The film opens with Sam on the phone with her best girlfriend Randy. She is examining herself in her full length mirror and is totally horrified to find that her body didn't' magically transform overnight. She was hoping to wake up with a body just like Caroline's. Caroline is the head cheerleader, prom queen, and girlfriend of the most popular boy in school, Jake Ryan. Sam is hopelessly "in love" with Jake and is convinced that he won't know she exists until she is more developed, more mature, more like Caroline. Little does she know, Jake does notice her. He is intrigued by a certain mispassed note containing some very personal information about Sam's sex life (or lack of

one). In this note, Sam confesses that she is a virgin (she has never done "it") and is saving herself not for marriage, but for Ja

ke Ryan. Jake finds himself wanting to get to know Sam and wanting a real relationship with someone like her, rather than with someone like Caroline. He knows Caroline doesn't love him, and he doesn't love her either. The only real reason they're together is because he's the most popular boy at school and she's the most popular girl. Throughout the movie, Sam is preoccupied with becoming more like Caroline, while the real reason Jake is interested in her is because she

e also much more likely to lie about sexual experiences (Werner-Wilson, 1998). This is not to say that the females in the movie were not having

Throughout the movie, many kinds of relationships are explored. Sexual/romantic relationships are a big issue, as are peer relationships and family relationships. First, sexual/romantic relationships are somewhat idealized and thought to be very glamorous. Sam is completely infatuated with Jake and has this very romantic and somewhat unrealistic expectation of what it would be like to be his girlfriend. Sam convinces herself that she is "in love" with Jake and there is no one else in the world for her. In all reality, I think Sam is "in love" with the idea of Jake and being the kind of girl that he would be interested in. After all, she doesn't even know him. She doesn't have any idea of the kinds of values or morals he has, what he likes to do, etc.

Sam's high school is like any stereotypical high school with it's various social crowds. The popular crowd in this movie is composed of mostly jocks and cheerleaders. These adolescents seem to be the most physically attractive and have the wealthiest parents. According to a recent study, the ways boys and girls gain popularity or prestige in school has not changed much over the last couple of decades. Girls and boys typically gain prestige in school through totally different, but very traditional means. Most boys

Overall, Sam seems to have a close relationship with her family. She is

as it makes him look good. There seems to be lots of competition within male friendships, especially when it comes to sex.

Both sets of Sam's grandparents are also in town for the wedding and staying with them, her father's parents in her bedroom. They all make a big deal about the young woman Sam is becoming and her mom's mom even goes so far as to comment on her "perky" breasts, which totally humiliates Sam.

after them. This would explain why so many adolescents want to be just like their friends, complete with the same clothes, hairstyles, etc. Sam sees that both girls and guys are attracted to Carolin

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1753
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)