Do Revenge Review: Camila Mendes did a wicked version of Mean Girls

Alfred Hitchcock’s influence is evident in Netflix’s black teen comedy take revenge. It was inspired by his 1951 thriller strangers on a trainwhich in turn was inspired by a novel by The talented Mr Ripley Author Patricia Highsmith. But instead of focusing on a twisted assassination plan, take revenge focuses on a conspiracy to destroy the social status of two members of the it crowd.

The film fits perfectly into the canon of dark comedies about the recklessness of teenage girls – you think heather or mean girls. Director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (co-writer of Thor: Love and Thundercreator of Cute/Vicious) weaves a sharp 2022 update of the genre. A few romantic subplots slow the film’s halfway point, but in the end the film regains its momentum and contracts to a satisfying ending.

[Ed. note: This review contains setup spoilers for Do Revenge.]

Photo: Kim Simms/Netflix

take revenge follows Drea (Camila Mendes), formerly the most popular girl in school, until her reputation plummets – not only because her ex-boyfriend Max released her sex tape, but also because she slapped him in the face afterwards. Drea attends her exclusive prep school in Miami on a scholarship while her ex (Austin Abrams) comes from a wealthy family. He has more social capital than she does, so he can turn his friends and the rest of the school against her by claiming that a video of his phone was leaked and that she attacked him for no reason. Drea just wants to grit her teeth and get through senior year, but that all changes when she meets transfer student Eleanor (Maya Hawke).

Years ago, Eleanor became a social outcast when her crush, Carissa (Ava Capri), spread a rumor that Eleanor was holding her and forcibly kissing her. After ending up in the same school as Carissa, Eleanor dreads seeing her again. After an emotional moment in the bathroom, Eleanor and Drea join the people who wronged them in a plan for revenge – but with one important caveat. The two decide to swap their revenge goals: Drea will defeat Carissa while Eleanor will infiltrate Max’s circle of friends for ultimate revenge.

Like other movies in the high school subgenre mean girls, take revenge focuses on intricate social conspiracies and vicious folk cliques. But it’s not derivative or cliché: instead, it’s a natural progression of this type of film for 2022. Some parts of high school are constants, but youth culture is evolving quickly, so teen films — particularly those that adapt to or pay homage to older ones Material – Danger of feeling outdated. take revenge dodges the curse because Robinson and co-writer Celeste Ballard cleverly update certain plot points.

Photo: Kim Simms/Netflix

For one, Max is a villain for 2022 — a handsome straight rich white boy who uses performative public awakening to hide his true motives. And as a privileged young man, Max is basically untouchable. But that just means Drea and Eleanor have to come up with an even more fun and complex plan to bring him down – and that makes it easier for them to root for it at first.

But as her actions escalate, her obsessions grow. Hawke and Mendes do a fantastic job of never giving the audience a clear person to cheer for. At first, their friendship seems inspired as they unite against those who have wronged them. But then it becomes one-sided and toxic. And then it mutates into something else entirely.

It’s a ride from hell, all with soft, influencer-worthy pastels. Part of the reason why movies like heather and mean girls They became so iconic because of their strong visual palette, which played with the conventions of the idealized teenage years of their respective eras. take revenge continues the trend and updates the film’s look for those familiar with perfectly calibrated aesthetics that fit perfectly under social media hashtags, be it “instagram witch” or #glamgirl.

Photo: Kim Simms/Netflix

When the film focuses on the revenge plots or the increasingly toxic relationship between Eleanor and Drea, it’s sharp and tight. But halfway through, a couple of romantic B-plots start to take center stage. Drea becomes involved with a friend of Carissa’s, rebellious artist Russ (Rish Shah), while Eleanor flirts with Max’s sister Gabbi (Talia Ryder). While some of these scenes are cute, none of these relationships do much to make Eleanor or Drea either more likable or more despicable. They seem to exist out of a feeling that teenage movies need obligatory romance and nothing more. They end up dragging the film out and slowing it down.

In the end, however, the film switches back to Eleanor and Drea – and for the better. A series of twists and turns brings them back together, and they play off each other in deliciously unnerving ways. At points, the film seems to become a moralizing statement about the dangers of revenge, especially when Drea’s college plans are jeopardized. But Robinson and Ballard adeptly avoid these pitfalls, proving they understand what audiences really want for these kinds of movies: the vicarious thrill of watching vicious teenage girls go to great lengths to get what they want , as they navigate the complicated relationships they form with each other. Without spoiling too much, Eleanor and Drea get both what they desire and what they deserve. It’s a satisfying conclusion that doesn’t punish them or praise them. Just ignore the cheesy epilogues in which they court their potential love interests.

take revenge debuts September 16 on Netflix.