It’s been almost a year since Camila Mendes and Maya Hawke teamed up together in Netflix’s teen black comedy Do Revenge. The movie, which is loosely inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train, begins when an explicit video Drea (Mendes) sent to her boyfriend gets leaked to the whole school. Ostracized over the summer, Drea meets Eleanor, a transfer student who has also been violated by a fellow classmate. Together, the girls team up to get revenge on each other’s assailants.
After rewatching Do Revenge I can confidently say it’s still hilarious, conniving and, at times, totally gut-wrenching. I don’t think I’ll ever get over the epic plot twist it pulled off or the hard work of the incredibly talented cast. It’s one of my favorite teen movies of all time and definitely has the potential to become a cult classic years from now. However, my love for the movie doesn’t blind me from rightfully critiquing it.
In fact, I might be Do Revenge’s harshest critic when it comes to how it wrapped things up. Sure, some movies deserve a nice little bow before the credits start to roll, but I believe Do Revenge would have been even more successful had it pushed the ending with two tweaks.
The Girls Should Have Killed Max
Every great teen movie needs a villain of sorts, and for Do Revenge, it’s Max (Austin Abrams). On the outside, he’s Rosehill County Day’s golden boy who can do no wrong, but on the inside, he’s a narcissistic misogynist who relies on his father’s status to get what he wants.
After victimizing himself by saying he feels violated for having a personal video of Drea stolen from his phone, Max goes on to form a men-supporting-women fake feminist club, and then starts dating Drea’s ex-best friend. Very feminist of him, right?
He eventually admits to leaking the video of Drea when he corners her at a party near the fire pit. On top of that though, he explains why he did it and ensures Drea that he’ll continue to ruin her life because he thinks she used him to get popular.
His entire villain monologue is captured by Eleanor, who is wearing a hidden camera, and the girls decide to play it for everyone at the party to watch. While it is satisfying watching everyone turn on Max, there is one ending I think would have been more satisfying, and that’s for the girls to kill Max.
With the entire confrontation happening near the fire pit, I was on the edge of my seat waiting for Drea or Eleanor to shove Max into the fire. After all, we know what the girls are capable of, and it would have been so easy to make it seem like a drunken/high accident.
Even now, a hundred rewatches later (which I definitely recommend), one of the thoughts on Do Revenge rolling around in my mind is the hope for that alternative ending. In fact, I’m always shocked that that’s not what happened given director and co-writer Jennifer Kaytin Robinson has written about teen girls nearly killing evil boys before — if you haven’t seen her short-lived MTV series Sweet/Vicious I highly recommend it.
While I definitely don’t advocate for murder on a regular basis, there are some fictional instances where I think it might be necessary. Do Revenge happens to be one of those cases. The movie shows us time and time again how Max is able to talk and pay his way out of trouble. Even with recorded evidence of his wrongdoing, I just don’t see the heat on him sticking. Not to mention, most of the partygoers were under the influence, so who's to say if they’ll even remember Max’s takedown in the morning?
In my opinion, the only way for the girls to finally get their revenge on Max is to make him disappear forever. If the Heathers could pull off teen murder in the '80s, audiences can definitely handle it in the 2020s. I mean just look at the success of the Scream franchise.
Drea And Eleanor Should Have Romantically Ended Up Together
While Max living is my biggest complaint regarding the ending of Do Revenge, I have also always been slightly bummed that Drea and Eleanor stayed firmly in the friend zone when it came to their complicated relationship. I’m not alone either as many fans took to Twitter and Reddit last year to share their same thoughts.
Here’s the thing, I totally think it’s important to portray female platonic friendships on screen, especially one between a confirmed lesbian and a presumed straight character to break that harmful stereotype. But there’s also something to be said about the incredible chemistry and intense, sometimes toxic relationship Drea and Eleanor have on screen.
There’s just something in the looks Drea and Eleanor share and the way they can scream at each other, but still want each other in their lives that feels like a quintessential teenage romantic relationship. Sure, it might not be the healthiest relationship given that Eleanor literally crashed her car into Drea’s car, but hey, even queer girl relationships deserve some toxic representation every now and again.
In defense of Do Revenge though, the writing never once hinted at the possibility of making Drea and Eleanor endgame. It never even assumed the idea given that both Drea and Eleanor are given love interests from the very beginning. It's a move that just might have saved it from facing the wrath of a crusade from fans who could have claimed the movie queerbaited them. But the complexities of a claim like that are a topic for another day, especially since Do Revenge does not, in any way, queerbait its viewers.
To me, making Drea and Eleanor drive off into the sunset after sharing a kiss would have been the icing on the cake to an already incredible Gen-Z-inspired movie. Still, having them remain friends, doesn’t diminish the strength and love they share.
Despite what I may think about the ending, I still think Do Revenge is a near-perfect teen comedy that deserves all the praise it can get. Just like Heathers and Mean Girls did for teens in past generations, Do Revenge can and will do for Gen-Z teens. If you haven’t seen it yet or want to rewatch it to celebrate its anniversary, the movie is still streaming on with a Netflix subscription. You should also consider checking out other great Gen-Z coming-of-age comedies that pair well with a Do Revenge double feature.
