| Romy and Michele's High School Reunion | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | David Mirkin |
| Screenplay by | Robin Schiff |
| Based on | Ladies Room by Robin Schiff |
| Produced by | Laurence Mark |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Reynaldo Villalobos |
| Edited by | David Finfer |
| Music by | Steve Bartek |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures Distribution |
Release date |
|
Running time | 92 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $20 million[2] |
| Box office | $29.2 million[3] |
Romy and Michele's High School Reunion is a 1997 Americancomedy film directed byDavid Mirkin and written byRobin Schiff, based on characters from her playLadies Room. The film starsMira Sorvino andLisa Kudrow as two 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.
Upon its theatrical release on April 25, 1997,Romy and Michele received positive reviews from critics and grossed $29.2 million on a $20 million budget. Over the years since it has come to be considered acult classic.[4][5]
As high school students inTucson, Arizona in 1987, Romy White and Michele Weinberger are continually bullied by the "A-Group," a small group of popular, yet mean, girls, led by cheerleader Christie Masters, who humiliates them repeatedly. Romy also has a crush on Christie’s boyfriend, athlete Billy Christianson. Their classmate Heather Mooney is in love with a geek named Sandy Frink, but Sandy has a crush on Michele. Finally, at the prom, Romy asks Billy to dance with her. He agrees, but he and Christie trick the girls into thinking he has dumped Christie to be with Romy. Romy waits all night to dance with him, but he has already left with Christie. Michele dances with Romy instead.
Ten years later, Romy and Michele live together in an apartment inLos Angeles,California. Romy works as a cashier in the service department at aJaguar dealership and Michele is unemployed. They are single, unambitious, and enjoy a casual lifestyle consisting mostly of dancing at nightclubs, eating junkfood, and making fun of movies together. At work one day, Romy encounters Heather, who is now a successful businesswoman. Heather informs her about their upcoming ten-year high school reunion.
Romy realizes that their lack of achievements will not make a good impression at the reunion. Failing at their last-ditch attempts to improve themselves, they decide to fake success by showing up in an expensive car and business suits. Romy borrows a Jaguar from a co-worker, and Michele makes their outfits. On route to the reunion, they decide to claim that they invented thePost-it note, believing that no one will know better. A confrontation over the details of their lie escalates into a fight about their friendship, and they decide to part ways once they reach the reunion.
When they arrive at the reunion, Romy leaves Michele asleep in the car, and Michele dreams that she and Romy each separately claim to reunion attendees to have invented Post-its without the help of the other. She begins a romance with Sandy, who is now wealthy and attractive, and Romy gets together with Billy. The two refuse to speak to each other for decades until Romy is on her deathbed; Michele calls her to make amends, but they rehash old arguments and the dream ends with Romy's death.
Michele wakes up and enters the real reunion. The A-group are all pregnant, and Christie is married to Billy and has two children already. Romy starts to tell the Post-it story, but Heather arrives and unintentionally reveals the lie by telling everyone thereal inventor's name. Christie and her friends taunt Romy, who runs out of the room. Michele comforts her and the pair reconcile, deciding to be themselves instead of trying to impress others. They change into brightly colored homemade outfits and return to the reunion.
Christie makes fun of their clothes, but Lisa Luder, a former A-group girl who is now a fashion editor forVogue, approves of the outfits; Lisa coolly dismisses Christie's objections and the rest of the A-group women abandon her.
Sandy, now wealthy and successful, 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. Their dance receives huge applause, and Sandy escorts them to his helicopter. On their way out, they encounter Billy, who is unhappy in his marriage to Christie and boorishly hits on Romy. As turnabout for the trick he and Christie played on her at their prom, she convinces him to return to his hotel room to wait for her, but instead leaves the reunion with Michele and Sandy in the latter's helicopter.
Six months later, back in Los Angeles, Romy and Michele have opened a successful fashion boutique with their homemade designs using money borrowed from Sandy.
