THE STORY – In 2005, Mimi Madamour, the young pop idol, lives a cursed and fiery romance with queer punk icon Billie Kohler. Amongst love, hatred, and torn desires for the spotlight, their pursuit of glory and their passion for each other lead them down a path of self-destruction.
THE CAST – Louiza Aura, Gio Ventura, Bilal Hassani, Nana Benamer, Alma Jodorowsky, Thomas Poitevin, Dustin Muchuvitz, Raya Martigny, Asia Argento & Jean Biche
THE TEAM – Alexis Langlois (Director & Writer), Carlotta Coco & Thomas Colineua (Writers)
THE RUNNING TIME – 115 Minutes
You’ve come to the right place if you were one of the fanboys and girls obsessing over pop queens in the 2000s. French writer-director Alexis Langlois channels that nostalgic bubblegum pop era with their queer glittercore musical, “Queens of Drama,” an over-the-top fever dream filled with scorned romance, catchy tunes and ridiculous shenanigans at every turn. This film won’t be for everyone, but it will find its audience among those who still worship the ground that their favorite divas walk on.
The year is 2055, and the once-popular, overly dramatic video blogger, “Steevyshady” (Bilal Hassani), returns to his channel to tell us a story about his favorite 2000s singer, Mimi Madamour (Louiza Aura). In 2005, Mimi’s life changes forever when she auditions for a competition singing show and meets underground queer rocker Billie. Their vibes could not be any more different, but Mimi is instantly attracted to Billie – even going so far as accepting Billie’s buttplug at a concert. But this love story is anything but easy. They fight constantly – Billie acts like a spoiled child whenever they don’t get their way – and their relationship is continuously put to the test once Mimi wins the competition and keeps her sexuality hidden.
Given how volatile their relationship is from the start and that they’re both fairly unlikeable characters, it’s hard to root for these two. In fact, it seems like they’re far better off without each other. After Mimi wins the show, she accelerates to stardom by changing her looks (she looks so much like Britney Spears as she’s filming a music video) and has a hit song on her hands. “Don’t Touch” is a catchy pop tune that actually sounds like it would be popular on the charts, akin to Ally’s “Why Did You Do That?“ from “A Star is Born.“ On the other hand, Billie is a world away with her pop-punk tunes, particularly one whose refrain, “You fisted me to the heart,” is heard repeatedly in the film. The film smartly utilized actual singers/songwriters to write these campy tunes, and they nailed the assignment. The vocals themselves could have been better, though.
The film’s strength lies in how it leans into everything we loved in the 2000s. There’s the homage to VH1 and MTV music videos featuring campy storylines and colorful cinematography. The Spears influence is especially felt as Mimi goes to a barbershop and shaves off her hair – a direct reference to the “Oops!…I Did It Again” singer’s breakdown in 2007. It’sfascinating to see a film hone into this era of music and society, particularly in the instances when people and media are so nasty toward celebrities for no reason at all. It makes you think back with immense sadness at the way Spears was treated by the masses when she was clearly struggling with mental health issues and constantly made the butt of the joke. Langlois also depicts how obsessive fans can get with their idols, as seen when Steevyshady is hell-bent on ruining Billie and Mimi’s relationship. It’s another interesting aspect to tackle, especially as the 2000s brought about the rise of internet blogging and lead to today’s rabid stan culture, but they stop short of really digging into this problematic part of online life.
The more time we spend with “Queens of Drama,“ the less coherent the story feels. Langlois tries too hard to connect Mimi and Billie’s love story to two older pop stars who were also a thing. The parallels are obvious, but we’re given too little information about the other singers to understand their relationship, and random details are introduced about them that confuse us more than anything. Additionally, a time jump to 2015 also brings about many questions. Billie, who has seemingly never cared about their looks, has gotten so much plastic surgery that it makes them look like Handsome Squidward, especially with their plumped-up cheekbones. Even if some decisions don’t make sense, Aura and Ventura deliver by bringing the campy and ridiculous performances that this film calls for. Yes, their characters are largely unlikeable, but these two actors are entertaining through and through.
“Queens of Drama“ brings a lot of 2000s nostalgia, campiness, and drama to the screen that will certainly divide audiences. With its over-the-top love story that’s brought to life by two talented actors and its catchy tunes, it’s a movie musical that knows aesthetically what it wants to be. Although it loses its footing along the way, there’s no denying that Langlois has crafted an entertaining tale for stans everywhere.
