Josie (Rachael Lee Cook) and the Pussycats (Rosario Dawson, Tara Reid), members of an unpolished punk-rock trio, are discovered by shady music moguls (Alan Cumming, Parker Posey) and transformed into flavor-of-the-month type celebrities. But behind the girls’ meteoric rise to stardom is a conspiracy to brainwash America’s record-buying youth that stretches from the halls of the Pentagon to the studios of MTV.
The Saturday morning cartoon you grew up with gets a giddy live-action facelift. Writer/directors Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan (“”Can’t Hardly Wait””) continue to lampoon the teen population with comedic precision. Honing in on the “”TRL”” crowd – V-Jay Carson Daly even has a clever cameo – “”Josie”” does for the music industry what “”Austin Powers”” did for the spy genre. The result: an intelligent, timely spoof that wraps sincere homage and biting social commentary in a tight power-pop package. The most successful joke – in a film about consumerism, no less – comes from the endless parade of well-placed products peddling everything from Starbucks to Target and, yes, even the movie itself.GRADE: B+THE EXTRAS Universal fails to bestow a “”Limited Editor”” or “”Collector’s Edition”” title on the “”Josie”” disc, but that doesn’t mean it lacks substantial extras. In fact, “”Josie”” takes you behind the action courtesy of a Backstage Pass, triggering a lengthy production featurette which follows the film’s stars from band camp to the stage. There are also three deleted scenes that closely resemble scenes left in the final cut. I swear the one with Posey’s character is still in the final cut. Let me check. Oh, no, it’s not. But close. Kaplan and Elfont contribute a feature-length commentary, demonstrating where the film’s quirky sense of humor came from. And speaking of sense of humor, you can also chuck your Backstreet Boys CD out the window and cue up two videos from mock boy band Dujour. These clips aren’t as funny as the actual performance given by Dujour at the beginning of film, but they’re light and goofy. Can’t get the “”Josie”” song “”3 Small Words”” out of your head? Then you might as well play the video, also on the DVD, and put some images with those lyrics. Finally, the disc offers the requisite production notes, bios and a trailer. GRADE: B+ OVERALL EXPERIENCE I was pleasantly surprised with “”Josie.”” Films that try and resurrect the past for modern audiences rarely capture the elements that made the antique articles classics in the first place. But “”Josie”” finds a modern spin and cranks plenty of jokes aimed directly at the TRL crowd. It’s a great midnight snack for the brain, and a comprehensive disc that any fan will enjoy. FINAL GRADE: B+