Before her bland, uninspired performance in "The Wedding Singer" inexplicably turned her into a hot commodity, Drew Barrymore was in serious danger of languishing in small, quirky roles in big films, or big roles in small, quirky films. After almost two decades in the film business, Barrymore suddenly tapped into her latent charm, and in a trio of sweet-natured roles in "Ever After", "Home Fries" and "Best Men", she blatantly traded on her likeable personality to create memorable characters and became, once again, a star.

In "Never Been Kissed", her first executive producing effort, Barrymore sticks with her successful formula, adding just a little bit of interesting work to a tried and proven technique. The return-to-high-school plot device is a particular favorite, since it fully exploits the "fish out of water" concept and also plays well with almost anyone who did not enjoy high school - and who really did? What is strange is that Barrymore, who has never been to high school, has connected so well with the material. Her star performance in this film ranks as one of the most determined and selfless pieces of acting in recent screen history.

The plot is simple. Josie Geller (Drew) - who had been a loser in high school - has carved a niche for herself as the youngest, best copyeditor at the Chicago Sun-Times. Eager to be a full-blown reporter, her dream comes true when the eccentric chief editor (Garry Marshall) puts her on an undercover assignment in the local high school. At first pleased with her chance, Josie's joy becomes terror when her brother Rob (David Arquette) reminds her what a failure she was in high school. Terrified of returning, yet hoping to do better a second time around, Josie finds her second attempt at high school to be just as trying - and rewarding - as the first time around.

Raja Gosnell, who used to edit Chris Columbus' films and whose earlier directorial effort was "Home Alone 3", has fashioned an extremely enjoyable film which may not stand up under close scrutiny, but which offers enough pleasure to make up for this shortcoming. The script, by Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein, actually tries to reach beyond the parameters of the usual teen movie. In examining Josie's scars from her first high school experience, and how an older, wiser version of herself handles the pressures of teen life, the script attempts to explore issues of self-worth, identity and loyalty in a way that is mature and uncloying. Some sequences in the film may be a little too extreme in their attempts at humor, falling on the wrong side of slapstick, and the central romance between Josie and Sam (Euro-heartthrob Michael Vartan), her literature teacher, may strike an uneasy chord with older audiences. However, these are minor quibbles within a film which by and large gets enough right.

The film's biggest asset is Barrymore, who gives a sunny, spirited performance. Showing a healthy sense of humor about herself, Barrymore's Josie is her most energetic screen persona in a long time. Gamely geek-ifying herself in some very nasty flashback sequences, and displaying the level of charisma we've come to expect, she is easily the film's star through and through. Her large and talented supporting cast also add many moments of frothy fun to the proceedings. Freed from her SNL shctick, Molly Shannon finds a human core to her cardboard stereotype character of the over-sexed best friend. John C Reilly, so good in "Boogie Nights", also manages to find a level of realism in his role as the crusty editor in charge of Josie's story. Vartan, best known to US audiences for his role in the Italian epic "Fiorile" and his small roles in "The Pallbearer" and "The Myth of Fingerprints", makes an attractive, if somewhat bland, romantic lead - to be fair, his work is constrained within the limits of the script. Similarly disadvantaged is the extremely talented Leelee Sobieski (see "A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries" for proof), who does her best with her school nerd character. David Arquette and a brown-haired Jeremy Jordan do passable work as well.

"Never Been Kissed" will unfairly be classified as yet another entry in the current teen movie resurgence. It's a small, sweet film about daring to express oneself and becoming a fuller person in the face of obstacles disguised as a racuous romantic comedy. Not a must-see, but definitely worth the time if you choose to indulge.

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