open/close all folders
Romy White
The brains of the duo (as much brains as they can have, anyway), Romy still regrets not being cool enough in high school and is determined to go back to the reunion to impress people.
- Alone Among the Couples: She's the only major character (besides Toby) who doesn't pair up with anyone at the end.
- Betty and Veronica: The Betty to Christie’s Veronica and Billy’s Archie.
- Beautiful All Along: In High school, Romy was bullied because Christie said she was overweight (when in reality she was quite thin) and had a bold sense of fashion. She also grew her hair into a very long ponytail based on one of Madonna’s hairstyles. After losing the tiniest bit of weight and getting a haircut she has multiple men trying to get her attention.
- Death of the Hypotenuse: Deconstructed. While Romy never got together with Billy, she and Michelle did go on to have a pretty sweet adulthood, having their own beachside apartment. Meanwhile, Christie and Billy's Happily Ever After turned out to be a hollow facade.
- Determinator: She's the one who hatches the plan to impress their class and lets nothing short of a Heroic BSoD stop her (and then only temporarily).
- Did Not Get The Guy: A rare triumphant example. Had the chance to get with Billy, but decides against it out of a sense of self-respect.
- Dumb Blonde: The girls' defining trait.
- The Fashionista: They both design some of their own clothes.
- Formerly Fat: According to Christie. She was actually quite thin back in high school.
- I Was Quite a Fashion Victim: Her prom dress was based on one of Madonna's outfits and her long ponytail was based on one of Madonna’s hairstyles.
- The Leader: Romy is the schemer and tends to take action far more than Michele.
- Only Friend: A big reason these two are so close - they were unpopular in high school.
- Simpleton Voice: Romy's low voice makes pretty clear she's not very smart. (Mira Sorvino says she based it on her sister, "who, although she was raised in New Jersey, had kind of a
Valley Girl accent".) - Tomboy and Girly Girl: The Tomboy to Michele’s Girly Girl, Romy being the more intelligent and assertive, as well as wearing a blue dress while Michele wears a pink one after their businesswomen facade fails. Romy also has a rather deep voice.
- Of course, when compared to Heather Mooney, she is the Girly Girl. Romy has a bold sense of fashion and wears dresses, as well as that makes an effort with her hair, makeup and appearance, while Heather is a hard-headed, unfashionable Goth who regularly smokes cigarettes and had shaggy hair in school.
- Girly Girl with a Tomboy Streak: Romy is more assertive, compared to Michele, however is equally fashion-conscious, fun and excitable.
- True Blue Femininity: Wears a cyan blue minidress in the climactic scene.
- Women Prefer Strong Men: Her attraction to Billy seems to be based solely on how good he looks with his shirt off.
Michele Weinberger
Michele is easygoing and the ditzier of the two and generally good to sit back and let Romy come up with the schemes.
- Betty and Veronica: The Veronica to Heather’s Betty to Sandy’s Archie.
- Beautiful All Along: In High school, Michele actually was quite pretty, only being bullied because of her Scoliosis brace, frizzy hair and bold sense of fashion. At the time of her reunion, Michele is a beautiful young woman.
- The Cutie: Very bubbly and girly.
- Dumb Blonde: Even more so than Romy.
- Fashionable Asymmetry: When she and Romy are packing the car to drive to the reunion, she can be seen wearing mismatched heels: one green and one pink.
- The Fashionista: They both design some of their own clothes.
- Give Geeks a Chance: Gets with Sandy, admittedly after he'd made his fortune and outgrown his teenage awkwardness.
- Gold Digger: She did only consider dating Sandy after he became a success.
- Hidden Depths: While Romy is the more determined and (marginally) smarter of the two, she's also the one who breaks down at the reunion, and it's Michele who snaps her out of it with a Rousing Speech full of Tough Love.
- Even if it was just a dream, she also memorably recited and created a recipe for glue, which was scientifically accurate.
- I Was Quite a Fashion Victim: Her prom dress was based on one of Madonna's outfits.
