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Josie and the Pussycats (2001)

tomatometer

53

Average Rating: 5.2/10
Reviews Counted: 120
Fresh: 63 | Rotten: 57

This live-action update of Josie and the Pussycats offers up bubbly, fluffy fun, but the constant appearance of product placements seems rather hypocritical.

59

Average Rating: 5.6/10
Critic Reviews: 29
Fresh: 17 | Rotten: 12

This live-action update of Josie and the Pussycats offers up bubbly, fluffy fun, but the constant appearance of product placements seems rather hypocritical.

audience

44

liked it
Average Rating: 2.6/5
User Ratings: 69,684

My Rating

Movie Info

Based on the animated hit TV show of the 1970s, Josie and the Pussycats is a live-action tale of a group of young girl rockers who desire to make it big. Josie (Rachael Leigh Cook), Val (Rosario Dawson), and Melody (Tara Reid) make up an aspiring garage band that is discovered by shady megalomaniac executive Wyatt Frame (Alan Cumming), the sidekick to MegaRecords boss Fiona (Parker Posey), who runs an industry powerhouse that has been grooming the very successful boy band Du Jour. Unbeknownst to

PG-13, 1 hr. 39 min.

Comedy

,

Harry Elfont, Deborah Kaplan

Aug 14, 2001

$14.1M

Universal Pictures

Cast

All Critics (120) | Top Critics (29) | Fresh (63) | Rotten (58) | DVD (18)

This self-styled self-reflexive comedy asks the question, just how stupid are teenagers?

April 18, 2007 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | Comments (2)
Chicago Reader
Top Critic IconTop Critic

This is one sharp pussycat.

April 18, 2007 Full Review Source: Variety | Comment
Variety
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Their cool-to-be-cruel stance is too hip for the room and a likely turnoff for preteen girls who don't like fluff balls laced with bile.

April 18, 2001 Comment
Rolling Stone
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When on work release from the Von Trier festival, I like such cheap thrills.

April 16, 2001 Full Review Source: Village Voice | Comment
Village Voice
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The concept is so hypocritical, it's like Britney Spears calling Christina Aguilera underdressed and overexposed.

April 13, 2001 Full Review Source: USA Today | Comment
USA Today
Top Critic IconTop Critic

It's amazing that writer-directors Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont sustain this in-jokey screwball punk musical satire as long as they do.

April 13, 2001 Full Review Source: Slate | Comment
Slate
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Movie rates itself out of an ideal audience.

December 24, 2010 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | Comment
Common Sense Media

Ranks a 'one' next to Spinal Tap's '11'.

July 16, 2010 Full Review Source: Film4 | Comment

The sour notes are all in a dumbed-down script, canned-ham performances that soon wear thin.

August 7, 2008 Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | Comment
Sacramento News & Review

Aaaaah, what a classic!

June 24, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out | Comment

Scratch this one off your must-see list.

May 1, 2004 Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | Comment
Hollywood.com

Boasts a self-referential irreverence that gleefully attacks pop culture by using members of pop culture

March 11, 2004 Full Review Source: Cinemania | Comment

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.

August 1, 2003 Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | Comment
Reel Film Reviews

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

March 19, 2003 Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | Comment
eFilmCritic.com

About as fresh and fun as week-old kitty litter.

March 13, 2003 Full Review Source: RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland) | Comment

The best praise I can offer is it could have been worse.

February 8, 2003 Full Review Source: Film Quips Online | Comment
Film Quips Online

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.

January 29, 2003 Comment
Oscar Guy

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.

December 8, 2002 Full Review Source: Film Threat | Comment
Film Threat

Josie and the Pussycats moves like one of its songs, fast, sexy, and fun.

November 22, 2002 Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | Comment
Combustible Celluloid

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.

October 30, 2002 Full Review Source: ViewLondon | Comment
ViewLondon

Send the teens to this one. See it yourself if you're in the mood for something that won't require much of you.

October 21, 2002 Full Review Source: San Diego Metropolitan | Comment
San Diego Metropolitan

The result is a frothy but irresistible movie that brims with bubbly spirit, wicked wit and punk-flavored pop tunes.

October 15, 2002 Full Review Source: Cincinnati Enquirer | Comment
Cincinnati Enquirer

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.

August 2, 2002 Full Review Source: ReelTalk Movie Reviews | Comments (2)
ReelTalk Movie Reviews
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Josie and the Pussycats

Even though you except nothing but the worst, this film is actually well written with love to spare.

December 20, 2008
FrizzDrop

Super Reviewer

This jerk teen comedy film based upon the Archie Comics in the story is not very entertaining to me. The three Pussycats are, of course, very hot but the dilemma they are placed in is all too cute to be appealing for boys.

November 23, 2006
deano
Dean McKenna

Super Reviewer

    1. Josie McCoy: Who's a rock star?.... I AM!
    – Submitted by Facebook U (10 months ago)

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