The writing duo that affectionately skewered classic TV and modern pop culture in A Very Brady Sequel is at it again with Josie and the Pussycats, a savvy, often funny sendup of show biz and the fickle tastes of trendier teens. Its characters are based on the 1963 Archie comic that became an animated TV series in 1970.
In the big-screen version, Josie, Valerie and the bubble-headed Melody are a struggling garage band with dreams of record deals, music videos and sold-out concerts. Overnight, their dreams become reality.
Little do the girls know, however, that they are just pawns in a conspiracy that relies on subliminal recorded messages to control the minds of teen consumers (as if the blatant ones weren’t already doing a masterful job). This premise drips with unintended irony. In one scene, MTV’s Carson Daly (in a cameo as himself) admits to being “a co-conspirator in a plot to brainwash the youth of America with pop music.” Funny in one context, true in another.
All things considered, Josie and the Pussycats has a good heart. The girls convey a refreshing innocence. Sex, drugs and alcohol are absent from their rock lifestyle. The film also makes bold statements about nonconformity, friendship and loyalty, and it urges young people to believe in themselves and be happy with who they are.
Unfortunately, viewers also get off-color remarks, about 20 profanities, cartoonish violence and some revealing outfits. Blemishes notwithstanding, the movie lands on the PG end of what has become a very broad PG-13 scale.