- The Lancer: She'll back Romy up every time, but will call her out if she really needs it.
- Only Friend: A big reason these two are so close - they were unpopular in high school.
- Pink Means Feminine: Wears a bubblegum pink minidress in the climactic scene.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: Girly Girl to Romy and Heather's Tomboy. Michele is more passive and easygoing, likes pink and wears a much frillier dress when the two wear their own designs in the confrontation scene.
Heather Mooney
Heather was a chain-smoking loner in high school who eventually became a success for designing a type of paper used in cigarettes that makes them burn faster.
- All Love Is Unrequited: Was "very much in love" with Sandy in High school, who only had eyes for Michele. Part of the reason why she didn't get along with her or Romy in high school, Sandy fawned over Michele (who never appreciated his affections) yet Sandy never even wanted to become friends with Heather.
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: With the cowboy.
- Betty and Veronica: The Betty to Michele’s Veronica and Sandy’s Archie.
- Beautiful All Along: In High school, Heather was a shaggy-haired, unfashionable Goth with poor personal hygiene, at the time of the reunion she is an attractive, well-proportioned Goth. The duo try to pretty her up some more with a bright sundress, which looks very out of place on Heather due to her dark makeup.
- Catchphrase: "Fuck off!", mostly directed at Toby.
- Deadpan Snarker: "I'd rather put this (cigarette) out in my ass!"
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Towards the end of the reunion, she mellows out considerably, acting mildly more friendly towards Romy, Michele and Toby, getting over Sandy and making out with the cowboy.
- Loners Are Freaks: Her smoking habit meant that she was always disappearing between classes.
- Misery Poker: Averted. She was only bitchy towards Romy and Michele because they seemed so much better off than herself. Knowing that they had their own crap to deal with actually humanised them in Heather's eyes and made her like them.
- Single-Target Sexuality: For Sandy. She outgrows this with hilarious speed the minute she actually sees him at the reunion.Heather: That's Sandy Frink? What the hell was I thinking?
- Tying Up Romantic Loose Ends: Gets with the cowboy after having an off-screen chat with him.
Sandy Frink
The class nerd. He's madly infatuated with Michele despite her being uninterested in him, and barely notices Heather's existence.
- Betty and Veronica: The Archie to Heather's Betty and Michele's Veronica.
- Beautiful All Along: In High school, Sandy was an unpopular, skinny geek. At the time of the reunion Sandy is attractive, charming, confident and mature.
- Character Tic: Carries a notebook around to hide his Raging Stiffie every time he sees Michele.
- Dogged Nice Guy
- Hollywood Kiss
- He Cleans Up Nicely: Much more dashing in the present.
- Opposites Attract: The shy nerd to Michele's fashionista.
- Romantic False Lead: He was this for Heather, right up until the moment she laid eyes on him at the reunion and wondered what the hell she'd been thinking.
- Shrinking Violet: Was really shy in high school. He outgrew it eventually.
- Single-Target Sexuality: For Michele.
- Undying Loyalty: His obsession with Michele never faded.
Christie Masters
The leader of the A-group in high school and the arch-nemesis to Romy and Michele.
- Alliterative Name: Christie Christianson, just to go that extra mile.
- Alpha Bitch: Every scene she's in, she's looking down on somebody else.
- Babies Ever After: Subverted. She's pregnant with her third child. Apparently, she's trying to make a fad out of it as her friends are also pregnant.
- Betty and Veronica: The Veronica to Romy’s Betty and Billy’s Archie.
- Bully: Stole Romy's lunch and stuck fridge magnets to Michele's back-brace.
- For the Evulz: She torments people just out of sadistic fun.
- The Friend Nobody Likes: Despite being the A-group leader, it's implied that her clique only hanged out with her because she was rich, which in turn made her popular. At the time of the reunion, it seems she is only still friends with her clique because they are in similar situations.
- Graceful Ladies Like Purple: Christie dresses in lilac during her high school years and then again at the reunion.
- Happily Married: Or so she says. It turns out that she got married immediately after high school, failed in her ambitions to become an anchorwoman and can only find validation in having babies.
