What happens when you cross “Mean Girls” with “Strangers on a Train?” That’s the question posited by Netflix’s latest, Do Revenge, which plays out less like a simple girl power comedy and more like if Steven Soderbergh directed “John Tucker Must Die.” While it appears like an innocent, albeit raunchy reflection on the female high school experience, this surprise hit turns out to have a lot of bite under its glossy finish.
Drea Torres (Camila Mendes, “Riverdale”) is her high school’s queen bee- that is, until her sex tape leaks to everyone in school and her boyfriend Max (Austin Abrams, “Euphoria”) may have been behind it. Drea’s perfect life unravels quickly, but when she meets the eclectic, shy Eleanor (Maya Hawke, “Stranger Things”), who has also experienced social destruction via her ex-girlfriend, the two hatch a plan to execute a perfect revenge on their respective wrongdoers- but both may be taking it too far.
Do Revenge starts innocently enough, immediately blasting Hayley Kiyoko’s “For the Girls” right out of the gate. It appears to act as a mission statement; after all, the film was directed and written by women and skewers what it’s like for women in high school. Drea is expected to be the perfect clique queen and she can’t ‘do revenge’ on Max without suffering harsher consequences than he ever would, as explained by the school’s headmaster, played by a big name cameo that shall remain nameless.
As it turns out, Drea and Eleanor’s titular revenge ends up blurring the lines between a simple good vs evil tale and a more darker story that feels more out of a Fincher film. Make no mistake, the plot has some big twists that you legitimately will not see coming and some subject matter may make viewers uncomfortable. Especially given that the majority of those involved are teenagers and even throughout the insanity that takes place, not one of their parents is ever shown onscreen.
That may scare people off, but the way that director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson presents everything makes it go down like an exhilarating thriller, complete with an editing style straight of “Ocean’s Eleven” and whip smart dialogue. Not to mention the already famous soundtrack, ranging from 90s hits from Third Eye Blind and Hole to modern female pop stars such as Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish and a memorable cover of “Kids in America” by rising star Maude Latour.
But what really elevates this to a must see is Maya Hawke. The daughter of Uma Thurman brings her mother’s energy to her performance here and is always enjoyable to watch as a result. She commands the screen and her character goes through a dramatic overhaul that is extremely tricky to pull off for any actress. Hawke makes it look easy and if she wasn’t a superstar before this, this film outta put her into legendary status.
Do Revenge sounds like a simple genre mashup, but like our heroines, there’s a lot more beneath the surface here. Fans of high school films will be surprised and fans of revenge thrillers will get a kick out of it, potentially exposing those fans to more genres. It’s certainly a memorable and unique ride that’ll have you talking and maybe thankful that your high school experience wasn’t nearly this bad… Right?
Do Revenge is now streaming on Netflix.