Storyline
Revenge casts aside these low, outdated industry standards and even manages to poke fun at appropriately competing ideas about gender differences and patriarchy with a fresh – if slightly dark – twist.
Another good movie in a similar tone that you should check out is Honor Society starring Angory Rice. Many parts of Do Revenge reminded me of this, although the two projects take different paths. Revenge revolves around the ironic friendship that develops between two girls burning with the fever of revenge.
Drea (Camilla Mendes) is perfect. He couldn't have written a better slander story for himself. But it all comes crashing down when his ex (he wasn't 'ex' before) leaks the "private video" he sent her.
He punches Max (Austin Abrams), who has a big deal with a rich dad in front of the whole school, and gets suspended. After the tennis camp, community service awaits Drea during the winter months. At camp, he meets the mostly reserved, straight-talking Eleanor (Maya Hawke), who joins Drea's Rosehill school in a few months.
They start talking and discover that each of them has a fresh wound in their heart. They want revenge and decide to help each other by taking out the other's respective target.
A true friendship blossoms, but a dark secret from the past looms like a heavy cloud, bringing everything into perspective for Drea. First things first. This is its main USP, something most of its peers lack at all.
Neither narrative is one-dimensional nor predictable, but the characters also have great personalities. They are well fleshed and developed to an end. In the plot itself, a lot of attention is paid to its neatly arranged arches.
Hearing them speak is emotionally engaging because the dialogue isn't generic and tacky. Most of them are adapted to the texture. Their problems are revealed only after much investigation and not without needing to be revealed.
They also have great chemistry between them. Drea and Eleanor is so much fun to listen to sometimes that you'll want to rewind the seconds and go at it again.
Even as rivals, they flourish and manage to bring an intimidating energy that's effective without feeling like a jarring diversion. Maya Hawke also has an effective exchange with Austin Abram, although at times it seems too real to a fault. And once you nail the characters, the rest becomes easy because they are the ones who guide you forward.
For all the changes it makes from the usual teen movie formula, Do Revenge never loses the fun vibe that makes these genre movies so easy to watch. It's still a film about two teenage girls trying to find their way in life and struggling to control their emotions.
One of the great things the writers avoid is giving him a mid-life cycle. There have been countless projects in the past that have taken refuge in this archetype of alliance, giving the appearance of sincerity. Do Revenge sets out on its own path from the start and draws the line all the way to the end.
Performances
The performance of the ensemble is largely comprehensive. The screenplay sets its priorities admirably, and director Jennifer Robinson uses her resources accordingly.
Thematically, some misguided feminist undertones are annoying. Their presence comes from a commitment the film is unwilling to make. The thought process was probably to use it to make the story more inclusive and multi-dimensional and to appease certain groups of viewers. The unnecessary love angle between Drea and Russ (Rish Shah, recently featured in Disney's Ms. Marvel) took up valuable time that could have been better spent.
One unfinished thread was the unexplored relationship between Eleanor and Gabby (Talia Ryder from Never Rarely Sometimes Always), which could have been something special. For someone as talented as Ryder, the lack of screen time was disappointing.
There is a perfect synchronization between all the departments that gives us a final product worth remembering and perhaps revisiting. Even without the Shyamalan twist in Do Revenge, the story wouldn't need saving.
It would still go down as a bittersweet epic between two formidable friends and foes. Camilla Mendez and Maya Hawke lead the pack with genuine turns, understanding their characters very well.
Resisting the slide into weirdness, Do Revenge offers a clever modern spin on Hitchcock's old classic idea of two strangers meeting and taking themselves on an open road trip, all the while making himself a clever contender for popular choice awards.
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