Based on the comic-book characters first introduced in the "Archies" series, Josie, Val and Melody are three rockin' small town girls who want to taste big-time success on the pop charts; enter a nefarious (and comically ridiculous) talent scout named Wyatt Frame and soon the Pussycats are on their way. Watching this live-action version of the early-'70s animated Saturday morning TV series from Hanna-Barbera, I couldn't help wondering whether screenwriters Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont even saw the show or perhaps held it in such disdain that they avoided it completely. Their script is (more or less) a satirical comment on the teen-oriented pop music craze of 2001 (with "intentionally funny" product placements); however, the TV-counterpart was about the personalities involved, which in turn made the band's adventures on the road more engaging. This "Josie and The Pussycats" is trendy and fluffball-friendly (it really wowed them over at the Teen Choice Awards), with villains--the overacting Alan Cumming and Parker Posey--coming off like leftovers from "Hudson Hawk". True, Hanna-Barbera's version wasn't exactly wicked with wit, either, but at least it moved. Kaplan and Elfont, who also co-directed, can't get their picture off the ground, and many viewers won't make it through the final 15 minutes, which is torturous. *1/2 from ****
Review of Josie and the Pussycats
