Josie and the Pussycats Review

A satirical musical comedy wrapped in an Archie Comics/Hanna-Barbera IP, Josie and the Pussycats is singular: a cult classic capsulation of pop counterculture in the early 2000s. Lizzie McGuire is just starting middle school, orange is the new pink, Heath Ledger is the new Matt Damon, and talk about the commercialization of music is in the air. 

One of those subjects is less fun than the others. Anyway! 

How do you even make a movie about Josie and the Pussycats? It started as a comic book set in Archie's Riverdale and spun into a cartoon of the space-traveling, mystery-solving variety—very Scooby Doo, but with more cat ears and music. Speaking of Scooby Doo, that fantastic live-action movie won't be released for another year, so the blueprint is gone. What to do? 

First step: slam a bunch of up-and-coming actors into the cast. I'm not kidding; practically everyone in this cast is, or was becoming, a Somebody. Second step: ditch the iconic Pussycat leotards for head-to-toe Y2K fashion and throw in some cat ears. Third: write a script satirizing the commodification of individuality, subliminal advertising, and corporate control of music. It's no big deal; super easy. Super fun. 

Here's the thing: it is. It's a bubbly pop-punk blast full of good music and quick, snarky comedy. The jokes are funny, the boyfriend is cute and there, the girl power top layer message is a nice little boost for any preteen or adult after a long day, and there's a classic Hanna-Barbera twist at the end. Take it as un-seriously as you want, and have fun.

Review by Cathlin