If you're a millennial from the UK...in fact, no matter where you're from and of any age, you'll understand the majesty of a hottie. Although the band only stayed together as a five-piece from the release of Wannabe to Geri's departure (a total of approximately 22 months), their legacy lives on decades later. Even now, in 2021, we still want to talk about their music, their fashion, and of course, their iconic 1997 film Spice .
Indeed, no piece of pop culture embodies the quirky side of Cool Britannia quite like Spice World . Following a tour bus tour around London with Sporting Spice, Horrible Spice, Funky Spice, Ginger Spice and Baby Spice, World of Spice will play in concert at the Royal Albert Hall, takes us on a bizarre adventure filled with cameos.
Although critics didn't think it was Oscar-worthy, it was a hit, grossing $151 million at the box office, and continues to live on in the hearts of moviegoers as a rent-free classic.
Well, with the UK lockdown looming and the winter weather getting everyone down, I decided now would be a good time to re-watch Spice, a film I haven't seen since I was a kid , dance to "Who Do You Think You Are" and see if it still holds up nearly 25 years later. Here's what I found.
1. The plot is confusing, but I’m here for it
I honestly thought I was having some kind of fever dream while watching Spice World . I feel like I've watched the sequel without watching the first movie. In fact, I rewinded it a few times to make sure I didn't miss anything, because Spice Girls is pure chaos with little context and almost no sense. There are Italian strippers, UFO landings, random flashback (and flash-forward) scenes, and intertwined plots - but honestly, it makes for a lot of fun to watch.
2. Meta autofocus
Move over, Phoebe Waller-Bridge: Spice was talking to the camera and breaking the fourth wall decades before Fleabag .
Sorry to get all technical here, but this movie is smart! It's consciously aware that it's fiction - the movie knows it's a movie. They were writing a script - a big Hollywood screenwriter wanted a hottie to star in a ridiculous blockbuster, and then this happened? Through the rolling credits, the girls are talking to the audience, and the supporting cast are discussing their roles in the film.
By caricaturing their own characters, is this just a big criticism of the ridiculous hoops pop stars jump through to achieve success and their lack of agency as the price of fame? Maybe I'm reading too much into this. Maybe not...
3. Luxurious spices steal the show
I always thought of Posh Spice as a quiet piece of music that would fade into the background, but oh, I was wrong. She's honestly the funniest one in the movie. From her quips to her fall into the Thames to her "posh" accent, VB's performance is a joy to watch. And, sorry, but the fact that she's become a world-renowned fashion designer is everything .
4. The girls are still very affectionate.
The Spice Girls are still relatable in 2021, bickering over their zodiac signs, harping on feminist issues to a frightened man at parties and struggling to find time to prioritize friends.
5. Mel B is a true fashion queen
Mel B has just served and taken care of over and over again. Bantu knots, tiny glasses and a baggy coat number? Chef's Kiss.
6. Tour buses don’t make any sense?
Tour buses are like Tardis. I mean, there’s a swing! I don't understand...should we just...let it go?
7. That time in the Vatican was so much fun
After talking about girl power, Jerry was asked, "But you do like boys, don't you?" to a reporter. She responded: "Is the Pope a Catholic?" Next thing you know, there was a media firestorm over how the Spice Girls cast doubt on the Pope's religious beliefs and the Vatican's rebuttal of the claims. Comedy gold.
8. Does anyone else miss their tour bus driver patties?
I didn't even time it until he made an "I'd do anything for love but not that" joke.
9. How on earth do they fit in so many cameos?
Lots of cameos! When I was younger I knew absolutely nothing about them. Bob Geldof gets a horror-spice makeover that also features Elton John, Jonathon Ross, Alan Cumming, Jules Jools Holland, Stephen Fry and even Roger Moore all show up. I guess it just goes to show how great the girls were to have these celebrities appear in what ended up being one of the most ridiculous movies of the 21st century.
10. Can we talk about that scary bald man from childhood nightmares?
So, I subconsciously avoided this movie because I remember being terrified by it as a kid and I couldn't figure out why. The man from my childhood nightmares (who I somehow reimagined as a fusion of the demonic principal and the bad guy from Who Framed Roger Rabbit ) is real! But he's not a boogie man - he's a paparazzi! I guess it's the same thing with hot girls and celebrities. This man literally climbed out of their toilet to take pictures of them in their sleep. It's actually quite scary.
11. Here’s a hidden message about privacy, reputation and media harassment
At the beginning of the film, their manager makes a "no upskirting" comment to one of the paparazzi, which feels very prescient. Much of the film is about their escape from a media hell-bent on trying to catch the girls doing something humiliating. This illustrates what was happening in the media at the time, but nearly 25 years later, have things really changed? Frustrating, I know.
12. Mel B was racially profiled in this movie…
There's a scene where they're both their future selves with children, and Mel B wears a large hickey number in West African Kente cloth (her ancestry is British and Caribbean). Then it’s time for them to play dress up. While other girls cosplayed as characters like Marilyn Monroe and Wonder Woman, Mel B dressed up as a generic "reggae musician" with pigtails, and later transformed into some kind of girl with a big stick and a face The marked "tribal woman"...I don't know, it feels weird.
13. For a movie about girl power, there are almost no women in it
The film passes the Bechdel Test with flying colors thanks to all the scenes featuring the five band members. but! In addition to Geri, Mel B, Mel C, Emma and Victoria, I counted three women who had actual roles in this movie. three! With the exception of Jennifer Sanders, all of the cameos are essentially male. A bit disappointing.
14. The concept of baby spice is actually a bit weird…
As an adult, hearing her lines and the baby's voice, it made me a little nervous.
15. It all makes me feel so nostalgic
Seeing London in the 1990s took me back to my childhood. Older buses, trendy, slightly younger famous faces. Wow, what a trip down memory lane.
