People who were not brought up in the 90's in my opinion find it easy to forget how big the Spice Girls really were. Also, you do fail to remember how many fantastic pop songs they created. Let's just say, they did a lot more then can you think off the top of your head.
It was quite the three years for the British girl band and this film was released right in the middle of it. I remember the hype for its release, the heavy amount of marketing, the box office success that it was and the silly number of times I watched it on video.
Looking back at it now, it still works for me. I think the nostalgia certainly help the enjoyment of it. Even seeing the fashion from back then just takes me back to how girls were inspired to dress like them. Everything about it is just silly, many scenes make no sense, and yet it manages to be brilliant at the same time.
It is purposely being a poor man's mix of 'A Hard Days Night' and 'This Is Spinal Tap' and there is some cool 'breaking the fourth wall' moments, especially in a cracking scene towards the end.
I think it is safe to say that while the Spice Girls can't act much, it didn't really matter as it still managed to fit the tone rather well. Richard E. Grant hammed it up so beautifully and was a real treat to see him go completely nuts from start to finish.
Roger Moore did a great job as this mysterious over-the-top Blofeld-esque character. I noticed some fun minor roles for Alan Cumming, Barry Humphries, Jason Flemying, Richard O'Brien, Meat Loaf and Naoko Mori of Torchwood fame.
Now to the cameos and boy are there some cameos. The amount is beyond ridiculous. I managed to spot Elton John, Jools Holland, Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, Dominic West, Bob Hoskins, Jennifer Saunders, Bob Geldof, Richard Briers, Michael Barrymore, Bill Paterson and Kevin McNally. There were also a few that I noticed, but could not put a name to them unfortunately.
Yes there are clear problems with it. But I think the fun nature of it all makes you brush them aside for the most part. I could say that it becomes a guilty pleasures. But it feels more than that. It's like a time portal, especially for me to remember the crazes that happened in the late 90's.
I think if you weren't brought up by the rise of the Spice Girls, then you would probably hate this or see this as a shameless bit of money-grabbing. I am aware of the hate for this, and that is perfectly understandable. But you might accept this or at least enjoy the music if you were a 90's kid seeing this. But fans of the group and 90's nostalgia will go nuts for this.
The nostalgia has me having such fun re-watching this and I think it will keep doing that forever more. All there is left to say is "Girl power, equalisation between the sexes, hmmmm".
Rating: 7/10
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