The Romy and Michele characters first appeared in the 1988 stage playLadies Room, which was written byRobin Schiff. Schiff was in the comedy troupeThe Groundlings withLisa Kudrow, who starred in the play as Michele opposite Christie Mellor as Romy.[2] Schiff said her inspirations for the characters of Romy and Michele "were loosely based, just visually, on these girls I used to see going into a club onSunset Blvd. You'd see these two friends, and they looked like they got dressed together and were wearing different versions of the same thing."[2]
Ladies Room was then adapted into apilot for a sitcom calledJust Temporary, with Kudrow and Mellor reprising their roles, but the pilot was not picked up to series.[2][6] Around this time, film executives at the Disney subsidiaryTouchstone came across Schiff's play while "looking for a 'female version ofWayne's World".[2] Schiff was initially reluctant to adapt the play into a film, thinking some scenes would not transfer well to a movie. After Schiff pondered about what it might be like if Romy and Michele were invited to their high school reunion ("…And it wasn't until they fill out the questionnaire when they realize their lives hadn't amounted to anything. That seemed funny to me") Schiff began work on the script, which she would spend the next five years developing.[2] Schiff based the characters' friendship partly on her relationship with her best friend. "One day we were stuck on a plane on a tarmac, and started reading theSky Mall catalog and laughing our asses off. That was the kind of friend you want to hang out with—that even stuck on a plane on the tarmac you can still have fun."[2]
Kudrow's rising stardom from the showFriends played a part in the film successfully getting through the development stage.[2] Australian actressToni Collette was a strong contender for the role of Romy and met with directorDavid Mirkin.[7] The studio offered the role toMira Sorvino, who at that point was about to win aBest Supporting Actress Oscar for the filmMighty Aphrodite.[7] Said Mirkin, "It was definitely a long shot, but I heard she wanted to meet so we had lunch, and I instantly knew that she could do it. Romy and Michele were conceived as one tall and one short, but I loved the idea of Lisa and Mira playing this idiot blonde power couple."[7]
Filming took place between April and June 1996 in Los Angeles.[8][9][10] Exterior shots of Romy and Michele's fictional Sagebrush High School were filmed atValencia High School inSanta Clarita.[11] $240,000 of the film's $20 million budget was spent on securing the licensing rights for the song “Time After Time” byCyndi Lauper.[2]Mona May, who served as the costume designer forClueless, provided the film's outfits.[12]
Touchstone initially found David Mirkin's final cut of the film to be too quirky and wanted to sweeten the tone, but Mirkin insisted on keeping the edgier tone.[13][14]
In the United States, it was released in April 1997, the same month asGrosse Pointe Blank, another1980s-themed high school reunion film that Disney was involved with.[15][16]
In Australia,Romy and Michele's High School Reunion opened in June 1997,[17] while in the United Kingdom it opened in August 1997.[18]
The film opened at number two in the North American box office, making $7.4 million in its opening weekend, finishing behindVolcano. It grossed a total of $29 million in North America.[3]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 75% of 65 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The website's 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."[19] OnMetacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 60 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[20] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C" on an A+ to F scale.[21]
Roger Ebert gave the film three out of four stars, declaring, "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion, written by Robin Schiff (based on her play) and directed byDavid Mirkin, is one of the brightest and goofiest comedies in a while, a film that has a share of truth, but isn't afraid to cut loose with the weirdest choreography I have seen outside a 1960s revival."[22]
Janet Maslin ofThe New York Times wrote the "candy-coloredRomy and Michele's High School Reunion [is] cheerful, giddy fun" and praised the two female leads, saying "Ms. Kudrow and Ms. Sorvino make a fine team, elevating bubble-headedness to new levels of comic ingenuity."[23] Jack Mathews of theLos Angeles Times said "beneath the endless silliness of the movie beats a real heart, and its theme of loyal friendship keeps propping it up every time the thin walls of the story seem about to collapse."[24] Mathews also praised "the dead-pan performances of Sorvino and Kudrow...Romy and Michelle are cartoon characters, but the actresses make them both real and enormously sympathetic."[24]
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Recipients | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | MTV Movie Awards | MTV Movie Award for Best Dance Sequence | Mira Sorvino Lisa Kudrow Alan Cumming | Nominated | [25] |
| 1998 | Satellite Awards | Satellite Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture | Lisa Kudrow | Nominated | [26] |
Romy and Michele's High School Reunion was released onVHS by Touchstone Home Video on November 4, 1997. It received a U.S.LaserDisc release on November 26, 1997,[27] with a subtitled Japanese LaserDisc being released on June 25, 1998.[28] The film was then released onDVD on August 24, 1999.[29] It was also reissued as a special editionBlu-ray for the film's 15th anniversary in 2012.[30]
Though a modest success at the box office, the film steadily gained a cult following through home video and repeat cable TV airings since release.[5][14][31][10]
In 2005,Romy and Michele: In the Beginning, aprequeltelevision film written and directed by Schiff, premiered onABC Family.[2]Katherine Heigl plays Romy andAlexandra Breckenridge stars as Michele.
