Sydney White (2007) Review: A Modern Snow White Story with Heart

 

Sydney White | 2007 | 1h 48m
Genre: Romantic Comedy / Comedy / Drama / Romance | Country: US
Director: Joe Nussbaum | Writer: Chad Gomez Creasey
Cast: Amanda Bynes, Sara Paxton, Matt Long
IMDb: 6.2
My Rate: 9/10

Sydney, unable to join the same sorority as her mother because of the sorority president's hostility toward her, ends up joining a house of campus outcasts instead. This unexpected turn of events leads her to challenge the campus social hierarchy and change college life in the process.

Warnings

Contains violence, sensual scenes, nudity, and strong language.

 

Synopsis of Sydney White

Sydney White (Amanda Bynes) is raised by her father after her mother's death. She grows up as a tomboy, spending much of her time with her father's friends at construction sites. Eventually, she has to leave home to attend the same university as her late mother.

Sydney dreams of joining Kappa, the sorority her mother once belonged to. Her mother had found deep friendship there, so Sydney hopes to experience the same thing.

At college, Sydney meets and befriends Dinky (Crystal Hunt), who is also a Kappa Legacy. Together, they head to the Kappa house. Along the way, they meet Tyler (Matt Long), a fraternity president and Rachel's (Sara Paxton) ex-boyfriend. Rachel is the president of Kappa.

Tyler tells Sydney about the different fraternities and sororities on campus, including Vortex, a run-down house occupied by students who are considered strange and unpopular. Rachel watches Sydney and Tyler interacting from the window and immediately becomes uncomfortable with their growing closeness.

Sydney and the other new girls hoping to join Kappa must complete a series of activities planned by Rachel. Each activity comes with its own standards, but Sydney clearly stands out from the other traditionally feminine girls. Her personality makes Rachel dislike her even more, especially because Sydney quickly becomes popular with other students despite being a newcomer.

During the initiation night, Rachel publicly humiliates Sydney and announces that she cannot join Kappa. Sydney leaves the house and eventually ends up at Vortex. The seven male residents kindly allow her to stay with them, even though Sydney had accidentally tricked Lenny when they first met at Rachel's request.

Sydney eventually settles into Vortex and decides to change their lives by running for student council. Her goal is to defeat Rachel and save the Vortex house from being lost.

Will Sydney's plan succeed?

 

Review of Sydney White

Sydney White has a fun and interesting story, although it clearly shares similarities with the classic fairy tale Snow White. The parallels are quite obvious, suggesting that the story draws inspiration from the fairy tale.

Rachel resembles the Evil Queen, while the seven outcast students of Vortex take the place of the seven dwarfs. Tyler, meanwhile, fills the role of the charming prince.

Rachel is powerful and influential on campus and seems almost impossible to challenge. Her position is threatened by Sydney's presence, much like the Queen feels threatened by Snow White. The difference is that instead of relying on a magic mirror, Rachel uses a more modern form of validation: student voting.

The seven outcast students gradually become Sydney's friends, especially after she is rejected by Kappa. Their situation closely mirrors Snow White's relationship with the seven dwarfs after she leaves the palace. Sydney also helps improve their lives, making the connection between the two stories even clearer.

Of course, the story would not be complete without a handsome prince. Tyler eventually becomes Sydney's version of Prince Charming, helping her along the way. There is even a scene in which Tyler wakes Sydney with a kiss, directly echoing the familiar fairy-tale moment.

Although the basic structure is very similar to Snow White, I think presenting it in a modern college setting makes the story enjoyable. The film keeps the fairy-tale framework while adapting it to issues that feel more familiar to teenagers and young adults.

The story is systematic and easy to follow. The characters' backgrounds and the foundation of the story are developed nicely, while each character has a clear and distinctive personality. This gives their roles a meaningful impact on the progression of the story.

The conflict and its resolution are also handled well. We can see how the characters gradually develop throughout the film, which helps keep the story entertaining rather than repetitive.

The cast also delivers good performances. I especially like Sara Paxton, who plays Rachel very convincingly. Amanda Bynes also does a good job as Sydney, although some of her facial expressions can be slightly distracting, particularly when she plays with her lips.

There are still a few details that feel questionable. One is the voting system for the "Hottest" website. The film never clearly explains who participates in the voting or how the votes are collected. At the same time, there is dialogue suggesting that not many students vote in the Student Council election. So why would the students be motivated to vote for "The Hottest"? It also raises the question of how Sydney becomes one of the candidates when she is still relatively unknown to many students.

Another slightly illogical detail involves Terrence. He is still living at Vortex and attending classes even though he graduated six years earlier. This makes me wonder whether the university has no regulations preventing graduates from continuing to live in a campus residence. And if he is still staying there, is he living there for free?

Despite these issues, Sydney White remains an enjoyable film. Its light, engaging story makes it an easy and entertaining watch, and it can be a fun addition to a rewatch list, especially for fans of romantic comedies.

 

Memorable Scene

After Rachel publicly humiliates her, Sydney decides to leave the Kappa initiation party. Before walking away, she tears apart the dress she is wearing and returns it.

I like this scene because it shows how confident Sydney remains even after being publicly humiliated. Instead of allowing Rachel to define her worth, she chooses to leave on her own terms. Her courage also earns more sympathy from other students on campus.

 

Memorable Dialogue

“We're all dorks.”

 

Ending

Happy Ending

 

Recommendation

Must Watch

(Aluna Uwie)