Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion

Image credit Touchstone Pictures, Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion, 1997

This week’s Cinema Sips film choice was inspired by a project currently occupying most of my kitchen counter. My better half, artist Christopher Locke, has undertaken a project drawing amazing portraits on Post-It ® sticky notes. He decided to start a Kickstarter campaign to fund the drawing of even more portraits, with the eventual goal of putting them together into a book. Of course, all this talk of sticky notes got me thinking about Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion (DVD/Download). After all, they invented Post-It’s ® (okay actually it was Art Fry of the 3M Corp, but Lisa Kudrow sure does know a surprising amount about the chemical formula for glue). This is one of my all-time favorite movies, so I have to thank my husband for giving me an excuse to watch it with a cocktail. I’ll forgive all the sticky notes crowding the kitchen.

Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion is about two lifelong friends who decide to go to their ten-year high school reunion. Mira Sorvino plays Romy White, and the always-brilliant Lisa Kudrow plays Michele Weinberger. As the reunion approaches, they get nervous that they haven’t achieved anything in the 10 years since they’ve graduated. No husbands, no careers, no kids, and they still live together. So, they make themselves some cute business suits, and set out to Tucson pretending to be business women. Of course, they realize a little too late that they don’t actually have a business, so they claim to have invented Post-It’s ®. I won’t ruin the ending here, but I will say that this film features some hilarious performances by Kudrow and Sorvino, as well as Janeane Garofalo, Alan Cumming, and Justin Theroux (long before he was arm-candy for Kudrow’s former Friends co-star Jennifer Aniston). My favorite scene is the interpretive dance done to Cindy Lauper’s “Time After Time”- Alan Cumming just kills it here. But really, there are so many amazing moments. Who among us doesn’t get really happy when Julia Roberts finally gets to shop in Pretty Woman??

My cocktail this week is inspired by a drink I stumbled upon called a Roaring Twenties. After all, Romy and Michelle may be in their 20’s, but they still have just as much fun as they did in high school. It’s pink, it’s tart, and it’s as enjoyable to drink as it is to watch this movie. When watching Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion, I recommend drinking a Business Woman’s Special.

Business Woman’s Special

1 1/2 oz light rum

1/4 oz Grenadine

1/4 oz Lemon Juice

1 oz Ginger Ale

Lemon twist (for garnish)

Mix rum, grenadine, and lemon juice in a shaker filled with ice. Shake until chilled, and strain into a chilled glass. Top with Ginger Ale.  Garnish with lemon twist. Serve with gummy bears, jelly beans, and candy corn if you’re on a diet.

I’ve never actually been to a high school reunion, and thanks to Facebook I don’t think I’ll ever feel the need to attend one. I’ve kept in touch with the few people I thought were interesting and intelligent, and that’s all I need. Sometimes I think that my current lack-of-high-paying-career might seem slightly pathetic to those I graduated with, but I suppose aspiring to be a writer gets me some bonus points for creativity. After all, being a broke writer sounds a heck of a lot more interesting than being a wealthy tax attorney. But give me a few years- maybe I’ll be desperate enough to claim invention of the staple remover. So this week, I suggest you watch Romy and Michele, giggle as you drink your Business Woman’s Special, and then after you’ve had a few, head on over to Kickstarter and check out this awesome project. Because Post-It’s ®. Cheers!