“Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion” is a ’90s movie that I somehow missed seeing. Released in 1997 (one of my personal favorite years, FYI), it stars Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow as the titular characters—a pair of ditzy partying best friends who attend their ten year high school reunion in hopes of showing up the popular kids that made their teenage years so miserable.
The film is deserved of unintentional praise. The soundtrack alone covers the present day characters with several flashbacks to their 1987 graduation. We get a blending of two perfect eras with a ton of ’80s hits as well as ’90s—the opening credits alone have “No Doubt” playing over them. How can you go wrong? The movie feels like the illegitimate offspring of “Clueless” and “A Night at the Roxbury” as Romy and Michelle comically go clubbing, fuss over fashion, and carry about in their own private world.
Mira Sorvino is fantastic as Romy—pairing a perfectly LA styled airhead demeanor with an incomparable beauty. Her star was shining brightly in the late ’90s having appeared in films like “Mimic” and “The Replacement Killers.” Sorvini fits flawlessly beside Kudrow, who owned the world in 1997 with her character Phoebe in “Friends” who is quite comparable to the Michelle persona she dons here. Janeane Garafalo, another great Gneration Xer, adds humor in a supporting role.
Where “Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion” fails to meet the lofty standards of other greats of the time is the overall story. It’s comical to have these two women employing deceptive tactics as they seek revenge on their high school tormentors. The fact that they are incredibly beautiful seems to be missed as they try to secure dates and lie about their jobs. “Our cutoff is 25. Try VH1,” a young woman sneers at Romy as she attempts to enter the then popular MTV dating show “Singled Out.”
It’s a Buddy Comedy with two humorous but completely one-note women. You can predict what’s going to happen as you watch, and some of the jokes get repetitive as the 92 minute film moves along. Still, Romy and Michele have a great and at times, touching friendship.
“Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion” is fun. Despite its pitfalls, I was pleased that talks of a sequel are in the works. Its not the best ’90s movie by far, but one worth including in your film study of that amazing and nostalgic era.
