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This Time Around

Name: This Time Around
Director: Douglas Barr
Released: 2003
Duration: 120 min

Representation Score

2.9/10

Limited

2003

TV-PG

Director

Douglas Barr

Runtime

120 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

This romantic comedy adheres strictly to early-2000s television clichés, prioritizing a traditional 'boy meets girl' trajectory. While the female lead possesses professional competence, her character arc is heavily tied to aesthetic transformation and romantic reconciliation. The film lacks depth in representing diverse identities, focusing instead on a homogeneous social structure and conventional romantic hierarchies.

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Category Breakdown

Does This Time Around have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The story follows a conventional heterosexual romance. There is no depiction of same-sex relationships or non-binary gender identities.

How does This Time Around portray gender?

Fair

Mel is a successful PR executive, playing a significant role in driving the story. However, her character arc revolves around a traditional 'ugly duckling' transformation and romantic validation through a male lead.

How racially and ethnically diverse is This Time Around?

Limited

The narrative appears to focus on a homogeneous social hierarchy. Character archetypes suggest a cast that adheres to early-2000s demographic norms.

How does This Time Around represent religion and culture?

Fair

The film emphasizes individualist success and Western capitalist values. The conflict remains personal and social rather than systemic or institutional.

Does This Time Around include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no evidence of characters with visible or invisible disabilities within the narrative.

Present on Screen

The female protagonist, Mel, is depicted as a successful and capable PR executive.
The narrative provides a clear arc of professional achievement and individual upward mobility.

Limited or Absent

The story relies on the 'ugly duckling' cliché, which ties female value to aesthetic transformation.
The plot lacks LGBTQ+ representation and diverse racial or ethnic perspectives.
The narrative reinforces traditional social hierarchies and straight-centered structures.

Official Synopsis

We all wish we could change the past. For Mel that day has come. In junior high, Mel and Gabby (Sara Rue) were the biggest geeks. Of course, Mel had a crush on the most popular guy, Drew Hesler (Brian A. Green). When word spreads of Mel’s crush, he plays a cruel joke on her pretending to be interested, only to turn her down in front of the entire school. Eleven years later, our ugly ducklings are now swans and Mel is a PR executive. When Mel is assigned to handle the publicity for a new restaurant, she is shocked to discover that the owner is a handsome young entrepreneur named Drew Hesler.

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