Josie and the Pussycats (with Joanna Robinson)

Unspooled

Paul Scheer & Amy Nicholson

Film Reviews, Tv & Film

4.5 • 5K Ratings

🗓️ 4 June 2026

⏱️ 70 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

While Amy is off at Cannes, Paul welcomes Joanna Robinson for an Unspooled Critics’ Choice episode on Josie and the Pussycats, the 2001 musical comedy that was lightyears ahead of its time. They revisit Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan’s razor-sharp satire of pop music, consumer culture, and corporate branding and unpack how a movie stuffed with logos became one of Hollywood’s smartest critiques of marketing. Along the way, they celebrate the infectious soundtrack, the pitch-perfect performances, and explore how a box-office disappointment can transform into a beloved cult classic. You can join the Unspooled conversation on Paul’s Discord at https://discord.gg/ZwtygZGTa6 Follow Paul and Amy on Letterboxd for more of their movie hot takes! https://letterboxd.com/paulscheer/ https://letterboxd.com/theamynicholson/ Paul’s book Joyful Recollections of Trauma is out now! Find it at https://www.harpercollins.com/products/joyful-recollections-of-trauma-paul-scheer Check out more of Paul's writing on his Substack https://substack.com/@paulscheer Episodic Art by Kim Troxall: https://www.unspooledart.com/ Learn more about the show at Unspooledpod.com, follow us on Twitter @unspooled and on Instagram @unspooledpod, and don’t forget to rate, review & subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or where you listen to podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The year is 2001.
0:03.0	I mean, would you be more interested in a band called simply The Pussy Cats?
0:07.0	Or are you more likely to buy a CD or read a comic or watch a cartoon or go and see a movie about a tree of luscious ladies called Josie and the Pussy Cats?
0:19.0	The movie, Josie and the Pussy Cats.
0:21.6	It does have a nice ring to it.
0:23.1	Oh, yes.
0:27.2	Welcome to Unspooled.
0:32.7	I am Paul Shear, and this is a podcast about good movies, critical hits,
0:35.9	fan favorites, mustsies, and incase you misdums. Normally, I am joined by my co-host, LA Times, film critic Amy
0:41.1	Nicholson, to talk about the films people consider the best ever made. But while she is away
0:46.2	and can, we are leaving our best of lists and focusing on one person, one person's favorite
0:52.3	underappreciated classic, or film that maybe doesn't get enough love.
0:57.4	This is Dealers' Choice, a series where our guests get to choose what movie they need to talk about.
1:03.2	And anything goes.
1:05.9	Like I said, today we are talking about 2001's musical comedy, Josie and the Pussycats. And let's go back to
1:13.6	1998. Harry, Elfant, and Deborah Kaplan are riding high. They just wrote and directed Can't
1:20.0	Hardly Wait, a very well-received teen ensemble comedy, and they get handed something pretty
1:25.5	unexpected. The Rights to Adapt Josie and the Pussycats.
1:29.1	Now, this property goes all the way back to Archie Comics, created by Dan DeCarlo.
1:33.7	It spawned a Hannah-Barbera animated series in the 70s, which ran for 16 episodes,
1:40.0	and then a spinoff called Josie and the Pussycats in outer space.
1:44.3	So this is not exactly like prestige IP, but Elfant and Kaplan aren't really interested in doing
	...

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