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Josie and the Pussycats (2001)


Josie and the Pussycats (2001)


7/10


Starring
Rachael Leigh Cook
Rosario Dawson
Tara Reid
Alan Cumming
Parker Posey


Directed by Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan


There is something about the silliness of this movie. I don’t know whether it’s the comedy or the music, but something just makes me like it so much. Josie and the Pussycats is based on a comic series from the Archie range, and this live-action adaptation has somehow become a cult classic.

I don’t know why it has gathered a cult following, though, because this movie puts in product placement way too much, which at times can be distracting. I’m no mega star, but the way some fans act can be all too annoying. Other than that, the plot is not perfect, but everything else seems to work.

If you remove the product placements and the misbehaving fans, to me, this is a fun movie.

The plot shows us the three ladies—Josie (Cook), Valerie (Dawson), and Melody (Reid)—as they wrap up a performance. They wish they could become rock stars and have the kind of following that other rock stars enjoy. On the other side of the fence, we witness a supposed plane crash of an all-male group. Their manager, Wyatt (Cummings), notices that the band is getting too close to figuring out what he and his boss, Fiona (Posey), are actually doing.

Fiona tells Wyatt to get a new band by any means necessary. While driving, he almost hits the three ladies as they’re running away with their instruments. Immediately, Wyatt signs them, without even hearing any of their music. He rushes them to the studio, and within a week, they’re the most popular band in the world.

Soon, we get a glimpse of what Fiona is actually doing with their music. She wants to take it to the next level by eliminating Valerie and Melody, making Josie the solo act. Well, all of Fiona’s plans face a challenge, and the movie is partly about that snag.


Tara Reid’s performance, as someone who is too silly to understand half of what’s going on, is a sight to see. My favorite act of hers is when she steps out of the shower to see a message on her mirror, screams, and then corrects the message to make it look prettier. I just giggled seeing that again. Everyone in this movie performed just well enough to make it fun to watch.

Reid was my favorite in the trio, followed by Rachael Leigh Cook and Rosario Dawson. The addition of Alan Cumming and Parker Posey took this movie to the next level.

The movie wasn’t a box-office success—in fact, it was a box-office bomb—but it’s a worthy comedy for any day. The movie is about subliminal messages, which make us like things we shouldn’t. A friend of mine thinks the movie itself has subliminal messages and that I’ve been hoodwinked into liking it.

Well, seeing this movie again, nineteen years after watching it for the first time, I still believe it’s cool. It has aged well for me, and it’s more enjoyable now knowing many of the actors on screen.

If you’ve read this review and think this is a movie for you, then why not go ahead and see it?




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