It was the spring of 2001, right before the era of pop bands was about to die out. It was the last breath of a nieve culture before 9/11 would change America forever. Then, suddenly, Josie and the Pussycats, a movie based on the Archie comic, came out and completely bashed pop culture and told audiences that they were social pawns who would do whatever the media tells them to. Naturally, audiences and critics weren’t happy. Nobody enjoys being told they’re gullible sheep.
One critic even commented, saying the movie “…asks the question, just how stupid are teenagers?” Nowadays, the film has enjoyed a reemergence as people now realize how bought-and-sold the media industry truly is. Josie and the Pussycats is now recognized for being too smart and too true for the time. Perhaps if it was released just a few years later, it could have been a box office hit. Now that the film is enjoying a much-deserved renaissance (and even a vinyl release), here are 10 reasons why it’s an epic film that deserves your time.
The Mocking of Pop Culture
The film begins with the band DuJour (an obvious parody of boy bands like NSYNC and Backstreet Boys) arriving at an airport and being met by screaming fans, crying teenagers, and even a woman in a wedding dress waving a “Marry Me” sign.
The scene is all too real and is exactly what the boy bands of the era experienced. Even in more recent times, bands like One Direction have gone through similar phenomenons.
The Cast
The Pussycats are played by Tara Reid, Rachael Leigh Cook, and Rosario Dawson. But the supporting cast is the true comedic talent. Comedy legends like Alan Cumming, Parker Posey, and Missi Pyle all bring massive amounts of humor and talent to the cast and deliver the best lines of the entire film.
Even the actors playing DuJour are an unlikely, yet hilariously paired group, including Breckin Meyer, Seth Green, and Donald Faison. And don’t forget the patriotic Eugene Levy cameo!
The Epic Product Placement
Before Lady Gaga ever loaded the ‘Telephone’ music video with product placements, there was Jewel’s ‘Intuition’ video. And before that, there was Josie and the Pussycats, which purposefully features so much product placement that you can’t help but laugh. Tara Reid has a McDonald’s-branded shower. The beluga whale at the aquarium swims in a tank sponsored by Evian.
There are logos for Target, SEGA, Revlon, and many more in every. Single. Scene. The movie was trying to show that the entertainment industry is a huge marketing tool and that nothing in a scene is on accident. If you see a logo on TV or in a film… someone paid for it.
The Subliminal Messaging
The plot of the movie is that the music industry is using subliminal messages in music to make people buy products and act in certain ways. A lot of this came from the zeitgeist of the time when the film was released. After the Columbine shooting in 1999, “rock music” was one of the main blames (along with violent video games and movies).
One artist, in particular, took much of the fury - Marilyn Manson. It was said that his music was demonic, violent, and contained subliminal messaging. After that, conspiracy theories of subliminal messaging in media swept through America. The movie used this paranoia to mock both society and the industry at the same time.
The Soundtrack
Speaking of music, the movie’s original songs are actually quite good. Cook’s singing voice in the film was provided by Kay Hanley from the band Letters to Cleo, and the soundtrack was produced by legendary producer, Babyface.
Cook, Ried, and Dawson all provided backup vocals, and the soundtrack went on to be certified gold. Some of the best tracks on the album include ‘3 Small Words’, ‘Spin Around’, and ‘Pretend to be Nice’.
It Makes Fun of its Own Franchise
The film doesn’t just poke fun at others, it also makes fun of itself. In one scene, Josie asks why the record label changed the band’s name from “The Pussycats” to “Josie and the Pussycats”, and she’s told that bands with “and the” in the name sell better. He then says that they “also go on to sell comics, movies, cartoons, toys…” An obvious reference to the Pussycat franchise.
At another point, someone asks the character, Alexandra, why she’s even in the film. Her response is simply, “Because I’m in the comics.”
They Were Able to Get MTV Involved
Shockingly, Josie and the Pussycats were somehow able to get MTV to make fun of itself. Serena Altschul of MTV News made an appearance, and an entire scene revolves around the music label trying to kill The Pussycats by sending them to “TRL,” which in reality, is just Carson Daily with a baseball bat.
It’s impressive that the movie was able to get MTV onboard, considering that MTV is exactly what the movie is making fun of.
They Even Mocked the Way Companies Profit Off Dead Celebrities
Josie and the Pussycats didn’t hold anything back. At the start of the film, the band DuJour discovers that the record label has hidden subliminal messages in their music. To “fix” the problem, the record label crashes their plane and decides to find a new band of gullible young people to manipulate, aka Josie and the Pussycats.
Shortly after the plane crashes, an MTV News segment runs stating that it wasn’t yet known if DuJour was alive or dead… “But that a commemorative platinum box set would be available in stores starting tomorrow.”
The Adult Humor
The movie also has its fair share of raunchy humor, and it’s all the better for it. Naturally, “The Pussycats” leads way to a lot of possibilities, and at the start of the film, Tara Ried’s character is seen on the side of the road with a sign saying “Honk if you Love Pussycats!” Although, three letters are behind an electrical pole.
But best of all, at the start of the film, DuJour is singing their hit song, Back Door Lover, with lyrics like, “This kind of love is wrong, but you know it feels so right. Runnin’ my hands across your cheeks, they’re oh so smooth and white.”
The Overall Aesthetic
The movie used bright colors and lots of oversaturation. Pair that with the giant logos plastered everywhere in each scene and you can’t help but fall in love with the film’s bright, glossy sheen. It’s like Times Square was turned into a movie.
The film also used a range of different lenses to capture different moods. Many of the scenes featuring screaming fans are shown through a fisheye lens, which works perfectly in making you feel like the situation isn’t cool and fun, but instead is chaotic and completely insane.
