Two words sum up the elements I liked here, and the first one is "verve". I Love You, Beth Cooper is an extremely physical comedy, and lead actor Paul Rust is more than game. It's not belly-laugh material or even extremely chuckle-worthy, but I was definitely both amused and appreciative of the effort that Rust goes to in trying to make this movie a live-action cartoon, getting whacked by corks, cars and Beth's military boyfriend Kevin (Shawn Roberts), on the warpath after Rust's character Denis Cooverman blurts out the title revelation in the middle of his valedictorian speech. Most people I've heard complain about Rust's age (he's 28), but I've never been good at eyeballing that kind of thing; for me his short stature and the silly shirt he's wearing were enough to keep me from thinking about it.

The second thing I liked was "attitude": despite all the crude sex jokes that exist in that void of feeling like a little much for a PG-13 but far too tame for an R, the film's points seemed pretty nice to me, even bordering on wholesome. The main characters don't fight with each other or get caught up in lies, there's no period where anyone storms off, and despite Hayden Panettiere and her two friends (Lauren London and Lauren Storm, both extremely endearing) turning the sexiness up to 11, the film never boils Denis' goal down to getting laid. Hell, even Kevin seems more amused by his need to beat up Denis than particularly angry about it. There's also no beating Alan Ruck and Cynthia Stevenson as Denis' smart, funny parents and Samm Levine as a friendly convenience store clerk. I suppose casting Ruck and Levine constitutes cheap grabs at everyone's Ferris Bueller and "Freaks and Geeks" nostalgia in a movie like this, but what can I say, I fell for it, because I like Samm Levine, and Alan Ruck is awesome.

Chris Columbus directs the film with more "verve" and "attitude", filming Rust's physical abuse with smart sensibilities and a keen eye. Without direction as high-energy as Rust is, he'd stand out in a bad way, but the whole picture obviously takes place in a slightly heightened version of reality, which suits the movie well. I'm also all about Apatow and his dialogue-heavy, point-and-shoot style, and this film is absolutely not a stunning visual tapestry, but I also like a comedy with some composition, one that actually looks like someone storyboarded it, and I think I Love You, Beth Cooper qualifies.

All that said, there are still problems with the movie. Jack T. Carpenter plays Denis' best friend Rich, and while his performance is largely mediocre, the character is meant to be a movie buff, which in movies always means they make annoying, repetitive, insistent connections between whatever's happening and movies. In Rich's case, this means tracing everything anyone ever says back to a movie as a line of dialogue, which is already worn thin the very first time he does it (in no small part because Rich is always appalled that the speaker doesn't recognize the connection). Rich's character is also potentially gay, which the movie predictably leaves unresolved until the very end, where it decides to have its cake and eat it too. Throughout the movie, it basically means a lot of awkward gay jokes, although to Carpenter's credit, he generally avoids any hateful stereotypes. There's also a really weird, questionable thread about a side character who may or may not have been molested, and a semi-irresponsible scene where Beth Cooper turns off her headlights (all of her driving is reckless, but most of it is ludicrous. Maybe I sound like an old man, but the headlights bit seems too easy to emulate).

Of course, the worst problem with the movie is that it's an extremely familiar experience. Even if the world could agree that I Love You, Beth Cooper was the best movie it could be, it'd still be a relatively forgettable little comedy movie from a director who's made better movies in the past. I'll defend I Love You, Beth Cooper as not as bad as the majority claims it is, but in the end, I'll admit it's not likely to end up on anyone's list of all-time favorites.

The DVD
I Love You, Beth Cooper comes in a vivid red keep case, with three-ring lined-paper cover art that seems inaccurately reminiscent of the advertising for Napoleon Dynamite, adorned with a lame tagline. The back cover feels like it's trying to imply the disc contains an Unrated version with captions like "There's More to Love on DVD!" when there is not. Regardless of these nitpicks, the overall color scheme of the whole thing actually looks pretty slick, so points for effort.

The Video and Audio
Fox offers up a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation that has all the pop that you would expect of a new movie. The colors are vivid, there's a good amount of fine detail, and since most of the movie takes place at night, it's a good thing that the black levels seem well-adjusted.

Thanks to the film's relentless physical comedy, the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio also gets a surprisingly good workout. There's plenty of surround activity provided whenever Beth speeds around in her little car, crisp cracking of wet towels during the dopey swashbuckling sequence, and perfectly clear dialogue during all the downtime. French and Spanish surround tracks are also included, as well as English captions for the deaf and hard of hearing and Spanish subtitles.

The Extras
Things kick off with an alternate ending (6:59) that includes more payoff for Kevin and his villainous cronies, and attempts to set things up for a sequel, I think. Four deleted scenes (7:34) are pretty useless, although I was amused by Denis' and Rich's conversation about each other's names.

Four featurettes are next. "I Love You, Larry Doyle" (5:55) is a genial interview with the author/screenwriter chatting about how he adapted his book for the screen, interspersed with clips from the movie and interviews with the cast, but it's sorta awkward, since Doyle seems to think he wrote a Naked Gun-style parody of teen movies rather than a modern entry into the genre. "We Are All Different, But That's a Good Thing" (9:00) tries to make out the movie to be progressive in its casting, but there are a couple of amusing stories. Lastly, Fox Movie Channel Presents: In Character with Hayden Panettiere (3:02) and Fox Movie Channel Presents In Character with Paul Rust (3:01) are friendly little interviews with the two stars.

A really random video called "Peanut Butter Toast" (2:48) finishes up the bonus features, in which Rust sings an improvised song about, uh, peanut butter toast. It's not particularly funny, and I don't know why it's on the DVD, but okay, whatever.

Trailers for Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel, Post Grad, (500) Days of Summer, All About Steve and a "Bring the Love Home on DVD" compilation trailer for Fox romance titles open the disc, and an additional four trailers, for My Life in Ruins, Adam, Fame and The Marine II can be accessed from the menu (although the pre-menu trailers cannot). No theatrical trailer for I Love You, Beth Cooper has been included.

Conclusion
I don't know how I Love You, Beth Cooper stacks up to the book it's based on, and in terms of other movies, it's definitely not Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Mean Girls or even Orange County (another film I think is underrated, for similar reasons). It's also not even close to the devastating unfunniness of some of the other comedic travesties I've seen this year, so even if I'm alone, I'm willing to recommend I Love You, Beth Cooper to teenagers with reasonable expectations.