The Hot Chick? More Like The Woke Chick.
Was this movie ahead of its time, or am I just really stretching for some early 2000s wokeness?
Rob Schneider will never win an Oscar, and if he ever does, it would be a slight miracle. He has been nominated for a Razzie award several times, the complete opposite of an Oscar, and actually won for Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo. He’s definitely an actor who won’t be tapped for an Oscar-worthy film, but that’s not to say that his body of work doesn’t deserve some kind of praise. My bff and I agree that Schneider makes some of the best/worst movies out there. One, in particular, is The Hot Chick. This movie is so fucking silly and dumb, but it gets us every time.
The Hot Chick is about a popular and snotty high school girl named Jessica, played by Rachel McAdams, and she accidentally switches bodies with Schneider, who is an unattractive criminal. Jessica is desperately trying to figure out how to get back into her original body, and needs to figure it out by a certain time or else she’s stuck. Of course Jessica has help, most notably her friend April, played by Anna Faris. This movie, like I said, is really dumb, but it’s also funny to watch Jessica and April go through different avenues, looking for the solution to Jessica’s body swap issue.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched this movie, but during one of those screenings, it occurred to me that The Hot Chick was actually ahead of its time. Give me a chance to explain before you roll your eyes and stop reading. There are a couple of plot points that, if placed in a dramatic movie, would’ve been a shoe-in for a prestigious award because of its woke messaging.
Acceptance of people for who they are is a big theme in this movie. Jessica has a little brother, Booger (no joke), who seems to be much younger than she is. Jessica is probably a senior in high school, and her brother looks to be in about sixth grade. Her brother is one of a small handful of people that she is nice to and genuinely cares about; she insists on sticking up for him when he gets bullied at school despite his protests. Seems pretty standard, right?
Well, here’s the thing, her brother likes to take Jessica’s clothes and wear them while dancing around in front of a mirror. It would’ve been easy for Jessica to shame her brother for this behavior, but she instead accepts him for who he is. She does consider this behavior to be a little odd, but she brushes it off like it’s not a big deal. When her brother figures out the truth about Jessica, he shows her that same acceptance of her new body and gender. Considering the movie was made in 2002, this mentality was kind of taboo in culture during that time.
Another interesting plot point is that before Jessica’s body was switched to that of a man’s, she had a boyfriend. The entire time that Jessica is stranded in Schneider’s body, she is trying to win the affections of her boyfriend who is obviously freaked out that some man is hitting on him and claiming to be his girlfriend. Eventually, after some convincing that this man is indeed Jessica, her boyfriend accepts the truth and is willing to give the relationship a go. That kind of love and acceptance is rare!
This was just as progressive mindset to have back then in the real world as it is today. You can’t tell me that if there was a film made about a high school boy coming to terms with the fact that his girlfriend had somehow transitioned and he was at least willing to stay with and try to make it work with that person, that it wouldn’t win awards! These are the storylines that Hollywood is currently seeking to exploit!
There are some other issues that the movie touches upon that suggest The Hot Chick was ahead of its time, such as coming to terms with one’s biracial identity, unashamed attraction to BBW’s, becoming friends with and defending people that are totally different from yourself, breaking down the walls of toxic masculinity, and, overall, female empowerment.
You might be thinking that I’m totally reading way too far into the plot points, especially for a movie that was nominated for a Razzie, but that’s okay. It might be true. I do enjoy some PM eddies, and that might enhance my perception of the “Schneid Dog”. I mean, typically, comedy films aren’t really known for delivering powerful messages about hot button topics, especially if Schneider is involved.
Even if you don’t think that The Hot Chick was ahead of its time, it’s still an entertaining ride to giggle at, and one that I always thoroughly enjoy. But, I ask that if you ever watch this film again (or for the first time), consider it to be a movie with a message, and not just a flick full of foolishness.
