Josie and the Pussycats

'I'm a trend pimp!' exclaims a character in this double-think pop-rock comedy extravaganza, 'inspired' by the old Archies cartoon and directed with juvenile exuberance by writers Kaplan and Elfont. The character is offered by way of instructive contrast to the trio of grungy Riverdale heroines, high school friends Josie (Cook), Melody (Reid) and Valerie (Dawson), whose self-determined if overly wacky cultural and personal identity is threatened after their garage band is signed up by big-shot manager Wyatt (Cumming). Watch the classic dramatic parabola: make-overs, promos and instantaneous chart-topping success under their manipulative Mega Records boss (Posey); self-absorption, interband rivalry, fallouts and failure; and finally, hard-won reconciliation. Aaaaah, what a classic! And what an important, laudable message it could provide, too, for its target ten- to 20-year-old female market, if it weren't complete bollocks.