Posted: 04/24/2001

Josie and the Pussycats

(2001)

by Jason Gallagher

Good, but not quite purrrr-fect.

Some films just aren’t meant to be taken too seriously. Josie And The Pussycats is one of those films. But thanks to a decent soundtrack and a babe-a-licious star lineup, Josie still manages to be somewhat entertaining despite all of its girl-powered silliness.

Josie And The Pussycats tells the story of a three-member girl punk band that seems doomed to remain a small-time garage band forever. Josie (Rachel Leigh Cook—Get Carter, She’s All That) is the attractive lead singer and guitarist of the band. Melody, played by Carson Daly’s nighttime snack Tara Reid (American Pie, The Big Lebowski), is the stereotypical dumb blonde and drummer of the group. Rounding out the trio is Valerie (Rosario Dawson—Down To You) the more serious one who always seems to be getting overshadowed by her other two band mates.

Of the three main actresses the best overall performance is given by Cook. This young actress gives a stunning performance that shows sophistication beyond her years. She delivers her lines well, moves across the screen with grace and does a great job, of well, being cute. And while Cook might outshine the rest of the cast in the charisma department, that is not to say that her fellow cast mates didn’t hold their own as well. The girls work beautifully together and manage to maintain their chemistry with each other throughout the film.

The girl’s garage days are over when they get their big break with the help of a big-time music industry executive (Alan Cumming—Get Carter, Eyes Wide Shut) and quickly rise to the top of the charts. But it is here that the plot takes its first twist. The audience soon finds out that the band has signed a record deal with a label that brainwashes teenagers by adding subliminal messages onto their albums. The messages, which try to set trends by telling kids what is “cool,” are a direct attack on today’s real-life entertainment industry.

Unfortunately for the movie, the satire bit doesn’t work all that well as the movie itself is filled with numerous “messages” from outside companies in the form of advertising. The product placement gets so outrageous in fact, that in one scene fast food ads can be seen decorating the side of a shower door. Would you like some fries with that shampoo? The writer/director team of Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont may or may not have had something to do with this—they certainly allowed the studio to have free reign as far as product placement.

Despite all of this, there is still something sort of mesmerizing about Josie And The Pussycats that keeps the audience interested. In my opinion, that mesmerizing effect comes from eating the “eye candy” of the movie’s three main stars. And with an upbeat, catchy soundtrack to boot, the movie manages to overcome its failed attempts at satire and humor and be mildly entertaining in the process.

Jason Gallagher is a freelance writer and student of Journalism at Kent State. He is a huge Penguins fan, but don’t hold that against him.

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