(CNN) "Do Revenge" has all the makings of an attention-generating machine, combining a "Mean Girls" vibe with the stars of two popular teen franchises in Camila Mendes ("Riverdale") and Maya Hawke ("Stranger Things"). It's too bad the Netflix movie doesn't match those qualities, offering a mishmash of homages that's mildly diverting but can't ace the final. Yet the plot (based on a script by Robinson and Celeste Ballard) doesn't pursue that enticing prospect with much conviction, which might explain why it runs out of steam down the stretch. The movie also owes debts to a lot of other teen fare, such as "Cruel Intentions," itself an adaptation of the French novel that became "Dangerous Liaisons." Mostly, it's a story of unlikely friendship, set against the backdrop of another private school where the parties make Roman bacchanals seem restrained and pale by comparison.

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