A Teen Comedy in a Gilded Frame
Every generation has a film they point towards that defines their adolescent experience -or more accurately, their essence. A film that captures the aesthetic sensibilities of what was their present, as well as the timeless turmoil of adolescence. In America, the 1980s saw the rise of stories with idiosyncratic plots and characters whose explosive feelings and acid humor heightened the stakes. Directors like John Hughes and Michael Lehmann ushered in the era of the teenage black comedy, paving the way for its proliferation in later decades. Now, generations from the nineties and the turn of the millennium can their own popular culture and teenage experience perfectly preserved in movies. Like time capsules capable of shunting us back to that tumultuous life stage. Using this definition of a teen comedy -an audiovisual time machine that can place us in the year of its release and remind us of the immense confusion and hyperbolic emotion of youth- Do Revenge (2022) directed by Jennifer Kaytin is an interesting contribution to the genre which aims to represent modern youth.
As any good exponent of its genre the plot is absurd, over-the-top, and therefore incredibly entertaining. It gives the impression of being derived from the darkest, most vindictive daydreams of a hormonal teenager. Every character’s style, both in fashion and charisma paints a a sharp picture of modern-day aesthetics. At once signaling them out and poking fun at them. I would not be surprised if revisiting this film in five years’ time the stylized looks worn by the characters have become the norm, or have been buried away by the culture, marked as a temporary lapse in fashion sense. The music and make-up, even the cast of the movie is an eclectic mix that can only exist thanks to contemporary pop culture and the social media flow from Tik-Tok to Instagram, YouTube, and “stan” Twitter. All this gleaned from an American perspective of course, though the rest of the world does not escape its influence unscathed.
As fun as the plot is, it is also impossible to watch the movie without spotting a deluge of winks and homages to its predecessors. Many are intentional and fun for fans of the genre, such as having the Sarah Michelle Gellar in a role; or how main character Drea’s wardrobe takes inspiration from Cher in Clueless. But then there are others that are so in-your-face they start to limit the project’s ability to stand out on its own. Drea’s story is a carbon copy of Regina George, the antagonist in Mean Girls (2004) directed by Mark Waters; while Elanor’s story is pretty much the same as Kate’s, the protagonist in Betty Thomas’ John Tucker Must Die (2006).
All of the movies referenced are considered classics in the teen comedy genre because beyond whisking us back in time they bring something new. They reflect a young generation’s coming of age by also playing with the tropes intrinsic to the genre, experimenting with script, and providing a sliver of social wisdom delivered sincerely, cutting through the mayhem. By imitating them, Do Revenge tries to add to contemporary discussions as well: toxic relationships -both romantic and platonic-, the expanding and often reckless use of drugs, and responsibility in online spaces. And yet it misses the mark. It does not add to the conversation or look for a different angle through which to depict these issues. It only echoes them back to the generation who is already aware of them. It may be a good study of the genre, but it fails at being sincere in portraying the experiences and feelings of Gen Z.
In a similar vein, the characters in the movie remain rooted in the past. As a point of comparison, the film Booksmart directed by Olivia Wilde stretches the familiar character molds we often see in the genre so that Gen Z can more accurately identify with them. The ‘nerd’ is an empowered feminist; the ‘freak’ is just figuring out her sexuality, and the bully is a snarky wannabe intellectual. In contrast, the characters in Do Revenge - conform, albeit with a little spunk. Drea is the queen bee, Eleanor the new kid, and Ethan (the antagonist) is the king of high school. The one exception might be the addition of an Instagram witch clique, but even Gabbi -a nice nod to high school cinephiles- is just the loner sibling of the popular kid.
None of this detracts from its sheer entertainment value. This movie is a flashy comedy that makes great use of this generation’s absurd-leaning humor. It’s just not the film that will define us in more than an aesthetic level. It simply doesn’t take enough risks, even as it stands on the shoulders of giants, which took the initiative to play with the genre and break free of the status quo to cement themselves as an emblematic part of one generation’s zeitgeist.