In 2022, Kudrow and Sorvino appeared as their characters to present the award for the 2022Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Ensemble - Comedy Series.[32]
A musical adaptation premiered at the5th Avenue Theatre inSeattle, Washington in June 2017.[33] The musical, directed byKristin Hanggi (Broadway'sRock of Ages) stars Cortney Wolfson and Stephanie Renee as Romy and Michele, respectively.Orange Is the New Black andWeeds composersGwendolyn Sanford and Brandon Jay wrote the music and lyrics to original songs, including "Business Woman Special", "10 Years", "I Invented Post-Its" and "Changing Lives One Outfit at a Time".[2][34]
In July 2025, it was announced that a new production of the stage musical would premiereoff-Broadway on October 14, with a book by Schiff, Sanford, Jay, and direction by Hanggi.[35]Laura Bell Bundy was cast as Romy White andKara Lindsay was cast as Michele Weinberger.[36]
In 2024, Sorvino stated she and Kudrow were finalizing deals for asequel, with writer Schiff returning.[37] In January 2025,The Hollywood Reporter said Sorvino and Kudrow were in final talks to return, with filming expected to begin in mid-2025 withTim Federle directing.[38] In May 2025,Alan Cumming said he would be reprising his role as Sandy Frink in the sequel, which is aiming to release in 2027.[39] It will be released by20th Century Studios (formerly known as 20th Century Fox), which Disney purchased fromRupert Murdoch in 2019, and which is now their main adult-focused label following the closures of Hollywood Pictures and Touchstone Pictures, and the sale of Miramax.[38] 20th Century Fox was the studio where the film's director David Mirkin had produced his more well-known projectThe Simpsons, with the original film itself including a clip of this show on a television.[40][7]
| Romy and Michele's High school Reunion: "Original Soundtrack" / "More Music from the Motion Picture" | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Various artists | |
| Released | April 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) |
| Genre | Alternative pop/rock, alternative indie rock, club/dance, contemporary pop/rock, dance-pop, new wave, punk, synth pop |
| Length | 39:14(album 1) 47:08(album 2) 78:39(Double Features re-release) |
| Label | Hollywood Records |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic(first album) |   [41] |
| Allmusic(second album) | [42] |
| Discogs(first album) |  [43] |
| Discogs(second album) | [44] |
Two soundtrack albums featuring music fromRomy and Michele's High School Reunion were released in 1997 by the Disney-ownedHollywood 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" byNo Doubt, "Y.M.C.A." byVillage People, "Addicted to Love" byRobert Palmer, "Time After Time" byCyndi Lauper, "Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)" bySub Sub, featuringMelanie Williams, "Footloose" byKenny Loggins, "Hello Trouble" byThe Desert Rose Band, "Don't Get Me Wrong" byThe Pretenders and "Have a Good Time" by Talawah Crew. Both albums were reissued as a 2-CD set as part of the Double Features series.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Our Lips Are Sealed" | Terry Hall,Jane Wiedlin | The Go-Go's | 2:45 |
| 2. | "Venus" | Robbie van Leeuwen | Bananarama | 3:39 |
| 3. | "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" | Burt Bacharach,Hal David | Naked Eyes | 3:41 |
| 4. | "Dance Hall Days" | Darren Costin,Nick Feldman,Jack Hues | Wang Chung | 3:58 |
| 5. | "Turning Japanese" | David Fenton | The Vapors | 3:44 |
| 6. | "Blood and Roses" | Pat DiNizio | The Smithereens | 3:36 |
| 7. | "Karma Chameleon" | George O'Dowd,Jon Moss,Mikey Craig,Roy Hay,Phil Pickett | Culture Club | 4:12 |
| 8. | "I Want Candy" | Bert Berns, Bob Feldman,Jerry Goldstein,Richard Gottehrer | Bow Wow Wow | 2:46 |
| 9. | "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" | Roland Orzabal,Ian Stanley,Chris Hughes | Tears for Fears | 4:12 |
| 10. | "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" | Rick Nowels,Ellen Shipley | Belinda Carlisle | 4:11 |
| 11. | "We Got the Beat" | Charlotte Caffey | The Go-Go's | 2:30 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" | Nick Feldman,Jack Hues,Peter Wolf | Wang Chung | 4:44 |
| 2. | "Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)" | Moon Martin | Robert Palmer | 3:11 |
| 3. | "Whip It" | Gerald Casale,Mark Mothersbaugh | Devo | 2:38 |
| 4. | "Stayin' Alive" | Barry Gibb,Robin Gibb,Maurice Gibb, Dale Longworth, Kevin O'Toole, Ricardo Lythe | N-Trance | 4:02 |
| 5. | "She Blinded Me with Science" | Thomas Dolby, Jo Kerr | Thomas Dolby | 5:08 |
| 6. | "Cruel Summer" | Sara Dallin,Siobhan Fahey, Steve Jolley, Tony Swain,Keren Woodward | Bananarama | 3:29 |
| 7. | "No One Is to Blame" | Howard Jones | Howard Jones | 4:11 |
| 8. | "Steppin' Out" | Joe Jackson | Joe Jackson | 4:19 |
| 9. | "You Keep Me Hangin' On" | Holland-Dozier-Holland | Kim Wilde | 4:15 |
| 10. | "I Think We're Alone Now" | Ritchie Cordell | Tiffany Darwish | 3:47 |
| 11. | "Be My Lover" | Melanie Thornton, Uli Brenner, Gerd Amir Saraf, Lane McCray | La Bouche | 4:00 |
| 12. | "Together Forever" | Stock Aitken Waterman | Rick Astley | 3:24 |
