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Josie and the Pussycats (2001)
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Reviews Counted:116
Fresh:61
Rotten:55
Average Rating:5.2/10
Consensus: This live-action update of Josie and the Pussycats offers up bubbly, fluffy fun, but the constant appearance of product placements seems rather hypocritical.
Theatrical Release:Apr 11, 2001 Wide
Box Office: $14,126,075
Synopsis: Josie (Rachel Leigh Cook), Melody (Tara Reid), and Val (Rosario Dawson) are the Pussycats, a struggling rock band hoping for success in the fast-paced music world. Their dreams seem to be coming... Josie (Rachel Leigh Cook), Melody (Tara Reid), and Val (Rosario Dawson) are the Pussycats, a struggling rock band hoping for success in the fast-paced music world. Their dreams seem to be coming true when a record producer (Alan Cumming) suddenly signs them up to become the newest number one band in the country, without even listening to their music. Before they can think twice, the girls are made over, given glamorous clothing, and besieged by hordes of trend-worshipping fans, but soon Josie and the gang begin to realize that their music is part of an evil scheme run by MegaRecords executive Fiona (Parker Posey) to control the world by planting subliminal messages in the music of prepackaged, manufactured pop groups. When the Pussycats learn the truth, Fiona will do anything to keep them from getting in the way of her ultimate plan. JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS roars into the new millennium with a dead-on satire of the modern culture of pop music and merchandising (including the fictional group Du Jour, an hilarious parody of boy bands). Simultaneously, JOSIE presents a trio of bubbly but tough female heroes who sound as good as they look, with songs produced by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds. The film is a live action interpretation of the comic book from Archie Comics that became a popular animated television series in the 1980s. [More]
Starring: Rachael Leigh Cook, Tara Reid, Rosario Dawson, Paulo Costanzo
Starring: Rachael Leigh Cook, Tara Reid, Rosario Dawson, Paulo Costanzo, Alan Cumming, Carson Daly, Donald Faison, Seth Green, Gabriel Mann, Alexander Martin, Parker Posey, Breckin Meyer, Missi Pyle
Director: Harry Elfont, Deborah Kaplan
Director: Harry Elfont, Deborah Kaplan
Screenwriter: Harry Elfont, Deborah Kaplan
Producer: Marc Platt, Chuck Grimes, Tony DeRosa-Grund, Tracey E. Edmonds, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds
Composer: John Frizzell
Studio: Universal Pictures
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Reviews for Josie and the Pussycats
This self-styled self-reflexive comedy asks the question, just how stupid are teenagers?
Boasts a self-referential irreverence that gleefully attacks pop culture by using members of pop culture
Alan Cumming (who's picked up where Richard E. Grant left off in Spice World) seems to be doing an impression of Stewie, the megalomaniacal baby on Family Guy.
Once again the nostalgia of our youth has been strip-mined for a Hollywood remake . . . At least this one doesn't have any CGI talking-dog monstrosities in it
Not necessarily the best film, those who remember the original series and have an interest in pop culture humor should find something in Josie to enjoy.
In the end, the plot is revealed and everything is wrapped up just like an episode of Scooby Doo. But not after the bumbling Tara Reid tortures us with her ditziness.
Josie and the Pussycats moves like one of its songs, fast, sexy, and fun.
Amusing comedy that transcends its all-too-obvious silliness thanks to a trio of sweet performances, some catchy songs and some spot-on gags at the expense of teen culture.
Send the teens to this one. See it yourself if you're in the mood for something that won't require much of you.
The result is a frothy but irresistible movie that brims with bubbly spirit, wicked wit and punk-flavored pop tunes.
Josie and the Pussycats urges teenagers to be individuals instead of herd-like consumers. Ironically, in doing so, it contains more product placements than any movie I’ve ever seen.
Has good intentions, but unfortunately doesn't have what it takes to effectively carry them out.
This sounds like a disaster along the lines of “Dudley Do-Right,” but writer-directors Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont pull off a surprisingly spry spoof of the very way pop culture – especially music – is marketed to teenagers.
Like the superior "Charlie's Angels," "Josie" proudly proclaims the triumph of style over substance ...but after the initial zing begins to fade the filmmakers have to scramble to hold our attention.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 14% 14% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
| 53% 53% | David & Layla |
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