Review of Josie And The Pussycats

Introduction

The summary tells you all you need to know about this film. It might sound like typical American tripe, but believe me it`s far from it. The story is simple enough for anyone to grasp. Wannabe pop band struggling to get a contract are suddenly picked up off the street and signed up to a mega corporation which in no time produces a complete package and sells it to the top spot. Things aren`t all as they seem though...Be prepared for plenty of tongue-in-cheek as we take a poke at rife consumerism and the music industry.

The film is well written and has a lot of cool lines which are bound to make even the hardest cynic smile.

Video

This DVD is presented with a great looking 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer. There`s lots of colour, vibrancy, and good detail throughout with no hint of poor video anywhere. I couldn`t spot any grain or dirt, and since there`s always pace to the movie you won`t really stand still to notice any defects. It looks quite impressive.

Audio

The DVD comes with a DD5.1 track only in English, German and Italian. In general the music and sound played very well from all speakers and there are scenes with good use of localised sound. However with this much music, this film could really do with the DTS track from the American disc. The dialogue amongst the throng of pop music comes out well and in the background you`ll hear Danny Elfman`s score adding some much needed mischief to the film. A nice touch I thought.

Features

Not a great deal of features here. There are nicely animated menus with sound to greet you, though it`s a shame things go quiet and static once you select your options. There`s the featurette `Backstage Pass`, Deleted Scenes, Theatrical Trailer, a music video and 2 DuJour videos. The 23min featurette is the usual PR thing, it`s enjoyable but I would have liked more. There are three deleted scenes which are quite short and it`s easy to see why these didn`t make the final cut. The trailer is the usual trailer, and then there are the three full length music videos, one for Josie and the Pussycats and two for DuJour. I have to admit that these are enjoyable and made me laugh!

This UK version lacks features over the region 1 DVD and these seem to be the Director Commentary, the DTS soundtrack and DVD-ROM features. I don`t know why these were omitted since with all the music here it might have sounded that bit better with DTS. Plus I really wanted to hear the director commentary!! Having this would have bumped the mark up quite a bit.

Conclusion

Josie and the Pussycats doesn`t take itself seriously, it`s a bit silly and it`s light in terms of story, but this is what makes it a good watch. It`s refreshingly easy on the eyes with very catchy music, great visuals, cool costumes and fab production design to boot. The Pussycats are reminiscent of The Go-Go`s or The Bangles and it`s all good.

The cast here are top notch with the charismatic Rachael Leigh Cook, Tara Reid and Rosario Dawson perfect as The Pussycats, they get on really well and you fall in love with them. The choice of Alan Cumming and Parker Posey for MegaRecords works well too and they certainly love their slimy roles here.

The film pokes its tongue out at mass consumerism and does it all the way through the movie. It`s funny, it`s ironic, it`s very appealing and caters to a mass audience. It would have been that bit better with the extras of the American disc, but having said this, Josie and the Pussycats is a good film on its own. Definitely worth getting, and I`m not just saying that!