On April 9, 1999, “Never Been Kissed” was released in theaters. The film was the first movie produced by Flower Films, the production company founded by actress Drew Barrymore and filmmaker Nancy Juvonen in 1995. Today, amidst the #TimesUp and #MeToo movements, a record number of actresses are speaking out and taking control in Hollywood. Actresses like Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington have founded their own production companies and can thank Barrymore for helping pave the way for women in film.
After starting Flower Films in 1995, Barrymore has produced almost every film project in which she has appeared. “Never Been Kissed” is about 25-year-old Josie Geller, an insecure copy editor at the Chicago Sun-Times who, as the title clearly explains, has never been kissed. She is assigned a story about high school life that requires her to go undercover as a high school student. Painfully shunned as an actual teenager, Geller tries to recreate a better experience for her high school redux. High jinks inevitably ensue as Gellar tries to break into the cool girl clique for her story. Of course, Gellar eventually becomes the most popular girl in school (“I’m not Josie Grosie anymore!”) and is crowned prom queen, only to have her true identity revealed at the prom in a scene that involves flying dog food. And of course, like any good rom-com, Gellar also develops a major crush on her hot English teacher, who (spoiler alert!) becomes her first kiss at the end of the flick.
After “Never Been Kissed,” Flower Films produced other hit films including “Charlie’s Angels” (2000) as well as Barrymore’s directorial debut, “Whip It!” (2009). Barrymore currently stars in the Flower Films-produced Netflix series “Santa Clarita Diet,” which just started its second season. In even more recent Barrymore news, she will play two roles in the romantic comedy “The Stand-In.” Barrymore will also produce it through Flower Films.