Josie and the Pussycats 2001

Critics score:
53 / 100

Reviews provided by RottenTomatoes

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: Gets a lot of mileage out of its spirited performers and their peppy music. Read more

Susan Stark, Detroit News: Has substance to match its sparkle, sassiness and, yes, volleys of girlish squealing. Read more

Tom Maurstad, Dallas Morning News: Makes high fun out of lowball entertainment. Read more

Peter Howell, Toronto Star: It's okay as far as it goes. Read more

Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune: Nothing more than a cutesy movie strapped with a bad and obvious idea: marketing gone amok. Read more

Elvis Mitchell, New York Times: Gruelingly self-referential, substituting sarcasm for irony. Read more

Lisa Alspector, Chicago Reader: This self-styled self-reflexive comedy asks the question, just how stupid are teenagers? Read more

David Edelstein, Slate: It's amazing that writer-directors Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont sustain this in-jokey screwball punk musical satire as long as they do. Read more

Bruce Westbrook, Houston Chronicle: A cautionary, almost sci-fi stab at how hollow our consumerist society can become. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: Give it this much: The movie's got bounce. Read more

Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail: Read more

Gene Seymour, Newsday: Juicy, fruity, cunningly subversive. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: What we have here are three boring actresses playing three boring characters in one boring movie. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: Josie and the Pussycats are not dumber than the Spice Girls, but they're as dumb as the Spice Girls, which is dumb enough. Read more

Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com: Girl-pop fans might find themselves drawn to their local record store in search of the soundtrack, no subliminal messages needed. Read more

Wesley Morris, San Francisco Chronicle: You feel the movie getting bogged down under its thesis, which is a half-baked conspiracy theory to begin with. Read more

Wally Hammond, Time Out: Aaaaah, what a classic! Read more

Susan Wloszczyna, USA Today: The concept is so hypocritical, it's like Britney Spears calling Christina Aguilera underdressed and overexposed. Read more

Joe Leydon, Variety: This is one sharp pussycat. Read more

Jane Dark, Village Voice: When on work release from the Von Trier festival, I like such cheap thrills. Read more

Rita Kempley, Washington Post: If this live-action adaptation of pop-cultural piffle isn't proof of moviedom's creative poverty, nothing is. Read more