In a context of uncertainty and fluctuation regarding the opening of cinemas, the A posteriori le cinema series is an opportunity to celebrate the 7and art by revisiting key titles.
In high school, what group were you in? From that of popular students? Sportsmen ? “Bullets”? “Rejections”? It was to this caste often bullied by the first, or even the first two groups, that Romy and Michele belonged. In such a way that, ten years later, the time of the reunion has come, the two young women intend to impose on their former classmates… even if it means pretending to be something they are not. Released without fanfare 25 years ago, on April 25, 1997, the comedy Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion (Romy and Michele: the queens of the evening) has quickly become a genuine cult film, as evidenced by the delirious reception reserved for its stars, Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow, during their presentation at the gala of the Screen Actors Guild Awards last February.
In an essay published in 2021 by ColliderKeegan Tran maintains: “ [Le film] stands out from others in the genre due to its strong portrayal of the protagonists, presented as a pair of odd—but caring—blunderers whom audiences come to love due to their sympathetic motivations. This is particularly remarkable considering that throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, blonde women in film and television were portrayed as bimbos idiots with little or no personality, existing only to be ridiculed by the audience and other characters. »
Later, the author argues that the “delayed” success of the film paved the way for others, such as Legally Blond (Blonde and legal). To return to our heroines, we meet them when they share an apartment (and a room with twin beds!) in the Venice Beach district of Los Angeles. Romy and Michele have two passions: creating impossible outfits and clubbing. They complement and understand each other. Normal: they have been inseparable since adolescence. Moreover, they had a lot of it during this period, the whipping boy that they were of the vile Christie, leader of the clique of popular students.
But here comes the reunion night, and Romy and Michele are determined to make their former torturers jealous with their…their what, by the way? Faced with their lack of accomplishments, the two friends panic and devise a plan: they will pretend to have become rich businesswomen after inventing… post it. You read that right (you have to see them asking a waitress about a hypothetical “business woman” menu).
A long gestation
Carried by retro music with a strong feminine content (Cyndi Lauper, Belinda Carlisle, Bananarama, The Go-Go’s), Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion was directed by David Mirkin, a comedy veteran who started as a scribe on the sitcom Three’s Company (live together). The film is based, however, first and foremost on a tasty script by Robin Schiff full of memorable lines and populated by colorful secondary characters, such as Heather, the badly bawled goth (brilliantly played by Janeane Garofalo).
In this case, the author imagined an embryonic version of Romy and Michele in a 1990 play which gave the future star of Friends (1994-2004) Lisa Kudrow her very first role.
After an unsuccessful attempt to adapt the play into a television series, Schiff transformed the material and drew from it a scenario revolving around, in the present, the famous reunions, and, in the past, the intimidation which the heroines faced with an irrepressible bonhomie.
In this regard, the playwright and screenwriter revealed to Vanity Fairon the occasion of the 20and anniversary of the film, being inspired by her relationship with her own best friend for the both hilarious and raw side exhibited by Romy and Michele. “One day we were stuck in a plane on the tarmac and we started reading the catalog sky mall and pissing with laughter. She was the kind of friend you wanted to spend time with — even stuck in a plane on the tarmac, you could still have fun [avec elle]. »
Luckily, the Touchstone Pictures studio, owned by Disney, was then looking for something that could be akin to a female version of Wayne’s World, whose two opuses (1992-1993) were a hit with competitor Paramount. If the green light was quickly given, however, it is largely thanks to the sudden popularity of Lisa Kudrow, who remained attached to the film for the role of Michele, the more naive of the two friends.
To embody Romy, the alpha of the duo, the production approached Mira Sorvino, who had just won an Oscar for Mighty Aphrodite (Cursed Aphrodite). The actress loved the script and, going against the opinion of her agent who considered the story frivolous and vulgar, embarked on the adventure.
“I felt so challenged by these characters, because I myself was a nerd absolutely at school. I was totally unpopular and I had my two best friends, and it was us against the world. I felt connected to [Romy et à Michele], and I loved the spirit of the film; this celebration of friendship and being unique, ”recalls Mira Sorvino in a 2020 interview with the magazine vulnerability.
In the article in question, the star describes a special screening of the film where she accompanied the screenwriter, and where the delighted audience knew all the lines by heart, including Romy’s final monologue during which she removes Christie’s power to bully, Michele and her. Interesting fact: this particularly gratifying passage for anyone who has already suffered bullying is the work of the actress herself.
I felt so challenged by these characters, because I was an absolute “nerd” at school myself.
“I thought we needed a little more validation for our heroines, and I asked Robin Schiff if there couldn’t be a time when the ‘bad guys’ get their due; together, so we wrote the passage with “We don’t give a flying fuck what you think”. It wasn’t there originally. I felt very strongly that they couldn’t be just two idiots—they had to have a moment when they were real and strong and brave—and Robin was all for that. »
Parallels behind the scenes
In light of this anecdote, it is impossible not to think of the executioner, even more monstrous – and very real this one – with whom Mira Sorvino was struggling at the time of filming: the infamous Harvey Weinstein. For the record, the actress was one of the first to publicly accuse the fallen producer of crimes of a sexual nature.
always in vulnerabilityshe confides: “In fact, I thought that it would end my career for good and that I would never work again. […] Surprisingly, [l’entretien avec Ronan Farrow] gave people a new view of me and my potential. They understood that if my career had stalled, it wasn’t necessarily because of me. I had been blacklisted. […] I haven’t been in a studio movie for a decade and a half. »
Thus, Romy’s resilience and determination were not played, they were lived. On a lighter note, the film serves as a comedic yet wise reminder that there’s only one person you should be looking to wow: yourself.
The film Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion is in VOD on Disney+ and on most platforms.