Do Revenge

A tribute to 1980s and '90s teen movies. All of them.

The characters are constructs who are so aware of themselves as constructs (and the plot, too) that there's really no reason why we should feel for them, but we do, thanks to the lead performances, the direction, and the kidding/not kidding vibe of the entire production. [Brian Burgoyne](/cast-and-crew/brian-burgoyne) and editor [Lori Ball](/cast-and-crew/lori-ball) conspire with the director to keep the movie constantly winding its way forward while allowing for stylish grace notes, such as an Andersonian perfectly-symmetrical establishing shot or a voluptuous needle-drop that uses most—and in at least one case, all—of a song. ( [Sarah Michelle Gellar](/cast-and-crew/sarah-michelle-gellar), star of "Cruel Intentions" as well as "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," has a small role as the headmistress of Rosehill, who advises Drea to channel her anger rather than explode in rage, as she did while accusing Max of leaking the video.) It's as if a cross-dressing Shakespeare comedy had been outfitted with elements from " [Clueless](/reviews/clueless-1995)," " [10 Things I Hate About You](/reviews/10-things-i-hate-about-you-1999)," " [Election](/reviews/election-1999)," " [Rushmore](/reviews/rushmore-1999)," and " [Cruel Intentions](/reviews/cruel-intentions-1999)." The vengeance-driven friendship comedy "Do Revenge" is to the 1980s and '90s high school movie as the "Scream" series was to the post-"Halloween" slasher picture. Max also founds the Cis Hetero Men Championing Female Identifying Students League, an organization that brags about the "allyship" of its members but is mainly camouflage for Max and his bros to womanize without getting called out as misogynists.

Do Revenge,” Netflix's new high school revenge-swap dramedy starring Maya Hawke and Camilla Mendes, is a minefield of '90s teen movie references — from.

I watched ‘Stranger Things,’ so I knew her work, and when I heard she was already attached, it made me want to be part of the project that much more.” “So I didn’t want the story of Eleanor to be about her being outed; it’s what happened when she was outed.” “But, also, part of what makes actors actors is that they are people who are good at having chemistry with people,” she added. Bonded by their respective traumas and dread about the coming school year, the two eventually hatch a plan to “do revenge” for each other and get away with it. And, on top of that, the emotional depth of the movie — it’s a really beautiful story about healing your trauma.” In fact, the director moved the filming location to Atlanta so that both Hawke and Mendes were able to sign on. “It was really about staying true to the deliciousness of ‘Strangers on a Train,’ within this world that feels really candy-coated, saturated and fun.” In addition to “Strangers on a Train,” Highsmith is perhaps best known for writing “The Talented Mr. A nude video of her is leaked online and the most likely culprit is her boyfriend, Max (Austin Abrams of “Euphoria” fame), who wields significantly more power over the privileged student body than Drea, who attends the school on a scholarship. That’s when, friendless and in risk of losing her chance at Yale, she meets a new transfer, Eleanor, who unlike Drea is no stranger to being a social pariah. And even the soundtrack of pop songs and camera work, which includes montages of school cliques and aerial shots, pay homage to the ‘90s teen genre — as do its central storylines. “Do Revenge,” Netflix’s new high school revenge-swap dramedy starring Maya Hawke and Camila Mendes, is a minefield of ‘90s teen movie references — from cliques with coordinating outfits to makeover schemes and house parties where popularity is made and lost.

"Do Revenge" has all the makings of an attention-generating machine, combining a "Mean Girls" vibe with the stars of two popular teen franchises in Camila ...

She directs her anger at dreamy ex-boyfriend Max (Abrams), who leaked an explicit tape of her, while Hawke's Eleanor has nursed an old grudge against a girl who leveled a false accusation against her in the course of outing her. Mostly, it's a story of unlikely friendship, set against the backdrop of another private school where the parties make Roman bacchanals seem restrained and pale by comparison. Yet the plot (based on a script by Robinson and Celeste Ballard) doesn't pursue that enticing prospect with much conviction, which might explain why it runs out of steam down the stretch.

In Netflix's 'Do Revenge', Camila Mendes and Maya Hawke play scheming teens who dole out punishment to those who've wronged them.

