Josie and the Pussycats (2001)

It's not overly good.In fact, it's kind of like the Spice Girls Movie...only about a thousand times better...which makes it about as good as your standard direct-to-video sci-fi film.Only with Rachael Leigh Cook which, if you were like me, you were absolutely in love with her and, as a result, you watched it a heck of a lot more than you would even the best direct-to-video Sci-Fi film.So you have a plot about subliminal messaging that would fit better in a '60s era Bond film than a movie like this...except, today the plot and the movie work a heck of a lot better than they did in 2001 when it first came out.In fact, when it was released it really deserved a 4/10 tops and that was really only "I'm in Love with Rachael Leigh Cook" points.Now, in 2017 it actually deserves a 7/10 it is a much better and more relevant movie today than when it was first released.Unfortunately that's not saying anything about the quality of Josie and the Pussycats, it's still really just a better version of the Spice Girls Movie...It's really just saying a heck of a lot about the movies of this current era in Hollywood that even changes the relevance of the film.So, there you have it. The bottom line is, Rachael Leigh Cook is awesome, most movies in 2017 kind of really stink, and if you loved the Spice Girls Movie this is going to be like Citizen Kane for you.

You might expect Josie And The Pussycats, a live action adaptation of the comic and cartoon series about an all-girl pop group, to be fairly bad, but you'd be wrong. Admittedly, neither is it a classic. But this story of a garage band group plucked from obscurity and tempted (and oh so nearly corrupted) by the promise of fame and fortune, while nefarious use is made of their music, is light, frothy fun with a familiar message - be true to yourself.It is helped in this by a decent script and appropriate performances - Rachel Leigh Cooke as Josie plays it straight, Tara Reid plays it ditsy, and Rozario Dawson plays it with integrity: the rest of the cast play it with gusto.And the music is good, solid stuff in the overdriven guitars, melodic pop vein.This is a more than satisfactory way to pass 100 minutes.

I never saw the original cartoon but decided to pick up 2001's "Josey and the Pussycats" because Tara Reid's such a cutie and it looked like some fun entertainment.Yes, it's fun and the girls are attractive (also featuring Rachael Leigh Cook & Rosario Dawson) but, surprisingly, "Josey and the Pussycats" shoots for something deeper. As my title blurb points out, this is an amusing and potent satire on the power and manipulation of the entertainment industry.Alan Cumming is outstanding as the villainous band manager who uses, abuses and throws away at whim. His opening scene with the fictional boyband Du Jour is worth the price of admission! Parker Posey is also good as his diabolical superior.Ever wonder why all those musicians die in mysterious plane crashes, overdoses, etc. at the height of their fame? How about all those successful government cover-ups? How do artists with little actual talent and songwriting abilities become hugely popular while the truly talented artists languish in obscurity (like Meliah Rage)? Why do you sometimes have this insane drive for a Big Mac or Coke? "Josie and the Pussycats" explains all, lol.As for the doofuses who complain about the product placement, they all live on Aduh Street.The film runs 98 minutes.GRADE: B

First off, the acting was quite good. The characters very much resembled their cartoon show characters very well. I'm comparing the movie to the cartoon show since I've never read the comic book. Alan's relationship with Josie was just as awkward as always. His oblivious reactions to Josie's feelings are timeless. I was somewhat disappointed I didn't see the cat mascot, but I imagine that would have required some computer animated cat. The plot is fairly straight forward. An evil record label puts subliminal messages in their music, and when a certain boy band starts asking questions, they "disappear". The boy band is promptly replaced by Josie and the Pussycats. The villains of the story were delightfully cheesy. Fiona has a bad habit of thinking out loud, a problem that's quite contagious among comic book villains, and Wyatt's poor planning is hilarious to watch. Overall, if you're a fan of the comic or the cartoon show, watch it. If not, it'll seem like "just another movie."