Just One of the Guys

{{Distinguish|One of the Guys (film){{!}}One of the Guys (film)}}

{{For|the Jenny Lewis song|The Voyager (Jenny Lewis album){{!}}The Voyager (Jenny Lewis album)}}

{{Infobox film

| name = Just One of the Guys

| image = just_one_of_the_guys.jpg

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| alt = A locker room scene

| director = Lisa Gottlieb

| screenplay = {{Unbulleted list|Dennis Feldman|Jeff Franklin}}

| story = Dennis Feldman

| producer = Andrew Fogelson

| starring = {{Plainlist|

}}

| cinematography = John McPherson

| editing = Lou Lombardo

| music = Tom Scott

| studio = {{Unbulleted list|Summa Entertainment Group|Triton}}

| distributor = Columbia Pictures

| runtime = 100 minutes

| released = {{Film date|1985|04|26}}

| country = United States

| language = English

| budget =

| gross = $11.5 million{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0089393/|title=Just One of the Guys (1985)|website=Box Office Mojo|access-date=April 1, 2024}}

}}

Just One of the Guys is a 1985 American teen comedy film directed by Lisa Gottlieb and co-written by Dennis Feldman and Jeff Franklin. It is a loose adaptation of William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.{{cite web|last=Wong|first=Aaron|url=http://nymag.com/thecut/2013/01/fifty-most-iconic-gender-benders-of-all-time/slideshow/2013/01/04/50_gender-bendingicons/just-one-of-the-guys-MCDJUON_EC002_H/|title=Fifty Most Iconic Gender Benders of All Time – Joyce Hyser in Just One of the Guys (1985)|website=The Cut|date=2013-01-04|access-date=2014-03-08|url-access=limited|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140330072607/http://nymag.com/thecut/2013/01/fifty-most-iconic-gender-benders-of-all-time/slideshow/2013/01/04/50_gender-bendingicons/just-one-of-the-guys-MCDJUON_EC002_H/|archive-date=March 30, 2014|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.randomhouse.ca/hazlitt/feature/shakespeare-helps-us-fumble-through-life|title=Shakespeare Helps Us Fumble Through Life|access-date=2014-03-08|date=2013-06-03|website=Hazlitt|last=Lewsen|first=Simon|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131229060754/http://www.randomhouse.ca/hazlitt/feature/shakespeare-helps-us-fumble-through-life|archive-date=2013-12-29}} The film stars Joyce Hyser, Clayton Rohner, Billy Jacoby, Toni Hudson, and William Zabka.

In 2015, the film was ranked number 48 on Entertainment Weekly{{'s}} list of the "50 Best High School Movies".{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/gallery/50-best-high-school-movies-0/?slide=383485#383485|title=50 best high school movies|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=August 28, 2015}}

Plot

Terri Griffith is a high school student and aspiring journalist in Phoenix, Arizona, who feels that her teachers do not take her articles seriously because of her good looks. After failing to obtain her dream job as a newspaper intern, she concludes that it is because she is a girl.

Terri decides to remedy the situation while her parents are out of town on a two-week Caribbean vacation. She enrolls as a boy named "Terry" at a rival high school, her real identity known only to her sex-obsessed younger brother, Buddy, and her best friend, Denise. On her first day, she meets Rick Morehouse, a socially awkward transfer student whom she finds attractive. Trying to stay close to Rick, Terri helps him through an image makeover and encourages him to start talking to girls.

After many episodes in and out of school, including fending off a group of bullies led by bodybuilder Greg Tolan, dealing with her real college boyfriend Kevin, and being set up on a blind date with a potential new girlfriend named Sandy, Terri manages to be accepted as "one of the guys".

At the senior prom, a jealous Greg picks a fight with Rick, who ultimately trounces the bully in front of the entire class. When Terri's boyfriend shows up unexpectedly and discovers the ruse, Rick assumes that Terri's big secret is that "Terry" is gay. To prove otherwise, Terri opens her shirt and reveals her breasts to Rick. Although she admits to loving Rick, he rejects her, prompting a desperate Terri to kiss him in front of everyone. To placate the awestruck students, Rick derisively announces that Terri "has tits" before leaving the prom and Terri behind.