[Maya Hawke](https://www.nme.com/features/tv-interviews/maya-hawke-interview-stranger-things-moss-album-music-3268377)), on the other hand, has a lot more experience being a social outcast. As soon as Buffy The Vampire Slayer herself cameos as the headteacher (Sarah Michelle Gellar), it’s clear Robinson has her eye on the past as much as the present, and Do Revenge’s ability to keep a foot in both generations is its greatest, campest, sharpest strength. Mendes and Hawke both do a great job of walking this line without tripping over into parody, but it’s the strength of Robinson’s script that earns the most credit. The pink pastel palette Kaytin Robinson uses makes it look like 1992, but the script’s sharp edges keep it modern. [Primark](https://www.primark.com/). Move over Mean Girls, the class of ’22 has a new prom queen.

'Riverdale' star Camila Mendes and 'Stranger Things' star Maya Hawke team up for Netflix's high school twist on 'Strangers on a Train,' from director ...

It was just like, “This is just a really cool project and I want to be in it, and like I don’t give a f— that I’m 26 playing in high school. I could see that you were running from a long day on “Stranger Things” to another long day on “Do Revenge,” then back to a long day on “Stranger Things.” The work she put in to both projects simultaneously was so impressive, and the fact that every time she showed up to work I didn’t see the exhaustion. It was a big undertaking and touched a lot of soft spaces in our hearts. Your temperament through all of that was so impressive, and not a lot of people can pull that off. The second I realized that this movie was going to be that, getting to work with amazing people who really care about it, it didn’t matter if I’d be playing a bush or a lamp post or a keychain. Like, “I just love too hard” or, “My tragic flaw is that I care too much!” I don’t think that’s the case with Drea and Eleanor. Every now and then someone has hurt my feelings, and the way they hurt my feelings, I had to be like, “Gosh, you’re so smart. You hurt my feelings in the exact way that my feelings can be hurt.” Sometimes someone does something to you that doesn’t look that bad on the surface, but really hits your soft spot ... And this is credit to Jenn’s writing and directing, to set up a scene where you have two characters you’ve been following and they both have a very strong opinion about what’s happened, and as an audience member, neither one is right and neither one is wrong. But when we’re in the scene of our own lives, we’re like, “No! “I had nothing but time and resources and I had my two co-stars with me and we were all just watching ‘Harry Potter’ movies all week,” she said. I feel like I’ve been Drea at low points in my life, where I’ve been vengeful or I’ve wanted to hurt somebody who hurt me, and I’ve felt motivated by those same dark desires.

If it's a dark, witty comedy you're after then Netflix's latest film release, Do Revenge, is one for you. Starring Maya Hawke and Camila Mendes as ...

Of course, there is a slight issue - thanks to the fact that Gabbi is Max's sister (with Max being the ex that betrayed Drea). If you need a recap, Netflix's official Do Revenge synopsis reads: "After a clandestine run-in, Drea (Alpha, fallen it girl) and Eleanor (beta, new alt girl) team up to go after each other’s tormentors. Starring [Maya Hawke](https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/entertainment/a40857244/maya-hawke-do-revenge-trailer-fan-reaction/) and Camila Mendes as polar-opposite high school students, the pair unite to seek revenge on the people that have done them wrong.

Director and cowriter Jennifer Kaytin Robinson takes us inside her candy-coated new Netflix film with images of fashion, bearded dragons, and Sophie Turner.

Do Revenge is a Hitchcockian-inspired dark comedy that follows teenagers Drea (Camila Mendes) and Eleanor (Maya Hawke) who form an unlikely friendship to ...

Grace also likes to explore new places with her friends and family and, of course, watch and read about the latest films and TV series. Grace is a digital writer with WhatToWatch.com, where she writes series guides for must-watch shows and the latest TV news. Ava Capri portrays Carissa, the keeper of the school garden and Eleanor's bully who started a vile rumor that made Eleanor a social pariah at school. She has also been in [Fear Street](https://www.whattowatch.com/watching-guides/fear-street-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-upcoming-netflix-trilogy), Mainstream, Little Women and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Rish recently appeared as Kamran in Ms. Austin Abrams portrays Max, Drea's boyfriend who leaks an intimate video of her to their. [Euphoria](https://www.whattowatch.com/watching-guides/euphoria-season-3-cast-and-everything-we-know), [Chemical Hearts](https://www.whattowatch.com/reviews/chemical-hearts-review-love-in-need-of-a-reaction), [Paper Towns](https://www.whattowatch.com/news/paper-towns-film-review-cara-delevingnes-puckish-charisma-is-perfect-for-teen-movies-enigmatic-rebel-309496), Brad's Status and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. [Age of Summer](https://www.whattowatch.com/events/age-summer-sky-cinema-premiere-13-august-2019), Edge of the World, Shattered Memories and Deliverance Creek. Marvel and has also starred in The Long Goodbye, Years and Years and To All the Boys: Always and Forever. [West Side Story](https://www.whattowatch.com/how-to/how-to-watch-west-side-story) and Master. [Riverdale](https://www.whattowatch.com/watching-guides/riverdale-season-6-plot-cast-and-everything-we-know) and has starred in Dangerous Lies, The Perfect Date and Palm Springs. Maya Hawke is an awkward and mysterious new student Eleanor, who is furious to discover that is has to go to school with her old bully, Carissa (Ava Capri) who started a horrible rumor that made her a social outcast.

