Do Revenge Review: ‘A Simple Favor’ Goes Revengeful In This ’90s Throwback Fest
Do Revenge, directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson and released on Netflix on September 16, 2022, is a new film that will appeal to Generation Z. Camila Mendes and Maya Hawke shine as spellbinding “revenge moms” in this revenge story by teenagers. The film is billed as a “black comedy”.
Mendes’ character, Drea, has a “perfectly organized” high school life, which puts her on the map as a prized member of their private school’s IT group. Her life is turned upside down when her boyfriend Max (Austin Abrams) shows her nude video at school. Asked about the leak, he says he didn’t. Drea then punches him in the face. This punch is what makes the fake “awake ally” and her high status at school draw Drea’s “friends” to her side, leaving her alone and dealing with the trauma of having her social life cut off.
After this very public act of aggression, Drea is punished, bringing her closer to Maya Hawke’s character Eleanor, who was also wronged by a girl when they were younger and at camp. In the end, the two form a likely alliance which later turns into an unlikely friendship. They did it to get revenge on each other’s behalf, but it also led to a friendship they never expected.
The official synopsis of the film on Netflix says:
In this dark and glitzy comedy, two teenagers from an elite private high school work together to get rid of each other’s enemies.
Do a revenge exam
Do Revenge is much more colorful than one of Netflix’s other new movies, Heartbreak High, but it has a similar style. As always, music by Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo brings this teen movie full circle. At this point, you can’t get the full picture of a teenager’s journey to revenge without reading Rodrigo’s Brutal.
There are references to later and older works of the same genre that help build Do Revenge’s plan. Mendes’ character is a lot like Maddy Perez from Euphoria. Like Perez, Mendes’ character is a woman of color who isn’t the typical wealthy high school queen. You can also point out how similar it is to movies like Heathers and Mean Girls. Alicia Silverstone’s 1995 Clueless vision is also used in Hawke’s makeover montage of the socially awkward new girl. This was done by the girl who was the social queen.
By bringing up these archetypal titles, the point is to show that the new Netflix movie tends to follow many key elements of this genre, such as adding romantic subplots even if they are not wanted. There is a clear social hierarchy in high school, with different groups called “cliques” and the less popular kids eating up the popular kids. Abrams’ It boy takes the place of the famous It girl, which is a major difference. This decision tends to emphasize the film’s limiting brotherhood, which works in weird ways only for the main characters.
The pastel uniforms are a big reason the movie looks so cute. But the director plays with it a bit. Blake Lively adds a Simple Favor flair to the film, which may or may not have been predictable, but which, at least in a teenage sense, is very Hitchcockian after the first half. While it may not be foreshadowing, Mendes’ uniform color change is very important to the story. Her debut outfit, all green and revenge-focused, contrasts with Hawke’s character, who wears a delicate lilac outfit. The director did a very smart and quick thing when she decided to change those color themes at the end.
Going back to the film’s setup, there aren’t many adults on screen, but there are plenty of teenagers. The Mean Spirits Sarah Michelle Gellar is the only one to return to the films of the 1990s. Even if the actors who play the other characters are brilliant, they are only pawns in the game of the main characters and in the plot of the film. One would think that the famous Sophie Turner also has a role in the film. His presence seems like something that has to be there that doesn’t make sense. No one is important enough or has anything to add to Mendes and Hawke’s partnership besides being fillers.
Finally, there are the love stories. They are the thing in the movie that nobody wants. Even with all the extras, the romantic resolution at the end falls back on the common idea of a happy ending in the 1990s and 2000s, which is that the main characters find their (romantic) better half.
Do a revenge exam
Should we watch Revenge?
Some of the biggest things about Do Revenge that don’t seem to work are the social commentary on the “false awakening”, which feels like an afterthought in the movie, and Abrams’ antagonist, which doesn’t seem to work. attract enough attention. Throughout the film, the two main characters plan how they will get revenge on him, but when they do, it just doesn’t seem like enough. There’s no main villain, but maybe that’s the point in a teenage world where no one is black and white and you can’t find either a true friend or a larger-than-life enemy. .
Ultimately, the ending is as satisfying as it should be, at least for Mendes and Hawke’s joint revenge party. Camila Mendes and Maya Hawke’s performances are the other reason you should see this film, besides the fact that it’s a fun trip down memory lane. Their energies bounce and explode on screen, making the journey even more exciting to watch. So I think you should watch it just for them. If you pay attention to these “two wounded soldiers on the battlefield of adolescence” and their fake Shakespearean monologues, the film will do its magic on you. Crazy friends who are kindred spirits for the win.
You can now watch Do Revenge on Netflix.
