‘What Boys Like’? You can guess, can’t you?
“What Boys Like” is a routine, derivative romantic comedy that loses momentum before its predictable windup. It does provide something of a showcase for its young actors, suggesting they may be capable of more.
The story begins with blond, handsome and monogamous Jay (Christopher Wiehl) suffering the breakup of a longtime romance. His San Francisco playboy pals Dewey (Alex Nesic) and Phil (Duane Martin), for whom all women amount to chicks, maneuver him into betting he can score with a bridesmaid at the upcoming Santa Barbara nuptials of their friend Scott (Michael Trucco).
Arriving with his pals several days before the wedding, Jay discovers that Scott’s bride-to-be is his lovely high school sweetheart Teresa (Lisa Brenner), for whom he still carries a torch -- and whom Scott is marrying for her money.
Another plot complication: Jay must pursue sex-crazed bridesmaid Brooke (Jennifer Gareis) because if he does not succeed with her, he must relinquish his naive kid sister Susie (Christie Lynn Smith) to the advances of the predatory Dewey. (And Jay is supposed to be a nice, protective brother?) Meanwhile, when Phil learns that bridesmaid Melodie (Michele Kelly) is enamored of a famous underwear model, he assumes the guy’s identity.
“What Boys Like,” written and directed by Lawrence Gay, is slight in the extreme, more tasteless than amusing, but at least its young actors manage to make promising impressions, especially Wiehl and Brenner, whose characters have a tad more dimension than the others.
Suburban Johannesburg, South Africa, of all places, stands in for Santa Barbara attractively, if unconvincingly.
*
‘What Boys Like’
MPAA rating: R, for strong and crude sexual content and for language.
Times guidelines: Considerable crass sexual language and humor; unsuitable for youngsters
Christopher Wiehl...Jay
Lisa Brenner...Teresa
Duane Martin...Phil
Alex Nesic...Dewey
Michael Trucco...Scott
A Visionbox Pictures presentation. Writer-director Lawrence Gay. Producer Neal Nordlinger. Cinematographer Michael Brierley. Editor Sam Craven. Music Howard Drossin. Production designer Zack Grobler. Set decorator Jeanne Henn. Running time: 1 hour, 28 minutes.
At selected theaters.