What Are the 3 Movies in Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Good 4 U’ Music Video?
If anyone is so unaffected by Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Good 4 U’, we really don’t get it. The High School Musical: The Musical: The Series star brought the house down at the MTV Video Music Awards. Rodrigo performed her punk rock single and won multiple VMAs.
Speaking of “Good 4 U,” did movie fans notice that a few cult classics inspired Rodrigo’s music video? The video resurrected two horror movies and a comedy.
Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Good 4 U’ VMAs performance broke expectations
After “Good 4 U” became a smashing success, Rodrigo chose it for her 2021 VMAs performance. She floated down atop a cloud of metallic balloons. Butterflies fluttered around the arena, setting up the tone for Rodrigo’s album Sour. The audience joined in and belted out the “Good 4 U” lyrics.
The camera focused on the singer’s face toward the end of the song. Rodrigo closed the performance by punching the camera, shattering it.
The image broke the internet. Many at-home viewers were startled: how could anybody shatter an expensive MTV camera? But the break was likely a staged stunt. It was the ultimate conclusion to the head-banging, angst-driven song.
What movies are represented in the ‘Good 4 U’ music video?
Rodrigo’s “Good 4 U” video encapsulates a young woman who seeks revenge against her apathetic ex-boyfriend. The video opens with the singer in an audition room. Two people record her sitting in a chair and hold a zoom-in of her eye. Many viewers initially thought this was a reenactment of most auditions. It’s actually a tribute to the 1999 Japanese horror film, Audition.
Audition involves the widowed man Aoyama who stages an audition to find a new wife. To a viewer’s astonishment, the woman Asami turns the tables on him. In an eerily similar torture sequence to Kathy Bates’ Misery, Asami brutalizes Aoyama.
Rodrigo then slips on some black gloves and sets her sights on destruction. She channels Megan Fox from Jennifer’s Body as she laughs maniacally in a vanity mirror. The 2009 comedy-horror film focuses on a possessed popular student who kills her male classmates.
Later in the video, Rodrigo burns a bedroom down in the end. Then, she wades through a spooky lake while looking into the lens. This image reaffirms the Jennifer’s Body inspiration.
But these aren’t the only two films in Rodrigo’s iconic music video.
Rodrigo wears a ‘Princess Diaries’ look-alike costume
The “Driver’s License” singer dropped the coming-of-age princess flick in her vengeful video. But many viewers might wonder, where is the family-friendly film in the midst of the horror-inspired scenes?
As Rodrigo sings the “Good 4 U” chorus, she switches to a light blue cheerleader outfit.
Rodrigo wears the cheerleader costume throughout a large portion of the song. Fans of The Princess Diaries should recognize that it looks similar to Mandy Moore’s character, Lana Thomas. Lana bullies Mia throughout the film.
Since Rodrigo dons the cheerleader costume, she might be representing Lana’s “mean girl” archetype. Aside from that, some viewers believe the singer wanted an empowered image rather than just a school bully.
After releasing “Good 4 U,” Rodrigo gave Paramore writing credit on the song. Amid many indications of similarities between “Good 4 U” and Paramore’s “Misery Business,” Rodrigo added singer Hayley Williams and former guitarist Josh Farro.
