You didn’t honestly think that “He’s All That,” Netflix’s new remake of the 1999 classic “She’s All That,” was going to be critically celebrated, did you? Oh, you did? That’s so sweet! In truth, the film has been anything but a critical darling, instead garnering a slew of harsh reviews across the interwebs. Sonia Rao of The Washington Post bluntly espoused, “In the end, ‘He’s All That’ is not all that – not even a little bit of that” and Australia’s News.com awarded it a scant one out of five rating with the remark, “The one star is for Matthew Lillard’s cameo.” Even viewers are coming down hard on the flick, granting it a pitiful 28% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes
Despite the countless naysayers, though, “He’s All That,” which debuted this past Friday, quickly hit Number One on Netflix and held onto the coveted spot throughout the weekend, proving that nostalgia is quite a powerful draw – as is TikTok (leading lady Addison Rae is a social media sensation with a mind-blowing 83.5 million followers on the platform).
Both “He’s All That” and its predecessor were penned by screenwriter R. Lee Fleming Jr. But while the OG film saw “class president, standout athlete, all-around badass mamba-jahamba” Zack Siler (Freddie Prinze Jr.) transform “scary and inaccessible” artist Laney Boggs (Rachael Leigh Cook) into a prom queen nominee, the gender-bending remake couples influencer Padgett Sawyer (Rae) with loner Cameron Kweller (Tanner Buchanan), with the former attempting to makeover the latter into a prom king.
Along with flipping gender roles, the film swaps locations, as well. The original movie cast Torrance High (of “Beverly Hills, 90210” fame) as the fictional William Henry Harrison High School (home of The Earthquakes!). The remake, on the other hand, takes place at Cali High (also home of The Earthquakes!), which in actuality is Palisades Charter High School in Pacific Palisades (another oft-filmed locale from such teen fare as “Carrie,” “The Glass House” and “Freaky Friday”). And while Laney lived in a split-level Redondo Beach ranch-style pad in the 1999 flick, Cameron, his sister, Brin (Isabella Crovetti), and Tom Selleck-loving Grandma (Jill Basey) call a South Pasadena Craftsman home in “He’s All That.”
-
Image Credit: Realtor.com Exuding charm and traditional Americana, the two-story abode is situated on a picturesque patch of green, green grass at 1940 Milan Ave., which is one of South Pasadena’s most frequently filmed streets! The tree-lined idyll has played host to countless productions over the years, including “Four Christmases,” “The Girl Next Door,” “Beethoven” and “Family,” and even served as a setting for portions of the famous race home sequence from “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” (Please remember this is a private home. Do not trespass or bother the residents or the property in any way.)
Originally built in 1908 but expanded in recent years, the Craftsman boasts a total of four bedrooms and three baths in 2,729 square feet.
-
Image Credit: Realtor.com Inside, past the wraparound porch and extra-wide front door, is a formal entry foyer with a grand staircase that seems tailor-made for a big makeover reveal à la “She’s All That.” Despite the ostensibly perfect setting, though, “He’s All That” filmmakers chose to forgo the whole staircase construct and instead introduced Cameron’s new – “not improved, but different” – look rather unceremoniously in the home’s big kitchen.
-
Image Credit: Realtor.com No less charming a backdrop, the dwelling’s kitchen feels modern and updated but is teeming with retro charm, including an old-fashioned stove and refrigerator, penny tile countertops and a roll-top appliance garage. The bright, open space also boasts an adjacent breakfast nook, family room and full bath.
-
Image Credit: Realtor.com Resplendent with original hardwood flooring and handsome crown moldings, baseboards and wainscotting, the living spaces are rounded out by a formal dining room with a built-in buffet and a living room with a fireplace covered in green tile representative of those designed by the Grueby Faience Company, a staple of the Arts and Crafts movement.
The four spacious bedrooms are situated upstairs, as are the two additional baths and a laundry room.
-
Image Credit: Realtor.com There’s no broken treehouse, bearded barley or hanging tires to be found on the 0.23-acre lot, but the well-manicured yard does boast a freeform pool, an elevated spa, a slate patio, and Japanese maple trees. There’s also a built-in BBQ and a detached two-car garage with a bonus room/office on the premises.
The Craftsman hit the market last June (for the first time in 18 years!) with a $2.1 million price tag. Represented by So Yung Gaeta of Nourmand & Associates, it wound up selling the following month at $80,000 over asking. It was quite a fortuitous sale, too, being that the new owners secured the place’s role in “He’s All That” very shortly after acquiring it! (Filming of the movie got underway in mid-November 2020, but not everyone in the neighborhood, it seems, was happy about the shoot.)
-
Image Credit: Netflix -
Image Credit: Realtor.com The Craftsman appears prominently throughout “He’s All That’s” 88-minute run-time. Not only is the exterior utilized in establishing shots of the Kweller family’s residence, but the front porch is featured in a scene in which Padgett talks to cutthroat Bunny Venom CEO Jessica Miles Torres (Kourtney Kardashian) on the phone.
-
Image Credit: Netflix -
Image Credit: Realtor.com The interior of the home also pops up several times. Interestingly though, the production only makes use of the kitchen area. The living room, dining room, entry, bedrooms and baths aren’t seen. Even Cameron’s makeover, including his extensive haircut and face shaving, takes place in the kitchen!
-
Image Credit: Netflix -
Image Credit: Realtor.com A butcher block was added to the center of the room for the shoot and, at some point since last year’s sale, the space’s baby blue paint color was swapped out for a light grey (either by the “He’s All That” production team or the new owners), but, otherwise, it remains largely recognizable from its onscreen stint.