by Saintmort Guilty Pleasures: Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion

This past January American Reunion was released. The film immediately forced me to come to terms with the fact that my 10 year reunion is only a year or so away (it also forced me to admit that I enjoyed some of the direct to DVD American Pie Movies). What I guess my biggest fear is that I won’t be interesting enough. Whenever I tell anyone this they also respond with “Just tell them you invented Post-it Notes”.

I feel bad even including this as a Guilt Pleasure. Most people who have seen it have liked it, it made enough money for a shitty Made-For-TV Prequel and it’s got a 69% freshness on Rotten Tomatoes. To be fair, I only really picked it because I do love this movie more than natural and I thought I could tie it in with the new movie Bachelorette (because you know it’s about people who were ridiculed in High school… okay I admit it, it’s a bit of a stretch).

When Romy and Michele hear about their 10 year reunion they’re extremely excited to see their old classmates. Since graduating the two have moved to Los Angeles where they’re both single and living a life full of parties and fun. Michele is unemployed while Romy is a cashier. In an act of desperation to put an end to their ‘nerdy’ high school background they decide to create a fake life for themselves as successful business women.

Their lie is that they invented Post-Its. Their ruse lasts only a brief period of time at the reunion. They remain being mocked by the same people that harassed them previously. However the people who truly appreciated them for the unique people that they are show them the love and respect they never had in High School. Former popular girl turned Vogue Magazine associate fashion editor praises the clothing Romy and Michele made themselves and with a loan from another successful classmate create their own clothing line.

Romy and Michele could have been a painful failure of a comedy. The characters could have been obnoxious and annoying but Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow made them adorable and likable. Furthermore Janeane Garofalo gives her funniest film performance ever has the miserable goth girl Heather Mooney (correction: Second best I almost forget Wet Hot American Summer existed).

The story of their redemption from High School losers to success is a touching one. The flashbacks to their high school days are genuinely heartbreaking. Even if we weren’t the one’s picked on like them, we saw the people who were like them.

The final message of the movie in my eyes is that you have to be true to yourself. While it’s nice that Romy and Michele end up having a successful clothing store. I’d have been just as happy if the film just ended with the two of them realizing that success isn’t how much money you made or the jobs you have but how happy you are with your own life.

I guess I got a little too preachy on this Guilty Pleasure didn’t I? Let me throw in some curses to bring it back to it’s normally low-brow caliber. Fuck Penis Shit Balls.