Production Info

Marked the first time Scarlett and Chris Evans appeared on-screen together. They have since starred alongside eachother in The Nanny Diaries, Avengers Assemble, Captain America: Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age of Ultron.

It is impossible to actually steal a copy of the S.A.T.’s because there are several versions. Everyone who takes it has different questions or the questions are in a different order.

Darius Miles was recruited out of High school by St. Johns University to play basketball and elected instead to go pro. His character in the movie wanted to go pro and instead elected to go to St. Johns University.

Mike Jarvis plays himself as the head basketball coach at St. Johns University. By the time the movie was released he had been fired as the university’s head.

Character Quotes

Do you guys know the name of that kid with the Percocet addiction?
So you guys are gonna steal the SAT answers? Well, you should. I mean, it’s anti-girl, it’s anti… a lot of shit, but it definitely has girl issues.

You look like a slut. I like it.

Quoting: Scarlett Johansson

On her attraction to the role: The script was one of the first I’ve read about teenagers in which the lingo, the situation and the relationships between the kids is authentic and not some middle-aged person’s version of what’s supposed to be cool. At the time I read it, I was 17, so I was looking at it through a 17-year-old’s eyes, and it seemed very real to me.

On the film’s themes and messages: One of the questions asked is how can a test grade a person’s determination’ I mean, a bad score on the SAT can actually overshadow someone’s drive. And besides the SAT question, the film brings up the issue of transitioning from a child to an adult, and learning to be true to yourself.

On the cast’s dynamic: The whole cast would go to the pool downstairs at like, three in the morning. We’d play these games that lasted forever of serious Marco Polo. Sometimes we’d get really serious. People would get wounded.

Quoting: Cast and Crew

Director Brian Robbins: I wanted to meet her because I thought that she could play Anna or Francesca. I wasn’t sure. I’d never met here. I just knew her work from Ghost World and from other things. From the role in Ghost World she could have easily been an Anna. Then when I met her, I said, “so which girl can you see yourself as?” And then after spending about an hour with her, I completely agreed that she was a Francesca. That was done. That was a no-brainer.

Director Brian Robbins: I feel like acting comes really easy to her. It’s just really natural. I don’t think she has a very complicated process. So with her it’s just a matter of clarity. Just tell Scarlett what you want and you get it.

Critical Response

Allison Benedikt, The Chicago Tribune: None of these young actors is too many years out of high school–Johansson was 17 when she first read the script–and it shows in the performances. And I write that as a compliment.

Brian Lowry, Variety: Although not quite Ivy League material, this high-concept pic about a group of teens who conspire to steal answers to the SAT test possesses considerable charm and more than a few laughs after getting past a rocky opening. It also furthers Scarlet Johansson’s rep as one of the most effortlessly winsome actresses to come along in some time, explaining why she appears destined to be cast in every third movie that’s released until further notice.