--- title: How '90s Teen Movies Inspired Netflix's Do Revenge description: Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, who co-wrote and directed the film, spoke about the influences behind ‘Do Revenge’ and how it taps into teenage girl rage. canonical: https://time.com/6214362/do-revenge-inspiration-jennifer-kaytin-robinson-interview/ author: Shannon Carlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2022-09-16T21:08:57.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:53:54.560Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: How ‘90s Teen Movies Inspired Netflix’s Do Revenge og:description: Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, who co-wrote and directed the film, on how 'Do Revenge' taps into teenage girl rage. og:url: https://time.com/6214362/do-revenge-inspiration-jennifer-kaytin-robinson-interview/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt15fc6a9da6acfd53/698a358422fb857783e2de10/do-revenge-5.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: DO REVENGE og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How ‘90s Teen Movies Inspired Netflix’s Do Revenge twitter:description: Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, who co-wrote and directed the film, on how 'Do Revenge' taps into teenage girl rage. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt15fc6a9da6acfd53/698a358422fb857783e2de10/do-revenge-5.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How ‘90s Teen Movies, Patricia Highsmith, and Glenn Close Inspired Netflix’s Dark Comedy _Do Revenge_ by [Shannon Carlin](https://time.com/author/shannon-carlin/) ## Shannon Carlin Carlin is a contributor for TIME. Sep 16, 2022 9:08 PM UTC  Camila Mendes as Drea and Maya Hawke as Eleanor in Do Revenge. Camila Mendes as Drea and Maya Hawke as Eleanor in Do Revenge.Kim Simms—Netflix by [Shannon Carlin](https://time.com/author/shannon-carlin/) ## Shannon Carlin Carlin is a contributor for TIME. Sep 16, 2022 9:08 PM UTC In Netflix’s teen comedy [_Do Revenge_](https://time.com/6206648/fall-movies-2022/)_,_ out Friday, queen bee Drea (_Riverdale_’s Camila Mendes) teams up with wallflower Eleanor ([_Stranger Things_’ Maya Hawke](https://time.com/6192902/stranger-things-4-part-two-ending/)) to take down each other’s enemies. The film, co-written and directed by [_Someone Great_](https://time.com/5573543/someone-great-netflix-review/)’s Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, is loosely inspired by [Patricia Highsmith](https://time.com/6158796/deep-water-patricia-highsmith-adaptations/)’s 1950 psychological thriller _Strangers on a Train,_ in which two men decide to “trade” murders. (It’s also the inspiration for the [1951 Alfred Hitchcock film ](https://entertainment.time.com/2010/11/11/top-10-train-movies/)of the same name). No one actually dies in _Do Revenge,_ but countless acts of character assassination are committed by these savvy young women. And in high school, a tarnished reputation is far worse than death itself. It’s why it was so easy for Robinson to put a Gen Z spin on Highsmith’s 72-year-old novel: Hell hath no fury like a teenage girl scorned. “It was one of those things where it almost immediately clicked,” Robinson tells TIME when recalling the original pitch to adapt the novel. “The book’s base concept fits so beautifully in the high school ecosystem.” If anything, she thought it was more exciting that Drea and Eleanor aren’t complete strangers, but classmates that run in entirely different social circles. There is so much at risk for these young women if they get caught, but they’re too full of rage to rethink their grammatically incorrect plan. Robinson, who also co-wrote [_Thor: Love and Thunder_](https://time.com/6193270/thor-love-and-thunder-review/), explains how Sarah Michelle Gellar, Olivia Rodrigo, and Glenn Close helped inspire her new movie. ## **_Do Revenge_** **is a love letter to ‘90s teen movies**  Sarah Michelle Gellar as ‘The Headmaster’ in Do Revenge Kim Simms—Netflix Robinson filled _Do Revenge_ with Easter eggs that pay homage to the “movies that I would go to Blockbuster and pray were in the store.” The director’s Gen Z prep schoolers gather around a fountain as a nod to _Scream,_ play croquet just like the prototypical [mean girls in _Heathers_](https://entertainment.time.com/2013/07/29/girl-power-10-terrific-teen-heroines-in-movies/slide/heathers/)_,_ and go on paintball dates that rival Kat Stratford’s in [_10 Things I Hate About You_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqTBW90w0%5F0)_._ Robinson has come to realize she included “subconscious Easter eggs” in the film that made it in without her realizing it. _Do Revenge_’s opening shot of a license plate that reads “DUMBTCH” is an