Mendes isn't a stranger to teen drama, having starred on Riverdale as Veronica Lodge since 2017. Mendes made her feature film debut in the Canadian romantic ...

He’s also done some feature film work in projects like 2013’s Gangster Squad, the adaptation of John Green’s [Paper Towns](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/paper-towns-review-2/), and [Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/scary-stories-to-tell-in-the-dark-review/). If that wasn’t enough geek cache, Turner also starred as Jean Grey in [X-Men: Apocalypse](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/x-men-apocalypse-review-2/) and [Dark Phoenix](https://www.denofgeek.com/dark-phoenix/). [Sophie Turner](https://www.denofgeek.com/sophie-turner/) was playing in the movie under wraps, she was always listed as a member of the cast. After getting her start with a bit role on Parks and Rec, Capri starred in T@gged, a webseries on the internet TV station go90. This year, Capri has appeared in the coming-of-age drama When Time Got Louder, and she’ll star in the upcoming supernatural thriller Little Rituals. [Stranger Things](https://www.denofgeek.com/stranger-things/) for the last two seasons. [Riverdale](https://www.denofgeek.com/riverdale/) as Veronica Lodge since 2017. Prior to spending time in the fictional Hawkins, Indiana, Hawke got her start in a 2017 BBC adaptation of Little Women as Jo March. While most audiences know him from his role as Ethan, seemingly one of the only normal teens on HBO’s Euphoria, Abrams has a strong body of work under his belt. Ostracized and feeling shamed, Drea decides to get revenge on her ex with the help of new friend and fellow revenge-seeker, Eleanor. Mendes made her feature film debut in the Canadian romantic comedy-drama, The New Romantic, and has also appeared in Netflix’s The Perfect Date alongside Noah Centino. Youthful touchstones like Heathers, Cruel Intentions, and Mean Girls take the intensity of hormones and the cruelty of high school students, and mix them with snappy, era-appropriate dialogue and up-and-coming stars.

From a '10 Things I Hate About You'–inspired paintball date to a 'Cruel' cameo, here's a breakdown of teen movie Easter eggs hidden in plain sight.

Robinson Library, in honor of Do Revenge’s director and co-writer? “All three of us really immersed ourselves in all of these films,” she says. “I feel like coming back to them as a filmmaker, I was just really taken aback about how beautiful these films are.”

Olivia Rodrigo, Caroline Polachek and Billie Eilish are among the artists to feature in the soundtrack.

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Hairstylist Katie Ballard on the '90s-inspired aesthetic she crafted alongside the film's stars.

“It’s not a word that I used a lot until this film, but it’s basically just not a hair out of place,” says Ballard, who used “As I sat and chatted with Maya, the references that came up were actually her mom, Uma, and Taylor Swift,” says Ballard of what became “the most interesting part” of designing each character’s style. “If you picture a really slicked, high 40-inch pony, that’s the epitome of the ‘snatched’ look.” A long brunette version that matched her natural hair color during her “awkward” phase in the beginning, and a bright blonde that Ballard notes represents her “coming into her power.” Hawke and Ballard referenced the iconic Pulp Fiction bob that Uma Thurman wore for the latter, but this time in a Swift-level shade of blonde designed by wig artist Robert Miller-Navarre. Directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, Do Revenge reimagines the familiar thrill of a plot-driven makeover scene. In the dark comedy, Hawke plays Eleanor, a wealthy outcast who comes together with Mendes’s character Drea, an insider experiencing a fall from social grace, all at the expense of their prep school enemies.