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Amanda Bynes is the
current queen of teen girls everywhere, so the WB should do just
fine with the bouncy "What I Like About You."
A Nickelodeon fave with major crossover appeal, a flair for
physical comedy and a bigscreen credit ("Big Fat
Liar") under her belt, Bynes makes the leap to primetime
with aplomb, and the result should be a solid run for an
undemanding series that goes down easy. Bynes is Holly
Tyler, a mischievous Gothamite who crashes with older sister
Valerie (Jennie Garth) for a
week. Dad (Peter Scolari) is considering a job transfer to
Japan, and if the sibs can get along, they will become permanent
roomies. Debut is even more of a young-demo fest when
skateboard superstar Tony Hawk is the featured guest at a promo
event PR'd by Valerie. Wanting to make a good impression so sis
will agree to the move-in, Holly instead ruins the evening --
and the buffet table.
Nothing even remotely deep here, but
with the confidence of more mature leading ladies, Bynes carries
the load, bringing an utter charm to even the most chaotic
moments. Not fairing as well -- just yet -- is Garth, who makes
an awkward transition from the melodramatic tones of
"Beverly Hills, 90210" to rim-shot comedy. Male
relief comes from Jeff (Simon Rex), Valerie's kind-hearted, wisecracking
boyfriend; and Gary (Wesley Jonathan), Holly's friend who will
do anything just to hang around the apartment. They are the true
supporting cast here -- "Like" is a femme-skewing show
all the way -- but their presence is twofold: to grab the target
viewers' significant others and to play up the battle of the
sexes. Tech credits are neither special nor cumbersome.
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