With films borrowing from so many other mediums lately (television, comic books, video games) it shouldn't be any surprise that the classic comic book/TV adventures of Josie and the Pussycats finally made its way onto the big screen. Starring Rachael Leigh Cook, Tara Reid and Rosario Dawson, the only surprise one may find with Universal's "Josie and the Pussycats" is the fact that, similar to the recent "Charlie's Angels," the film is smart, fun and rocks--- three traits rare for most big-screen adaptations of fads from long ago.
That said, "Josie and the Pussycats" at first glance isn't wonderfully made. The acting is cheesy and at times unbearable, the plot steers a bit on the far-fetched side and the characters are so extreme they make the viewers want to get out of their seats and slap them back into sense. However, screenwriter/directing team Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont did all of the above on purpose. Unlike other TV/comic book/video game-turned-movies that take themselves seriously, "Josie and the Pussycats" is as tongue in cheek as films get these days. It is because of this basic awareness of its own stupidity that the film is as enjoyable to watch as it is-- it acknowledges its own flaws and pokes fun at them rather than dismissing them entirely.
The movie focuses on Josie (cook), Melody (Reid) and Valerie (Dawson), otherwise known as The Pussycats, a girl rock band dreaming of wealth and fame but who fail to find gigs outside the local bowling alley. Their prayers to become the next big band, however, come all too quickly when a record executive named Wyatt (Alan Cumming) almost runs them over in his car in search for a new band that can replace the teen sensation boy band Dujour (think the Backstreet Boys, but cuter and missing one member), who recently disappeared. Desperate for a new band to jump on the trend bandwagon (and on deadline to do so from his boss within twenty-four hours), Wyatt signs the Pussycats to a deal without even hearing them play.
Within a week the girl's lives are changed forever. Their band name has changed (they are know called Josie and the Pussycats) and their image is now styled and produced by hair designers and make up artists daily. All they ever wanted is at their finger tips, from fur coats to limos and screaming fans. They have the number one single in the country and people who ridiculed them from back home are now on their hotel door steps dressed like them and screaming for an autograph. It's all happening so fast for the girls... in fact, a little too fast.
