neither very bitchy, nor super-sweet so viewers cannot decide if they are supposed to like her or hate her. It’s puzzling as to why Denis harbored a crush on her all these years because it’s never clear what qualities she has or what actions she’s taken to earn this type of devotion from him. For a guy who was made valedictorian, it’s hard to respect him for liking her. When Denis finally realizes Beth’s not all that, it’s a little too late as the audience has been way ahead of him and has pretty much mentally left the building by this point.

Panettiere – one of the more popular characters on television’s Heroes – is certainly a capable actress but her choice for Beth Cooper as a hiatus project is puzzling. Was there handsome pay involved to be the only ‘name’ actor in the film? Was it the opportunity to finally play a lead role after working as part of an ensemble in movies all these years? Was it to briefly showcase some suggestive nudity to prove that this child actress is all grown up? Or was it the opportunity to work with Columbus on the chance that his hit-and-miss magic touch would strike gold at the box-office? Whatever the answers may be, none of them are likely to advance her feature film career – or anybody else’s here.