Writer/director Meredith Alloway’s feature debut, aptly named Forbidden Fruits, takes obvious inspiration from some of the best in 90s teen bitch-movies (see: The Craft, Heathers, Jawbreaker). Does it live up to the bold names of what came before? Just to get it out of the way immediately, no, definitely not. But they certainly give it the old college try! Set expressly in a giant mall and riding high off the power of its femme-driven ensemble, Forbidden Fruits is bubbly, sharp, and ridiculously campy. Buying into the world it sells though is a big ask. Whereas a comedy like Bottoms can exist in an absurdist, paradoxical kind of way, this one attempts to have its pumpkin pie and eat it too. These women rarely feel like real, fleshed-out people. The central players still have a hell of a time embodying their bizarro caricatures. Forbidden Fruits is only mildly stale instead of full-on rotten, managing to find outrageous fun in its catty, nonsensical social interactions.
Set in the artificial ecosystem of a shopping mall, Forbidden Fruits follows a clique of stunning retail workers at Free Eden, a high-end clothing store with a witchy secret. Queen bee Apple (Lili Reinhart), blonde airhead Cherry (Victoria Pedretti), and hopeless romantic firecracker Fig (Alexandra Shipp) are on the hunt for a fourth member of their de facto coven. Free Eden is their “paradise,” and hiring another should theoretically help expand their power. The exact reasoning for the coven’s necessity to take on another does not receive a full explanation, beyond the filling of a former seat that’s now vacant due to an unfortunate incident with their coworker, Pickle (Emma Chamberlain). In practice, there are hexes, charm bracelets, and plenty of color. Yet, there needed to be more witchcraft or magic present to really sell the coven angle. It feels slightly undercooked, which is a shame given how brilliant the cast are in their respective roles.
Naive newcomer Pumpkin (Lola Tung) works at this mall’s equivalent of Auntie Anne’s—Sister Salt’s sound delicious, yet apparently the mall hierarchy view it as the bottom of the food chain. As Pumpkin’s bizarre initiation into the world of the fruits begins, she undergoes a surface-level transformation into another gorgeous girl wearing the Free Eden brand. Pumpkin serves as audience surrogate, a familiar role in this exact iteration of teen films, an outsider to the world the others inhabit. Tung plays Pumpkin’s personal situation close to the chest, as she begins to manipulate the other girls into trusting her. Strangely enough, Pumpkin’s exact motivations are not revealed until an end credits scene. Pumpkin’s characterization is a prime example of the writing inconsistencies, especially since from one scene to the next, her intentions seem to shift.
The greatest emotional arc—and largest actual onscreen transformation—comes courtesy of the virtually unrecognizable Victoria Pedretti. Embracing the blonde gives Cherry several hilarious lines of dialogue, as well as a campy montage where Cherry works her way through a couple hunky mall worker men. Pedretti’s performance pairs spectacularly well with Lili Reinhart’s Apple; their dynamic compels, given Apple’s strict rules for the group at large. Reinhart is a chameleon when it comes to her filmography, and Apple allows her more time in that Dark Betty sandbox she embraced over many seasons on CW’s underrated camp gem, Riverdale. Shipp’s Fig has less definition than the others, mostly given purpose through her shaky love for a man whilst the group is strictly forbidden to speak to boys unless via emoji. By the time Fig gets a meatier role, it’s too little too late.
Despite the caveats and a slower setup, Forbidden Fruits tastes sweet enough to recommend. The soundtrack sizzles, the stylistic flourishes are delightful, and the core performances are joyous. It could have been campier, leaned into the horror more, and contained even a modicum of Craft-y magic; that it functions as a rollicking good time remains a testament to the main women and Alloway’s own unique style. A bold, shocking final act beautifully blends the dark satire and genre slashes, culminating in a face-off that just barely sticks the landing. The ending appears to suggest a sequel. It features a cameo that should have been a full-blown role to significantly change the context of Pumpkin’s involvement. Still, the bold fashion and glitter-soaked bubblegum aesthetic may put a hex on younger viewers.
Taste the Forbidden Fruits, unwrapping exclusively in theaters everywhere on Friday, March 27th.
