What do you get when you take one part classic teen comedy “Mean Girls,” two parts Alfred Hitchcock’s “Strangers on a Train,” add “Stranger Things” star Maya Hawke and “Riverdale” veteran Camila Mendes, sprinkle in a late 1990s soundtrack, and stir? You get Netflix’s “Do Revenge,” a fiercely fun comedic romp that’s packed with just enough nostalgia for the audiences who were around in 1999 while also being relatable to contemporary teens. Hawke stars as Eleanor, the new girl at the elite Rosehill Country Day High School, where she’s trying to escape a vile rumor started by a girl at her last high school.
Eleanor ends up meeting and teaming up with Drea (Mendes), who was Rosehill’s most popular mean girl until a revealing video she sent to her boyfriend Max (Austin Abrams) leaked online, and the two of them decide to carry out one another’s revenge schemes. It’s a great premise made even better by writer/director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson’s clear understanding and love of 1990s teen comedies and an absolutely stellar cast of young stars in roles that fit them perfectly. “Do Revenge” didn’t make a massive splash since it had a streaming debut and those can sometimes slip under the radar, but it has all of the makings of a future cult classic.
Read more: The 15 Best ‘So-Bad-It’s-Good’ Movies Of All Time
Maya Hawke is a teen movie superstar as Eleanor in Do Revenge
Maya Hawke as Eleanor and Camila Mendes as Drea dressed in snazzy outfits in Do Revenge – Kim Simms/Netflix
Doing “Strangers on a Train” as a comedy instead of a thriller is nothing new, as the fantastic 1987 Danny DeVito film “Throw Momma from the Train” did just that, with DeVito and Billy Crystal trading murder schemes. Of course, it’s not the basic premise that feels so deliciously fun; it’s the way “Do Revenge” approaches it with a fair bit of camp and just the right amount of self-awareness. Mendes and Hawke also have incredible onscreen chemistry, and their deep friendship (and mutual distrust) is tangible, though Hawke’s arc as Eleanor is really something. She starts the movie as an ungainly queer teen, but after Drea gives her a “She’s All That”-style makeover, she’s pure fashionista with noir film flair and a 1999 color palette. We get to watch her work through being uncomfortable in her new looks and surroundings to become a social climbing chameleon just like Drea, and it’s a total blast.
Hawke has shown fans just how great she can be in a retro teen story already, as she almost immediately became a fan favorite when she first debuted in season 3 of “Stranger Things”. In “Do Revenge,” however, she’s really allowed to shine, and it’s sure to be a delight for those who already love her as Robin. (Not only that, but “Game of Thrones” star Sophie Turner also delivers an incredible turn as another popular girl who ends up in Drea and Eleanor’s crosshairs, and she steals every single scene she’s in.)
“Do Revenge” almost didn’t get made with Hawke because of her “Stranger Things” schedule, but thankfully, it all worked out and Netflix released this funny, smart teen comedy that’s sure to only grow more popular with time.
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Read the original article on SlashFilm.
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