July 10th, 2009
Chris Columbus
Larry Doyle
Hayden Panettiere, Paul Rust, Jack Carpenter, Lauren Storm, Lauren London
Fox Atomic
Comedy, Romance
iloveyoubethcoopermovie.com
PG-13 crude and sexual content, language, some teen drinking and drug references, and brief violence
1 hour 42 minutes
When a geeky high-school valedictorian (Paul Rust) throws caution to the wind by expressing his love for a popular cheerleader (Hayden Panettiere) during his graduation speech, life finally starts to get interesting in this coming-of-age comedy adapted from the book by journalist/author/screenwriter Larry Doyle.
‘A nerdy valedictorian proclaims his love for the hottest and most popular girl in school – Beth Cooper (Panettiere) – during his graduation speech. Much to his surprise, Beth shows up at his door that very night and decides to show him the best night of his life.’
I Love You, Beth Cooper is an upcoming July 2009 comedy directed by Chris Columbus. It is based on the book by the same name, written by Larry Doyle.
A nerdy valedictorian proclaims his love for the most popular girl in school – Beth Cooper (Hayden Panettiere)– during his graduation speech. Much to his surprise, Beth shows up at his door that very night and decides to show him the best night of his life.
Based on the best-selling 2007 novel by Larry Doyle (The Simpsons), Cooper follows a sad-sack valedictorian (Semi-Pro’s Rust) who reveals his true feelings for the titular cheerleader (Heroes’ Panettiere) at graduation and then embarks on a long night of postgrad partying with her. For Columbus, the film marks a return to the teen-comedy genre he left for dramas (Stepmom) and big-budget spectacles such as the first two Harry Potter adaptations. ”I thought about Adventures in Babysitting and about how much fun I had making that film,” says Columbus of his 1987 directorial debut. ”Over the years, so many people have told me how that movie meant a lot to them growing up.” Doyle acknowledges that his plot may sound familiar. ”The story is about the cheerleader and the nerd — I’m not going to pretend like it’s never been done,” he admits. ”Although specific things change, you can go back 100 years and find teenagers doing the same things. Kids doing crazy s— in cars just never goes away.”
