Rent Josie and the Pussycats (2001)

Now That’s What I Call Consumerism - Josie and the Pussycats review by griggs

What a daft little glitter bomb this is. Josie and the Pussycats looks like a teen pop comedy that’s had too many E-numbers, but underneath the bubblegum and leopard print it’s taking a proper swipe at consumer culture. Whatever Trojan horse tricks it has, they arrive in platform boots and neon lights: this film is loud, garish and fully aware of how ridiculous it is. Its cartoon roots are part of the joke too, with random characters and throwaway gags from the popping up because the film is happy to laugh at itself.

The product placement isn’t just part of the joke; it is the joke. Every surface is selling something; the sets look like MTV threw up in a shopping centre. Rachael Leigh Cook gives the film some heart, Rosario Dawson gives it edge, Tara Reid is genuinely funny, and Parker Posey and Alan Cumming play the corporate villains like subtlety has been banned by management.

It’s bright, silly, catchy and a bit exhausting, but sharper than it first appears.