Netflix’s new teen drama, Do Revenge, starring Maya Hawke (best known from Stranger Things) and Camila Mendes (best known from Riverdale) has a “campy” style with aesthetically pleasing cinematography. The film also incorporates a nostalgic feeling of iconic teen films, including Mean Girls, Clueless, Cruel Intentions, and 10 Things I Hate About You.
Plot
The movie starts off with the main character, Drea Torres, the most popular girl at Rosehill High school. She is immediately shown as the “Regina George” type with her cunning personality. However, her popularity is destroyed when an explicit video sent to her boyfriend, Max, is spread across the school. Drea believes Max was the one who sent it, but there is no evidence against him. As time goes on, Drea starts losing her “friends” while Max is still popular, and even more worshiped than before. This makes Drea furious, and she goes on a revenge rampage with another character named Eleanor. The two meet at a tennis camp and quickly become acquainted when Drea finds out Eleanor is transferring to her school, and also wants justice. However, Eleanor’s reasoning is based on a rumor of her being a “lady predator” that was spread by a student named Carissa that also goes to Rosehill. The two characters make a plan to do each other’s revenge, and to take down the ones that hurt them. As a result, Eleanor gets a makeover by Drea to fit in with the popular crowd to try to expose Max, while Drea tries to do the same with Carissa.
My Review
I honestly enjoyed the movie! I thought it would be a cheesy teen movie that tries too hard to portray teenagers in real life. However, the movie did not really focus on that but more on the comical side of it. It reminded me of Mean Girls (2004), and how they did not directly focus on the problems of teenagers but over-dramatized their lives.
I also enjoyed the color palette of the movie; the costume colors of lavender and mint green were really eye-catching. I feel like the movie used a lot of 90s and early 2000s clothing, which made it feel like I was watching an older movie. The makeover plot also reminded me of Clueless (1995). The idea of taking a “quirky” person and turning them into society’s beauty standards is very reused in teen movies. However, it felt refreshing in this movie because there’s a motive to it.
Overall, the movie had a lot of funny moments with a few twists and turns that you would not expect. I also enjoyed the plot and the similarities it had with the movies I mentioned above. I don’t think the film will be as timeless in pop culture as the ones we know and love, but it is still entertaining.
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