Josie and the Pussycats MPAA Rating: PG-13 Entertainment: +3 Content: -1

Three teenage girls in the small town of Riverdale dream of acquiring fame and fortune as "The Pussycats" rock band. Josie (Rachael Leigh Cook), lead singer and guitarist, naive drummer Melody (Tara Reid) and savvy bass player Valerie (Rosario Dawson) have been best friends forever. It looks like their music will never be more than a source of ridicule until fate throws them into the clutches of ruthless promoter Wyatt Frame (Alan Cumming). He and his partner, Fiona (Parker Posey) of MegaRecords, manipulate teenagers into mass hysteria over music through subliminal messages buried in MegaRecords produced CDs. Searching for a new group to promote, Wyatt scoops up the gullible, flattered trio and flies them on a private jet to MegaRecords headquarters where they are groomed for mass media exposure and instant fame. Will fame overpower Josie, Melody and Val or will their motto, "friends first, band second" prevail? Based on the popular "Archie" cartoon from the early 70s, JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS is a fun, funny and lively experience for teenagers.

There's nothing subliminal about the messages teenage viewers will grasp. Like the heroines, they may wonder if they have to "like" certain music, clothes and fads to be popular. Josie, Melody and Val also learn the importance of friendship and being honest about who you are. Nevertheless, for all their wholesome attributes, these possible role models wear revealing, form-fitting clothes that leave little to viewers' imagination and, as a joke, a nude male briefly appears, covered by his guitar. The greedy, ruthless Fiona and Wyatt routinely find ways to "dispose" of troublesome musicians. In the opening scene, Wyatt and the pilot parachute from the company jet, abandoning an unsuspecting rock band that has become difficult to deal with. Val and Melody are threatened when Fiona's henchmen chase them with baseball bats, and Josie is brainwashed to turn her against her friends through a headset sending out subliminal messages. Interspersed throughout the dialogue are six obscenities, including two s-words, many crudities and a few sexually suggestive comments. JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS sabotages itself with not-so-subtle messages that wholesome behavior doesn't include modesty or inoffensive language.

Preview Reviewer: Mary Draughon
Distributor: Universal Pictures, 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City , CA 91608