 |
_MOVIES | |||||||||||||||||||
|
JOSIE
& THE PUSSYCATS review by Joseph B. Mauceri
REVIEW: The filmmakers craft JOSIE & THE PUSSYCATS into a satire on the brand-name crazed MTV generation. A few references and inside jokes remain in place to anchor it to the Archie Comic and Saturday morning animated series. Unfortunately, the secondary characters suffer from a lack of screen time and creative writing that can't elevate them to anything more then mere window dressing. Reid and Dawson are perfect as the Pussycats, but Cook simply doesn't have the charisma to give Josie the presence the character requires. I enjoyed Parker Posey as the sinister Fiona, but Alan Cumming creates a performance that feels like it is borrowed from a Tim Curry villain. The story sincerely attempts to be over the top, put pops like a flat bottle of club soda, or more appropriately a flat "Laugh-In." You can feel that the cast and crew's heart is in it, but overall the film just doesn't try hard enough. When asked what I thought of the film, I've told a few people that it was better then the Spice Girls' movie. And that's a rave coming from a film critic. To its credit, in the midst of all the madness JOSIE & THE PUSSYCATS presents girls and the value of friendship in a positive light. A better message then the traditional values expressed by your average Barbie Doll. Equally impressive is the original piece composed for the film. It has this hybrid pop-music/bubble-gum feel. Hey, I'm 35-years-old and I liked it. Heck, I plan to go out and buy the soundtrack. On the other hand, John Frizzell's original score sounds like a cheap imitation of a Danny Elfman score. JOSIE & THE PUSSYCATS is a moderately entertaining film that offers something for the entire family. The satire tries to create a cartoon atmosphere, as opposed to the usual physical sight gags. The kids will find it entertaining, but there isn't much here for us kids who grew up on the comic book and misadventures of the band. If the film does good numbers at the box office could "Josie & the Pussycats in Outer Space" be the sequel? Hey, and what the heck happened to the cat? OFFICIAL
WEB SITE:
What
is your opinion or review?
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||
SYNOPSIS:
Life-long friends, Josie, Melody and Val are determined to take
their band from the garage to the stadium. Their dreams come true
when a hot-shot manager Wyatt Frame brings the girls to the attention
of Fiona, CEO of MegaRecords. Within days Josie and the Pussycats
become a household name, but fandom is not what it is cracked up
to be. Especially when Fiona and Wyatt are using the band as a cover
to control the youth of America by placing subliminal messages in
the band's music. Can the girls triumph over evil? Will the youth
of America love them for whom they are? Will people pay $9.50 to
see this movie based on a comic book and Saturday morning animated
series?