Romy and Michele's High School Reunion

Romy and Michele's High School Reunion is a 1997 American comedy film directed by David Mirkin and starring Lisa Kudrow, Mira Sorvino, Janeane Garofalo, Camryn Manheim and Alan Cumming. The plot revolves around two 28-year-old women who appear to have not achieved much success in life, and decide to invent fake careers to impress former classmates at their ten-year high school reunion. The characters are taken from the stage play Ladies Room, which also featured Kudrow.

Romy and Michele's
High School Reunion
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDavid Mirkin
Produced byLaurence Mark
Screenplay byRobin Schiff
Based onLadies Room
by Robin Schiff
Starring
Music bySteve Bartek
CinematographyReynaldo Villalobos
Edited byDavid Finfer
Production
company
Distributed byBuena Vista Pictures
Release date
  • April 25, 1997 (1997-04-25)
Running time
92 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$29.2 million

Plot

Romy White and Michele Weinberger (Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow) live together in Los Angeles, California. Romy works as a cashier at a car dealership and Michele is unemployed. They are single, unambitious, and enjoy a casual lifestyle. Romy encounters former high school classmate, Heather Mooney (Janeane Garofalo), who informs Romy about their upcoming ten-year high school reunion in Tucson, Arizona.

Romy realizes their lack of achievements will not make a good impression at the reunion. Desperate to impress their former classmates, Romy and Michele make last-ditch attempts to improve themselves, hoping to avoid being bullied again.

As high school students in 1987, they were picked on by the "A-Group", led by cheerleader Christie Masters (Julia Campbell), who humiliates them repeatedly. Finally, at the prom, Christie tricks Romy into believing that her boyfriend Billy Christensen (Vincent Ventresca) was in love with Romy, and had dumped Christie to be with Romy. Romy waits all night to dance with Billy, who had already left with Christie. Michele dances with her instead.

Having failed to secure jobs and boyfriends, Romy and Michele decide to fake success by showing up in an expensive car and business suits. Romy borrows a nice car from her workplace, and Michele makes their outfits. En route to the reunion, they decide to claim to have invented Post-it notes, believing no one will know better. They argue over the details of their lie, which escalates into an argument about their friendship. They decide to go their separate ways once they reach the reunion.

At the reunion, Michele hears Romy claiming she invented Post-its by herself. Michele convinces the A-Group she invented a special kind of glue. Sandy Frink (Alan Cumming), the nerd who had a crush on Michele in high school, has become wealthy and attractive since high school, and hits on Michele. Billy and Romy reunite and hit it off. Both Romy and Michele win awards as the "Most Changed For the Better" members of their graduating class, but still refuse to speak with each other. Seventy years later, an elderly Michele learns Romy is on her deathbed, and calls her to make amends. However, they rehash the same argument and Romy dies without resolving their issues.

Michele wakes up alone in the car, realizing she was dreaming. At the reunion, Romy has begun to spread the Post-it story, but Heather Mooney spoils the lie by revealing the real inventor's name. Christie and her friends taunt Romy and Michele ineptly defends her. Romy runs out, and Michele chases after her. They reconcile and decide to have fun as themselves instead of trying to impress other people. They change into brightly colored homemade outfits and return to the reunion.

They confront Christie, who makes fun of their clothes. Former A-Group girl Lisa Luder (Elaine Hendrix), now a fashion editor, announces that the outfits are actually "not bad". Christie verbally attacks Lisa, who coolly dismisses her. The other A-Group girls abandon Christie, while everyone else congratulates Romy and Michele. Heather apologizes to Romy and Michele and admits she was miserable in high school because she was in love with Sandy, who was in love with Michele. Romy and Michele comfort her by reminding her that she was always successful at making classmate Toby Walters (Camryn Manheim) miserable.

