Paris might have braved facing her mother had she not just suffered the humiliation of hearing on TV her boyfriend - a year ahead of her in school and now an NBA star - tell an interviewer that he regarded himself romantically a “free agent.” Alvin and Paris have connected at just the moment when she is beginning to reappraise her values.Īs a young woman of intelligence and character, Paris has outgrown the trappings of superficial social success Alvin craves.
Director Troy Beyer, who reworked the earlier film’s script with its writer, Michael Swerdlick, has brought just the right touch to the material, and the result is at once fun and satisfying. Often rowdy and uproarious, the film also has surprising depth and subtext. Once this premise is in place, this breezy yet thoughtful remake of the also affecting 1987 “Can’t Buy Me Love” takes off like a shot, scattering laughs and also hitting some telling targets. All Paris will have to do is pose as Alvin’s girlfriend so that he too can become popular. That way her mother will never know her daughter disobeyed orders not to use the vehicle while she was away. So when Paris turns up at the body shop where he’s building a car engine he designed in an attempt to win a college scholarship, he immediately gives her the $1,500 she needs to repair her mother’s car and offers to do the work free. It’s not just a matter of natural attraction on Alvin’s part but that Paris represents everything Alvin lacks and longs for. “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” finds earnest high school senior Alvin Johnson (Nick Cannon) on his pool-cleaning job when he locks eyes with beautiful Paris Morgan (Christina Milian), the most popular girl in school, during a party at her upscale home.