inadvertent reference to a similarly cheeky vanity plate in 1999’s _Jawbreaker,_ a dark teen comedy about a kidnapping that goes horribly wrong. “That came because Netflix told me to cut \[the line\] ‘that dumb bitch’ and I thought it would be funny to start off the frame with that license plate,” she says. Though she the _Jawbreaker_ shoutout “was not intentional,” she notes that “as a fan of the genre, this stuff just lives in your brain and your soul so it probably came from somewhere deep in my psyche.” Some references were deliberate. Robinson knew she wanted Sarah Michelle Gellar to play the bonsai tree-trimming headmaster of Drea and Eleanor’s private high school. The _Cruel Intentions_ star plays the movie’s only adult character, a “juicy and fun role” for the former teen queen that was [inspired by her cocaine-filled cross-wearing character](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/16/movies/sarah-michelle-gellar-do-revenge.html) in the above mentioned film. “I agonized over the dialogue,” Robinson says, worried it wouldn’t be good enough for Buffy the Vampire Slayer. “But Sarah read it and we met and she said yes and now we have lunch every month and are best friends … They say don’t meet your heroes, but you should meet Sarah Michelle Gellar.” ## **Jennifer Kaytin Robinson’s Miami connection** Robinson is an incredibly visual filmmaker who is often “writing while Pinteresting.” For _Do Revenge,_ she wanted to embrace the bold color palette of Miami, where the film is set. It’s why the prep school uniforms are less _Gossip Girl_ and more [_Harry Potter_’s Fleur Delacour](https://youtu.be/2JsH7FN7V%5Fg?t=99) at a Bad Bunny concert. “We really blew it out and wanted it to feel color soaked,” she says. “It’s loud, vibrant, and boisterous like Miami.” Robinson would know since she grew up there. “I actually went to a Miami prep school so some of the parties \[in the film\] are parties I have been to,” she says. Even the hedonistic admissions party where the film’s final act takes place is inspired by more than a few celebrations she went to as a teen. “It was a weird time,” she says. “It was Miami, no rules.”  Maia Reficco as Montana, Alisha Boe as Tara, Camila Mendes as Drea and Paris Berelc as Meghan in Do Revenge Kim Simms—Netflix ## **How** **_Do Revenge_** **gets Gen Z right** Robinson worked closely with her film’s two leads, Mendes and Hawke, to make sure their characters felt true to life. For her, collaboration is key to making a film feel lived in. “It sounds like I’m really selfless, but it’s not, it’s incredibly selfish what I do,” she says. “I hire all these amazing people and they do their thing and make me look better.” Not that it was hard for the actors. “They’re very tapped in and really understand the demographic,” Robinson says. She often “mind melded” with Mendes about how far they should go in terms of the camp factor. “Cami really created her character visually: the hair, makeup, the snatched wardrobe,” she says. Mendes had the idea that Drea’s wardrobe would get more unhinged as the character began to feel less in control. To play the duplicitous Eleanor, Hawke read [Malcolm Gladwell](http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1923223%5F1923221%5F1923171,00.html)’s 2019 book _Talking to Strangers,_ which is about the challenges of learning to trust those we don’t know. “She really brought so much insight and nuance to the character,” she says. A lot of her favorite lines in the film were Hawke “looking at what was on the page and making it a thousand times better,” Robinson says. That includes Hawke’s ad-libbed line “bitchasaurus rex,” her nickname for Drea as she goes further down the revenge rabbithole. “I heard her say it and was just like, ‘Yeah, Maya, that’s perfect,’” she says. “I couldn’t have written something so good.”  Maya Hawke as Eleanor in Do Revenge Kim Simms—Netflix ## **Bridging the musical generation gap with Olivia Rodrigo and Hole** With _Do Revenge_’s soundtrack, Robinson wanted to throwback to the music of her youth without getting too bogged down by nostalgia. “I wanted it to elicit a feeling in you,” she says. “Whether that is, ‘Oh, this is exciting and new,’ or, ‘Oh, I’ve heard this before and I miss this.’” Initially, she planned for the soundtrack to include covers of her favorite ‘90s teen movie songs done by young artists of today. “But I don’t want a cover of ‘Flagpole Sitta,’” Robinson says, referencing the iconic Harvey Danger single that plays in [_Disturbing Behavior_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipcvwwIoEHo)_,_ the 1998 teen sci-fi movie starring Katie Holmes and James Marsden. “I just want ‘Flagpole Sitta.’” (_Do Revenge_ does feature a cover of Kim Wilde’s “Kids in America,” a song which also got the cover treatment for [_Clueless_](https://time.com/3944547/clueless-20th-anniversary/).) She realized that _Do Revenge_ is a fresh, new take on the movies she grew up loving and the soundtrack should strike the same balance. That’s why the movie includes tracks from current pop stars such as [Hayley Kiyoko](https://time.com/5858660/hayley-kiyoko-pride/), [Billie Eilish](https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people-2021/6095808/billie-eilish-pioneer/), and [MUNA](https://time.com/4588327/muna-lgbtq-song-premiere-i-know-a-place/), as well as ‘90s faves like Meredith Brooks’ “Bitch.” The two songs that Robinson believes represent the soundtrack best are [Olivia Rodrigo](https://time.com/entertainer-of-the-year-2021-olivia-rodrigo/)’s “Brutal” and Hole’s “Celebrity Skin,” two rock songs that feel spiritually linked in how they represent teen girl angst. (Last year, Hole’s lead singer Courtney Love also addressed their similarities, [accusing Rodrigo](https://www.spin.com/2021/06/courtney-love-says-olivia-rodrigo-ripped-off-live-through-this-album-cover/) of ripping off her band’s cover art.) There is one artist who doesn’t appear on the soundtrack, but whose influence on the film Robinson won’t deny: Taylor Swift. “There are definitely some _Reputation_ undertones in the film,” says Robinson, who is a fan of the singer. Eleanor even puts her own spin on the most infamous line from Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do” to explain her recent makeover: “The old Eleanor can’t come to the phone right now. Why? Because she’s dead.” Robinson chose to stay mum on why there isn’t a Swift song on the film’s soundtrack. (“Yeah, I’m not going to say anymore, I don’t want to ruin anything.”) But did offer perhaps a clue as to why: “Don’t stream _Reputation_ until she has a Taylor’s Version.”  Camila Mendes as Drea in Do Revenge Kim Simms—Netflix ## **How** **_Do Revenge_** **taps into teenage girl rage** Robinson sees a lot of herself in Drea, specifically when it comes to the anger the character feels towards her ex-boyfriend Max ([_Euphoria_](https://time.com/5606243/euphoria-zendaya-tv-show-review/)’s Austin Abrams) and anyone else who has taken advantage of her. “That feeling that it hurts to exist starts in those middle school and high school years, but it doesn’t go away. I still feel like this today,” she says. “So I really tried to tap into the emotions that started then because I don’t think they go away. You just ebb and flow and learn to deal with it.” The film even coined a phrase to describe that perfect cocktail of rage and drive that Drea has: Glennergy. “That is a \[_Do Revenge_ co-writer\] Celeste Ballard original. It was in the very first draft that she wrote,” Robinson says of the term inspired by Glenn Close’s bunny killing turn in _Fatal Attraction._ “I think if you have Glennergy, you have swag. There’s a fire in your eyes that is both alluring and very unsettling.” Knowing that, Robinson hopes viewers feel seen by _Do Revenge._ “But,” she adds. “I also hope they don’t try to copy anything that Eleanor or Drea are doing.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6214362/do-revenge-inspiration-jennifer-kaytin-robinson-interview/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6214362/do-revenge-inspiration-jennifer-kaytin-robinson-interview/"},"headline":"How ‘90s Teen Movies, Patricia Highsmith, and Glenn Close Inspired Netflix’s Dark Comedy Do Revenge","datePublished":"2022-09-16T21:08:57.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:53:54.560Z","description":"Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, who co-wrote and directed the film, on how 'Do Revenge' taps into teenage girl rage.","url":"https://time.com/6214362/do-revenge-inspiration-jennifer-kaytin-robinson-interview/","keywords":["movies","Explainer","freelance","culturepod"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt15fc6a9da6acfd53/698a358422fb857783e2de10/do-revenge-5.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Shannon Carlin","jobTitle":"Carlin is a contributor for TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/shannon-carlin/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt15fc6a9da6acfd53/698a358422fb857783e2de10/do-revenge-5.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"DO REVENGE","caption":"DO REVENGE","creditText":"Kim Simms—Netflix","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/movies/","name":"movies"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/6214362/do-revenge-inspiration-jennifer-kaytin-robinson-interview/","name":"How ‘90s Teen Movies, Patricia Highsmith, and Glenn Close Inspired Netflix’s Dark Comedy Do Revenge"}}]}] ```