Senior Year Review: Rebel Wilson’s Latest Takes a Poor Trip Down Memory Lane
Netflix’s newest coming-of-age movie Senior Year strives to be a funny throwback story of redemption but misses the mark on appealing to a multigenerational audience.
At first, the nostalgia of the film is promising. However, everything goes downhill when 17-year-old Stephanie (Angourie Rice) falls into a 20-year coma after a failed cheer stunt. The references to the early 2000s aren’t the good type of memories and come off as more offensive than funny.
Directed by Alex Hardcastle, Senior Year unsuccessfully demonstrates the nuances of being a high schooler.
The cheerleading parts at the beginning are a Walmart version of the beloved Bring it On movies and lack depth and originality. We’ve got the girl wanting to be popular, the uncool best friend in love with the main girl, as well as the mean girl, the jock, and one deceased parent that has been recycled all too many times before.
Senior Year‘s general concept is to portray the contrast between a millennial and Gen Z high school experience yet goes too deep into the stereotypical behaviors of the current generation.
It’s nice to see current topics being talked about in these types of movies, but it’s hard to be effective when all the issues are presented simultaneously instead of highlighting one or two specifically.
Rebel Wilson does play the spoiled selfish teenager/adult well, but not even her comedic style can save the tragedy that is this movie.
The other members cast as the adult versions of the characters are also a smart choice. Sam Richardson, Justin Hartley, and Mary Holland are laughable at times and have furthered their narratives in the 2022 climate whereas Wilson is struggling to fit in and develop.
With an almost two-hour runtime, there should be room for jokes to land and nostalgic moments to be appreciated, but the script fails enormously on flushing out the story and it contributes to the unsuccessful purpose.
One aspect that brings the joy of nostalgia is Wilson’s reenactment of Britney Spears’ music video for “You Drive Me Crazy.”
If anything will bring millennials and Gen Z together, it’s the legendary Britney Spears. The performance incorporates Wilson and the younger generation with a take on current and retro fashion trends, a great dance break, and a moment that delivers what Senior Year should be going for if it wasn’t so flat.
Netflix originals have the tendency to either succeed or flop, and the premise of Senior Year is promising but is ultimately nowhere near the excellency of films it’s been compared to, such as Never Been Kissed and Mean Girls.
By the end of the film, Stephanie does ultimately realize that winning prom queen and being popular isn’t everything, but it takes too long for her character to get that point. It is too drawn out, and instead of exploring her current life, she remains stuck in her “ideal” narrative.
There are several aspects that don’t work including the neglect of the current time period, the overbearing nature of the Gen Z tactics, the heavy reliance on recycled tropes and nostalgia, as well as the general try-hard feel of the plot.
The energy is high and may get a pass, but overall Senior Year fails tragically.
What did you think of this episode of Senior Year? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Senior Year is now airing on Netflix.
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Courtney Shapiro
Courtney is a New Jersey native who loves sitcoms, reality TV and dramas. When not talking about pop culture, she can be found catching up on the latest book. She graduated from NYU with a master's degree in journalism. Her favorite shows include New Girl, Gilmore Girls, and the Bachelor franchise.