‘Do Revenge’ Redefines the Teen Comedy Genre for Gen Z with Hints of 90s Nostalgia
Photo courtesy of Netflix.
Do Revenge is a dark teen comedy directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson. It was released on Netflix on September 16, 2022. The premise follows Drea (Camila Mendes) and Eleanor (Maya Hawke) as they agree to take down each other’s tormentors. I watched the film the day it came out and I have some thoughts. Let’s get into this.
When I saw Netflix announce that Camila Mendes and Maya Hawke were leading a film about two teenagers who exact revenge on people who screwed them over, I jumped for joy.
Unfortunately, Netflix is allergic to lesbians and did a horrible job at promoting the film. I decided to take matters into my own hands by promoting the film on my Twitter account. My tweet went viral which I wasn’t expecting at all. To Netflix, your audience does love films with strong female leads and LGBTQ+ representation. It’d be nice if you cared enough to promote your films and TV shows.
Anyways, here are my thoughts on the film. It was pretty good which surprised me. I didn’t think it was going to be horrible but I went into thinking that it was going to be pretty average.
Camila and Maya are the real stars of this film. Their chemistry was so amazing. They’d played off each other so beautifully. I never took my eyes off the screen when they were on it. I hope we get to see them in another film or even a TV show in the near future.
Drea has Eleanor go after her ex-boyfriend, Max (Austin Abrams) because of a video that was leaked to the entire school, intended for Max’s eyes only and Eleanor has Drea go after Carissa (Ava Capri), a girl who humiliated Eleanor by spreading a rumor about her. Drea’s friendships with Tara (Alisha Boe), Montana (Maia Reficco), and Meghan (Paris Berelc) start to crumble once the video of herself gets leaked. Max’s friend Elliot (Jonathan Daviss) is relatively loyal.
Russ (Rish Shah) is Carissa’s best friend whom Drea entangles herself with while completing the revenge plan. The Headmaster (Sarah Michelle Gellar) interacts with Drea for most of the film. I was shocked when I heard that Sarah Michelle was in this film. She was so good in it. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen her on screen. Erica (Sophie Turner) has a small role in the plot of the film but Sophie delivered.
I do wish that many of these characters had more screentime because I fell in love with most of them, especially Gabbi (Talia Ryder) who’s affections for Eleanor becomes mutual pretty fast. I can’t believe we finally got to see Maya kiss a girl. Duffer Brothers, hope you’re both taking notes.
I thought the film started off a bit slow in the first half. It eventually picked up in the second half but there were times where I had trouble getting into the story. There are many twists and turns that you’ll see coming. I know I didn’t.
This film definitely pays homage to the 90s and 2000s teen films we know and love such as Clueless (1995), 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), and Mean Girls (2004). The costumes were giving off those 90s teen film vibes which I loved. There are many times where I immediately thought a scene reminded me of one of theses iconic films. There was one scene in particular that reminded me of 10 Things I Hate About You but I won’t spoil that for you.
Overall, I enjoyed this film. It’s worth a watch if you have the time to watch it.
Do Revenge is exclusively streaming on Netflix.
Director: Jennifer Kaytin Robinson
Cast: Camila Mendes, Maya Hawke, Rish Shah, Sophie Turner, Sarah Michelle Gellar
Producers: Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, Anthony Bregman, Peter Cron