Josie & the Pussycats

(MGM/Universal) 2001 release starring Rachael Leigh Cook, Tara Reid, Rosario Dawson, Alan Cumming, Parker Posey, Gabriel Mann, Paulo Costanzo, Missy Pyle

Three girls dreaming of rock 'n' roll glory struggle in small town America to make it happen. When success is delivered to them on a silver platter, it threatens to destroy their friendship and change their lives forever.

I have seen Josie & the Pussycats 11 times this year. The first three times I saw it for the satire of advertising, the recording industry, and all of the glorious product placement that keeps those advertising dollars flowing into someone else's pocket. The fourth time I saw it for the music at a theatre that had a great sound system. The fifth time I took two friends along, both of whom agreed with the overall premise of the media spin, but who also loved the music and the story. For my last three visits to see Josie at the movies, I watched it to see the dynamics of the characters' friendship at work. Since it was released on video, I've seen it three more times.

Too much was said by the critics of the way the producers "bite the hand that feeds them" by including so many corporate logos into the film. Advertising and media saturation became a joke that never really let up. Every frame had something being pushed on the audience, and it seems to me that most members of the audience chose not to let that gimmick fade into the background. I'll agree that there was a bit too much parody and satire, even though it was right on the mark for the most part, but I didn't let it become the be all and end all of the movie. There is a much deeper lesson to be had here.

A level of bonding takes place among people who dine regularly on ramen noodles. Ask any one of your college friends about this. It is a shared experience, a reminder of what it means to go through a lean time when money is scarce and your making ends meet the best way you can while preparing yourself for a real career making real money. As Val (Rosario Dawson) points out, some don't know how far one pack of ramen will go. A pack of ramen, like a friendship, can last a lifetime.

After signing with Mega Records, however, tension creeps in as Val feels like she is being pushed out of the group. Wyatt Frame (Alan Cumming) is responsible for sparking the feelings of alienation Val feels when he changes the name of the band from "The Pussycats" to "Josie and the Pussycats." As he fails to give Val an invitation to a corporate sponsored party held in honor of the band, a wedge is driven deeper between Val and Josie (Rachael Leigh Cook), when in reality Josie has done nothing to validate Val's insecurity. Val becomes jealous of all the attention given Josie, since she has been propped up by the label as the leader of the group. Her fears are unfounded, and she apologizes to Josie when Josie supports Val and Mel's scheduled appearance on TRL with Carson Daly (Carson Daly).

The greater sin is committed by Josie the Diva, who accuses her friends of glomming onto her music and her talent. Her cruelty is especially harsh on Mel (Tara Reid), who begs Josie not to break up the band. Josie's response is perfectly deadpan and is not to be missed. Once she realizes what she has done, Josie takes on the full responsibility for her words and actions and desperately seeks to make amends with her former partners in music. Her words are honest, sincere and Mel and Val forgive Josie.

Friends are people your supposed to able to trust and support through the really wild and crazy times in life. After all, life happens, and sometimes it's good and sometimes it's bad. Friends should not be subjected to any form of cynicism. Cynicism is to be reserved for those people like employers, insurance sales people, car dealerships and credit card companies, and the like, who require you to sign on the dotted line. Just because it's written down doesn't mean that they will be there for you when life happens. Go rip open a package of ramen and have a feast with your friends and you will see how right I am about all this.