Do Revenge, directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, is the brand new Gen-Z appealing movie that came out on Netflix on September 16, 2022. The supposed noir comedy stars the glittering duo of Camila Mendes and Maya Hawke as the bewitching “revenge mommies” in this tale of teenage vengeance.
Mendes’ Drea leads a “perfectly curated” life in high school that puts her on the map as one of the prized possessions of their private high school’s It clique. Her life is overturned when her boyfriend Max (Austin Abrams) exposes her nude video to the school. On being confronted, he denies being responsible for the leak and gets punched in the face by Drea. It’s this punch that triggers the fake woke “ally” and his ever-so-high status in school that pulls Drea’s seeming friends to his side, leaving her isolated while having to deal with the trauma of her social life having been slashed.
The turn of events and punishments handed out to Drea after that very public display of aggression push her in the direction of Maya Hawke’s Eleanor, who was also done wrong by a girl in their younger years at camp. Eventually, the two form a likely alliance that later turns into an unlikely friendship, all initiated in the name of exacting revenge in each other’s names.
Netflix’s official synopsis describes the movie as:
In this glittery and edgy dark comedy, two teens at an elite private high school team up to take down each other’s enemies.
-Do Revenge Review Contains Mild Spoilers-
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Do Revenge is tastefully similar to one of the other latest releases by Netflix, Heartbreak High but is a lot more colorful than it. Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo’s music completes the cycle in this teen movie as always. At this point, you just can’t have a holistic experience of a teenage revenge trajectory without Rodrigo’s Brutal.
There are references to several newer as well as older bodies of work in the same category that build up Do Revenge’s scheme. Mendes’ character is a sound reminder of Euphoria‘s Maddy Perez, yet another woman of color who’s not the quintessential affluent high school queen taking the lead. You can also mark the clear similarities shared with movies like Heathers and Mean Girls. The 1995 Alicia Silvertone’s Clueless vision is brought in as well for Hawke’s makeover montage of the new socially awkward girl undertaken by the former social queen.
By mentioning these archetypical titles, the aim is to highlight that the new Netflix movie tends to follow a lot of elemental key aspects of this genre like introducing romantic subplots into the writing, even though it isn’t desired. The prevalence of a social hierarchy in high school with the division of cliques and members of the popular group being devoured by the rest is all there. One basic difference is the replacement of the highly revered It girl by Abrams’ It boy. This move tends to push the focus on the limiting sisterhood within the movie, which somehow works only for the leading pair in an uncanny way.
The visually attractive mood of the film has much to do with the choice of the Gen-Z-approved pastel uniforms. The director, however, plays a little game with it. A Simple Favor-ish (Blake Lively) twist is brought into the film, which may or may not have been predictable but is very Hitchcockian, in the teenage sense at least, after the first half. Although it may not count as foreshadowing, the color change in Mendes’ uniform is very essential to it. Her initial fully-green revenge-driven uniform is contrasted by the delicate lilac costume of Hawke’s character. The eventual switching of these color themes is a very tactical and swift move made by the director in her storytelling.
Going back to the movie’s setup, there are barely any adults in the midst of the omnipresence of teenagers onscreen. The Cruel Intentions Sarah Michelle Gellar is the one exception who again harks to the ’90s era of such movies. Various other characters, despite the stellar choice of casting, are mere pawns in the game of the leading duo as well as the movie’s arc. The illustrious Sophie Turner stars in the movie too, or so you think. Her presence feels like an obligatory factor and makes the least sense. No one is weighty enough and has anything to offer other than play out as fillers in Mendes and Hawke’s partnership.
Finally, the romantic subplots. They are the most unwanted element in the movie. Despite all the inclusion, the romantic resolution at the end falls back into the normative ’90s and 2000s idea of a happy ending linked with the protagonists finding their better (amorous) halves.
Do Revenge: Worth the Watch?
Some major points where Do Revenge seems to fall short are the social commentary on fake wokeness, which is an afterthought in the movie, and so is Abrams’ antagonist, who feels very underplayed. Both the leading women plan out their revenge against him throughout the entire span of the film, but once it’s achieved, it does not even feel satisfactory. There is a lack of a supreme villain, but maybe that works as per plan in a teenage world where everyone is grey, and you can neither find an absolute friend nor a larger-than-life enemy.
Ultimately, the ending is satisfying enough, at least for Mendes and Hawke’s joint vengeance party as it should’ve been. The reason why you need to watch this movie other than the eye-catching nostalgia fest is the complimentary performances of Camila Mendes and Maya Hawke. Their energies bounce off each other and explode onscreen, making the journey all the more aesthetically thrilling for us. And so, I suggest you give it a watch for just the two of them because if your focus is on these “two wounded soldiers on the battlefield of adolescence”, along with their pseudo-Shakespearean monologues, then the movie will work its magic on you. Deranged platonic soulmates for the win.
Do Revenge is now streaming on Netflix.
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