Sandy Frink, who turns out to be an actual billionaire, arrives via helicopter. He confesses that he still loves Michele and asks her to dance with him. Michele agrees, as long as Romy can dance with them too. After their interpretive dance to Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" receives huge applause, Sandy escorts them to his helicopter. On their way out, they encounter Billy Christensen. Once a fit and handsome athlete, he is now an overweight alcoholic with a dead-end job and an unhappy marriage to Christie. He hits on Romy, who tells him to wait in his hotel room for her, who then leaves the reunion with Michele and Sandy in his helicopter saying “now he’ll know what it feels like to wait!.” As the helicopter flies off, the guests at the reunion come to see them off. Christie is screaming asking where Billy is and her dress flies above her head from the air of the helicopter.

Six months later, back in Los Angeles, Romy and Michele use money loaned to them by Sandy to open a successful fashion boutique.

Cast

Reception

The film was positively received by critics. It maintains a 73% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 59 reviews (43 fresh and 16 rotten) with an average rating of 6.19/10. Its consensus reads: "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion has an admittedly slight premise, but it's elevated by ample heart, an infectiously playful spirit, and the buoyant chemistry of Lisa Kudrow and Mira Sorvino."[1] It opened at number two in the North American box office, making $7.4 million in its opening weekend behind Volcano. It grossed a total of $29 million in North America.[2]

Television pilot and prequel

An earlier incarnation of the Romy and Michele characters appeared in a sitcom pilot entitled Just Temporary. Based on the stage play Ladies Room, the pilot was written by the play's author, Robin Schiff. Both Lisa Kudrow and Christie Mellor reprised their roles from the play for the pilot. Although the show was not picked up for the fall schedule, NBC did air the pilot on September 1, 1999.

A prequel television film, Romy and Michele: In the Beginning, premiered May 30, 2005, on ABC Family.

A musical adaptation premiered at the 5th Avenue Theater in Seattle, Washington in Summer 2017. Romy and Michele's High School Reunion.

Soundtrack

Romy and Michele's High school Reunion:
"Original Soundtrack" /
"More Music from the Motion Picture"
Soundtrack album by
Various artists
ReleasedApril 15, 1997 (1997-04-15) (album 1)
August 19, 1997 (1997-08-19) (album 2)
November 18, 1997 (1997-11-18) (Double Features re-release)
GenreAlternative pop/rock, alternative indie rock, club/dance, contemporary pop/rock, dance-pop, new wave, punk, synth pop
Length39:14 (album 1)
47:08 (album 2)
86:22 (Double Features re-release)
LabelHollywood Records
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic (first album)[3]
Allmusic (second album)[4]
Discogs (first album)[5]
Discogs (second album)[6]

Two soundtrack albums featuring music from Romy and Michele's High School Reunion were released in 1997 courtesy of Hollywood Records. The first album, titled "Original Soundtrack", was made available ten days before the official North American film release, while the second album, "More Music From the Motion Picture", was released four months later. Due to copyright issues, several songs which featured in the film, did not appear on either soundtrack album; songs omitted include the film's opening song "Just a Girl" by No Doubt, "Y.M.C.A." by Village People, "Addicted to Love" by Robert Palmer, "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper, "Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)" by Sub Sub, featuring Melanie Williams, "Footloose" by Kenny Loggins, "Hello Trouble" by The Desert Rose Band, "Don't Get Me Wrong" by The Pretenders and "Have a Good Time" by Talawah Crew. Both albums were reissued as a 2CD set as part of the Double Features series.

