Love Don't Cost a Thing (stylized as Love Don't Co$t a Thing) is a 2003 American teen comedy film written and directed by Troy Beyer and starring Nick Cannon and Christina Milian.

Alvin Johnson is an extremely intelligent nerd who is skilled in designing car engines.

He has also taken up a job as a pool cleaner, to raise money to buy a camshaft, a part needed to build an engine for a scholarship project that will ensure him a full ride to the school of his choice.

Realizing that he and his friends are on the verge of graduating high school, Alvin grows frustrated with the lack of memories he created for himself over the last four years, mad that he and his friends settled for less when the more popular kids including one Paris Morgan haven’t.

When Paris crashes her mother's Escalade during an argument with Dru, her NBA Rookie boyfriend, Alvin agrees to repair the car using the money he had earned for his project, jeopardizing his scholarship opportunity; after a few missteps, Paris eventually pays him back by giving him a $1,500 makeover and agreeing to pretend for two weeks that she's dating Alvin.

Paris begins to develop feelings for Alvin and at the end of their two-week dating period, she tries to hint that she would like to kiss him.

With this confidence restored, Alvin builds an engine with the part his father bought.

A soundtrack containing hip hop music was released on December 9, 2003 by Hollywood Records.

The site's consensus: "A stale, unnecessary remake of Can't Buy Me Love.

[5] Ebert describes the remake as wiser and less cynical than the original and suggests that it might have some insight into the insecurities of high school.