Heartbroken and humiliated, Terri retreats to her room and writes a lengthy article on what it is like to be a girl in boys' clothing, detailing all of her positive and negative experiences. Terri then returns to her school. When her article is printed in the newspaper, she receives high praise and finally earns her dream job there. Nevertheless, she still yearns for Rick, who has not spoken to her since the prom.

One day during the summer, Rick suddenly turns up after reading her article. Realizing their true feelings for each other, they reconcile and plan another date. They decide to go for a drive in Terri's car, but before Buddy can join them, an attractive blonde on a motorcycle rides up and beckons to him with a smile. Buddy then climbs onto the back of her motorcycle, and both couples happily part ways.

Cast

{{Cast listing|

Joyce Hyser as Terri/Terry Griffith
Clayton Rohner as Rick Morehouse
Billy Jacoby as Buddy Griffith
William Zabka as Greg Tolan
Toni Hudson as Denise
Leigh McCloskey as Kevin
Sherilyn Fenn as Sandy
Deborah Goodrich as Deborah
Kenneth Tigar as Mr. Raymaker
Arye Gross as Willie
Stuart Charno as Reptile

}}

Production

Principal photography began on October 22, 1984, in Phoenix, Arizona, under the working title I Was a Teenage Boy.{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/MovieDetails/57738|title=Just One of the Guys (1985)|website=AFI Catalog of Feature Films|access-date=April 1, 2024}} According to Lisa Gottlieb, she co-wrote six drafts of the screenplay with her writing partner Mitch Giannunzio, but they were denied writing credit by the producers.{{Cite web|last=Wood|first=Jennifer M.|url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/56480/18-things-you-might-not-know-about-just-one-guys|title=18 Things You Might Not Know About Just One of the Guys|website=Mental Floss|date=2014-05-26|access-date=2018-12-20}}

Soundtrack

{{Infobox album

| name = Just One of the Guys

| type = soundtrack

| artist = various artists

| cover =

| alt =

| released = 1985

| recorded =

| venue =

| studio =

| genre = Rock, pop, R&B

| length =

| label = Elektra

| producer =

| prev_title =

| prev_year =

| next_title =

| next_year =

}}

{{Music ratings|noprose=yes

|rev1=Allmusic

|rev1score={{Rating|3|5}} [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r230533|pure_url=yes}}]

}}

"Just One of the Guys" by Shalamar – 3:55
"Girls Got Something Boys Ain't Got" by Midnight Star – 3:56
"Tonight You're Mine, Baby" by Ronnie Spector – 4:57
"Prove It to You" by Dwight Twilley – 3:20
"Jealous" by Berlin – 4:23
"Way Down" by Billy Burnette – 3:34
"Burning" by Brock/Davis – 4:20
"Thrills" by Greg French – 3:15
"Hard Way" by Brock/Davis – 4:48
"Guy Talk" by Tom Scott – 2:29

The songs and music that were played in the film, not on the soundtrack.

"Trouble" by Lindsey Buckingham
"Down on the Street" by the Stooges
"Turn Out Right" by Private Domain
"Comb My Hair" by Johnny Lyon
"Buns" by Bonedaddys
"Gone Too Far" by Neurotica

Release

Just One of the Guys was released on April 26, 1985. Although the film was not successful in theaters, it was in heavy rotation on HBO and Cinemax for several years thereafter (airing after Sherilynn Fenn had gained stardom on Twin Peaks in 1990).

=Home media=

The film was released on Blu-ray Disc under Sony Pictures on April 28, 2020. Special features include filmmaker and cast commentary and theatrical trailer.{{cite web|url=https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Just-One-of-the-Guys-Blu-ray/44292/|title=Just one of the guys (1985) Blu-ray USA|website=Blu-ray.com|access-date=May 21, 2020}}

Reception

{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|57|4.8|14}}{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/just_one_of_the_guys |title=Just One of the Guys |website=Rotten Tomatoes}}Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 57 out of 100 based on 6 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. This made it Jeff Franklin's highest-rated film on the latter website.{{cite web |title=Just One of the Guys |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/just-one-of-the-guys |website=Metacritic}}