‘Revenge now’: the teenage comedy that unites Hitchcock and ‘Clueless’

There is no doubt that Netflix has managed to make teen comedies one of its main pillars in terms of original film productions for its catalog. The last one is ‘Revenge Now’, directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinsonto which the platform has already relied on with another ‘teen’ proposal, ‘Someone special’, one of the most successful titles of the streaming service in 2019 and which turns Camila Mendes into a high school student.

‘Revenge now’ tries to continue a formula similar to “Crueles intentes”, “That’s love” or “Clueless (Out of wave)”, which must be inspired by a prestigious work to adapt it to the teenage world, something these titles have done with ‘Dangerous Liaisons’, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ or ‘Emma’ respectively. In this case, the film takes inspiration from “Strangers on a train”, popularly known for the film adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock and that was initially Patricia Highsmith’s acclaimed novel.

Naturally Robinson, who signs the screenplay with Celeste Ballard, brings her into the teenage universe with a proposal in which some nuances of the aforementioned ‘Clueless’ are seen, as well as the iconic ‘Mean Girls’. However, despite having so many good references, the final mix couldn’t be more predictable.

It’s more, It’s not in line with what is expected of a Netflix teen production, with a tremendously conventional plot that does not take advantage of the dark background it has, linked to the escape of a sex video that provokes the ostracism of its protagonist. It is assumed that the film also seeks to portray the institution’s classism, with a young Latina of humble origins who entered the elite on a scholarship. However, this argument could not have been more trivialized a proposal that also makes another big mistake: putting actors close to thirty to play tender teenagers.

Teen proposal for after dinner

Camila Mendes has amply shown that she has heroin material with a firecracker, plays Veronica Lodge in ‘Riverdale’. But ‘Revancha ya’ supposes, in a sense, a backward point for an interpreter who has taken on roles more appropriate to her age (and successfully) in her later works. Add to this Maya Hawke, who still currently defends a teenage role; but whose plot ends up being wasted, thanks to an ineffective resolution of the film’s plot, in which revenge ends up being lackluster, because it doesn’t even translate into a clear sense of justice.

“Revenge now” seems to be done on autopilot, as if it had a list of topics to include and crosses them as they were called. A flat production, with a wasted premise and awfully simple characters. A proposal made for the most coffee-loving teen comedies and that, even under that aspect, it is recommended to view it after dinner.

Note: 4

The best: Visually it has a certain charm.

Worse: Flat main characters, a cliche storyline, and a wasted premise.