Love Don't Cost a Thing, stylized as Love Don't Co$t a Thing, is a 2003 teen comedy film written and directed by Troy Beyer and starring Nick Cannon and Christina Milian It also stars Steve Harvey, Kenan Thompson and Kal Penn. The film is a remake of the 1987 film Can't Buy Me Love.
Plot[]
Alvin Johnson (Nick Cannon) is an extremely intelligent nerd under consideration for a General Motors scholarship, as he is skilled in designing engines. He's always dreamed of hanging out with the popular kids, especially Paris Morgan (Christina Milian), a beautiful, popular cheerleader dating NBA star Dru Hilton. When Paris crashes her mother's expensive SUV during an argument with Dru, Alvin agrees to repair the car in return for two weeks of dating. Alvin uses money he had saved for his project, jeopardizing his scholarship.
After a few missteps, Alvin begins to integrate himself with the popular crowd. He and Paris grow closer as she shares with him her secret love of music, but Alvin misinterprets her feelings and stages a break-up at the end of two weeks. Alvin continues to grow in popularity, alienating his former nerd friends and dating Paris's friends. At the end of year Senior Ditch Day, Dru returns, but leaves after he finds out Paris had been dating Alvin. In an attempt to get him back, Paris exposes her deal with Alvin to the whole school, returning him to mediocrity.
Alvin's father (Steve Harvey) agrees to pay for the part, explaining to Alvin that he'd supported his sudden transformation because he wanted him to have some of the same experiences he did in high school. At the basketball game, Alvin stands up for his nerd friends against the former jocks. As Paris follows him out, she is stopped by Dru, but Paris blows him off for Alvin and they kiss.
Cast[]
- Nick Cannon as Alvin Johnson
- Christina Milian as Paris Morgan
- Steve Harvey as Clarence
- Al Thompson as Ted
- Ashley Monique Clark as Aretha Johnson
- Elimu Nelson as Dru Hilton
- Russell W. Howard as Anthony
- Kenan Thompson as Walter
- Kal Penn as Kenneth Warman
- Melissa Schuman as Zoe Parks
- Nichole Robinson as Yvonne Freeman
- Reagan Gomez-Preston as Olivia
- Sam Sarpong as Kadeem
- Vanessa Bell Calloway as Vivian Johnson
- Nicole Scherzinger as Champagne Girl
Production[]
The school scenes were filmed at Long Beach Polytechnic High School in Long Beach, California.
Soundtrack[]
- Main article: Love Don't Cost a Thing (soundtrack)
Box office[]
The film opened at #4 at the U.S. Box office raking in $6,315,311 USD in its first opening weekend behind Stuck on You, The Last Samurai, and Something's Gotta Give.
Critical response[]
The film has received mostly negative reviews, with a 13% on Rotten Tomatoes and the consensus being, "A stale, unnecessary remake of Can't Buy Me Love."
Roger Ebert, film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times, gave the film a positive three-star rating after giving the original, Can't Buy Me Love, only half a star. Ebert describes the remake as a wiser and less cynical than the original and suggests that it might have some insight into the insecurities of high school.
Awards and nominations[]
- 2004 BET Comedy Awards
- Outstanding Directing for a Box Office Movie — Troy Beyer (nominated)
- 2004 Teen Choice Awards
- Choice Breakout Movie Star, Female — Christina Milian (nominated)
- Choice Movie, Date Movie (nominated)
- Choice Movie Chemistry — Christina Milian, Nick Cannon (nominated)
- Choice Movie Liar — Nick Cannon (nominated)
- Choice Movie Liplock — Christina Milian, Nick Cannon (nominated)
Transcript[]
Gallery[]
External Links[]
- Official website
- Love Don't Co$t a Thing – Official site
- Love Don't Co$t a Thing at Box Office Mojo
- Love Don't Co$t a Thing at AllMovie
Love Don't Co$t a Thing at the Internet Movie Database
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