Rob (PETER KRAUSE) is a well-known & rich TV broadcaster. He’s gotten where he is on his good looks, & his mantra is that you need to be GREAT-LOOKING & surround yourself with similar people… … His son, Kyle (ALEX PETTYFER), has FOLLOWED in his dad’s mis-steps in that regard, & (likewise) acts like an arrogant ass.

Alex is very “open” in his attitude, & declares his belief that people need to be particularly ATTRACTIVE physically during his campaign to be a Class President at a fancy private high school in the New York area. While much of the school is “awed” with his conceits (including his attitude that people “suck” if they’re not beautiful), he does not really impress a pretty girl Lindy (VANESSA HUDGENS) who is running for a lower office & who he’s never bothered to really talk to in her 3 years at the school.

Further, his condescensions and thoughtless treatment deeply antagonizes a Goth-like girl named Kendra (MARY-KATE OLSEN). When he goes out of his way to be hurtful to her, she puts a CURSE on him: To teach him a lesson, Alex loses his head hair & he becomes downright “BEASTLY” — with ugly red gouges in his face + upraised spider-like VEINS & “vine” designs there & elsewhere on his body. And, above his left eye, there’s an apropos tattoo etching of the word “SUCK”. Yes, it’s a “take-off” on the “BEAUTY & THE BEAST” story, & Alex gets very depressed & angry when his “six-pack” becomes a “broken case”.

His dad takes him to doctors, but when he learns they can’t do anything to help his condition, he puts Alex in an out-of-the-way location & basically SHUNS him. Alex is given just the help of a Caribbean housekeeper named Zola (LISA GAY HAMILTON) who Alex has been unkind to as long as he’s known her, + a tutor named Will (NEIL PATRICK HARRIS).

Neil is blind & takes no “guff” from Alex, since he’s unwilling to indulge someone who’s already clearly badly SPOILED & uncaring about the people & world around him. Alex had been told by Mary-Kate that the only way she’d remove the curse from him is if he found someone who’d sincerely say she LOVES & kisses him within 1 year. There are precious few “candidates” for that role, but Alex hesitantly goes after Vanessa. She has grown up with a druggie father (– sort of the “modern” touch to the old story! –), & Alex gets her father to let him care for Vanessa since the dad is clearly incapable of doing that properly. Alex is timid about even letting Vanessa SEE him at first.

But, eventually, he follow’s Neil’s straightforward advise, “listens” to her, & eventually starts becoming more THOUGHTFUL towards her (& others). Eventually, following the other “contemporary” touch of being “Green”, he even tries building her a GREENHOUSE with pretty flowers. Will Alex start to truly change INSIDE as a person? Will Vanessa be able to NOT see Alex as “Beastly”? Will Alex’s Dad ever reconcile with him? Will Alex be able to find someone who’ll truly LOVE him & be able to break the SPELL he’s under?

Although the writing is often fairly weak, it’s nevertheless a cute little story. NEIL has the best “lines” in the film– clever, funny & well-delivered. The other major actors do well with the sort of “partially-deveveloped” characters they’re given to play (Alex is better & has more to “do” in his “I AM NUMBER 4″ role). Accordingly, since it’s enjoyable in a “light” way, I’m rating it as 7 out of 10 stars.