Original Soundtrack
No.TitleWriter(s)Performer(s)Length
1."Our Lips Are Sealed"Terry Hall, Jane WiedlinThe Go-Go's2:45
2."Venus"Robbie van LeeuwenBananarama3:39
3."(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me"Burt Bacharach, Hal DavidNaked Eyes3:41
4."Dance Hall Days"Darren Costin, Nick Feldman, Jack HuesWang Chung3:58
5."Turning Japanese"David FentonThe Vapors3:44
6."Blood and Roses"Pat DiNizioThe Smithereens3:36
7."Karma Chameleon"George O'Dowd, Jon Moss, Mikey Craig, Roy Hay, Phil PickettCulture Club4:12
8."I Want Candy"Bert Berns, Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein, Richard GottehrerBow Wow Wow2:46
9."Everybody Wants to Rule the World"Roland Orzabal, Ian Stanley, Chris HughesTears for Fears4:12
10."Heaven Is a Place on Earth"Rick Nowels, Ellen ShipleyBelinda Carlisle4:11
11."We Got the Beat"Charlotte CaffeyThe Go-Go's2:30
More Music from the Motion Picture
No.TitleWriter(s)Performer(s)Length
1."Everybody Have Fun Tonight"Nick Feldman, Jack Hues, Peter WolfWang Chung4:44
2."Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)"Moon MartinRobert Palmer3:11
3."Whip It"Gerald Casale, Mark MothersbaughDevo2:38
4."Stayin' Alive"Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb, Dale Longworth, Kevin O'Toole, Ricardo LytheN-Trance4:02
5."She Blinded Me with Science"Thomas Dolby, Jo KerrThomas Dolby5:08
6."Cruel Summer"Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Steve Jolley, Tony Swain, Keren WoodwardBananarama3:29
7."No One Is to Blame"Howard JonesHoward Jones4:11
8."Steppin' Out"Joe JacksonJoe Jackson4:19
9."You Keep Me Hangin' On"Holland-Dozier-HollandKim Wilde4:15
10."I Think We're Alone Now"Ritchie CordellTiffany Darwish3:47
11."Be My Lover"Melanie Thornton, Uli Brenner, Gerd Amir Saraf, Lane McCrayLa Bouche4:00
12."Together Forever"Stock Aitken WatermanRick Astley3:24
Romy and Michele's High School Reunion – Double Features reissue
No.TitleWriter(s)Performer(s)Length
1."Our Lips Are Sealed"Terry Hall, Jane WiedlinThe Go-Go's2:45
2."Venus"Robbie van LeeuwenBananarama3:39
3."(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me"Burt Bacharach, Hal DavidNaked Eyes3:41
4."Dance Hall Days"Darren Costin, Nick Feldman, Jack HuesWang Chung3:58
5."Turning Japanese"David FentonThe Vapors3:44
6."Blood and Roses"Pat DiNizioThe Smithereens3:36
7."Karma Chameleon"George O'Dowd, Jon Moss, Mikey Craig, Roy Hay, Phil PickettCulture Club4:12
8."I Want Candy"Bert Berns, Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein, Richard GottehrerBow Wow Wow2:46
9."Everybody Wants to Rule the World"Roland Orzabal, Ian Stanley, Chris HughesTears for Fears4:12
10."Heaven Is a Place on Earth"Rick Nowels, Ellen ShipleyBelinda Carlisle4:11
11."We Got the Beat"Charlotte CaffeyThe Go-Go's2:30
12."Everybody Have Fun Tonight"Nick Feldman, Jack Hues, Peter WolfWang Chung4:44
13."Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)"Moon MartinRobert Palmer3:11
14."Whip It"Gerald Casale, Mark MothersbaughDevo2:38
15."Stayin' Alive"Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb, Dale Longworth, Kevin O'Toole, Ricardo LytheN-Trance4:02
16."She Blinded Me with Science"Thomas Dolby, Jo KerrThomas Dolby5:08
17."Cruel Summer"Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Steve Jolley, Tony Swain, Keren WoodwardBananarama3:29
18."No One Is to Blame"Howard JonesHoward Jones4:11
19."Steppin' Out"Joe JacksonJoe Jackson4:19
20."You Keep Me Hangin' On"Holland-Dozier-HollandKim Wilde4:15
21."I Think We're Alone Now"Ritchie CordellTiffany Darwish3:47
22."Be My Lover"Melanie Thornton, Uli Brenner, Gerd Amir Saraf, Lane McCrayLa Bouche4:00
23."Together Forever"Stock Aitken WatermanRick Astley3:24

See also

References

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