- Hypocrite: Makes fun of Romy and Michele for not achieving anything noteworthy, when she herself hasn't done much outside of getting married and having kids.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Gets a big one from Romy, before getting a more subtle one from Lisa. It then turns out she sucks more than Romy knew.
- Rich Bitch: Seems to have been this in High school. It’s mentioned that Billy works for Christie’s father. By the time of the reunion, it’s implied that Christie and Billy rely on their parents for childcare.
- Smug Snake: Manages to act high and mighty about everything she does.
- Womanchild: Never matured beyond high school. As Romy and Michele leave with Sandy in his helicopter, she is yelling for her husband like a spoiled brat.
Billy Christianson
A Football player and Christie’s boyfriend. Romy has a crush on him.
- The Alcoholic: By the time he reappears in the present, he's thoroughly sloshed and hates his life.
- Betty and Veronica: With Romy as Betty and Christie as Veronica, he is the Archie. Inverted in the end when he's married to Christie and propositions Romy.
- Beautiful All Along: Subverted. In High school, Billy was tall, muscular, handsome and athletic. In the present, Billy is an overweight alcoholic who is absolutely repulsive when drunk.
- False Soulmate: Until the film's climax, it's left up in the air whether or not he and Romy should get together. While he stood up Romy, it was Christie’s idea to do so. Once we see him in the present, it's clear that he's not good for her.
- Foil: To Sandy. While Sandy was a shy but lovable nerd who became a success later in life, Billy was a shallow jock who never amounted to anything. Sandy was completely devoted to Michele, while Billy's relationship with Christie took a downturn after high school, with him becoming unfaithful to her and hoping to hook up with Romy.
- Jerk Jock: In school he seems to have been a bully, and stood up Romy at prom (even if this was at Christie’s urging) and in the present he is sleazy as hell.
- Mr. Fanservice: Appears topless and glistening in his first appearance as a muscular and handsome student.
- Fan Disservice: He's absolutely repulsive when he's drunk, sporting a visible beer gut and covered in sweat and spittle.
- The Tease: During prom night, he left Romy waiting all night for a dance.
Toby Walters
A nice gal who Heather finds irritating.
- Butt-Monkey: Seemingly exists so that Heather can be bitchy at someone.
- Fat Best Friend: She is hinted to be friendly with Sandy in high school and is chunky, unlike the usual trope, no one makes a note of her weight.
- Hidden Depths: It's hinted that she immediately knew that the "Post-Its" story was a lie.
- Lovable Nerd: Doesn't have a mean bone in her body.
- Phrase Catcher: "Fuck off, Toby!"
- The Pollyanna: Very upbeat.
- Straw Loser: Apparently, the school's hierarchy went as such: The A-group, Romy and Michele, Heather and then Toby.
Lisa Luder
A former member of the A-group and currently a fashion editor for Vogue magazine.
- Ambiguously Gay: Is implied to be a lesbian in several ways - her fashion sense and hair cut at the reunion, plus the fact that she's the only member of the A-group to be unmarried. And in the yearbook photo of the four cheerleaders, she's clearly checking out Christy's ass.
- Beta Bitch: Lisa was part of the A-group and Christie’s best friend in school. However, Lisa disliked Christie and the rest of the A-group and was only friends with them to be popular. Lisa admired Romy and Michele’s bold fashion sense and even commented on their outfits potential, until Christie and the other A-group members shut her down. After High school, Lisa has changed to the better and had a Heel–Face Turn.
- Expository Hairstyle Change: Goes from having wavy locks to a shorter, metropolitan style.
- Former Friend of Alpha Bitch: Was best friends with Christie, and the other A-group members in High school, purely for popularity reasons it seems. After graduation, she changed for the better and lost touch with the A-group.
- Grew a Spine: She's no longer Christy's Beta Bitch as an adult.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Became this after High school, dropping her mean girl act.
- Heel–Face Turn: Was the Beta Bitch back in High school using her friends for popularity, at the reunion she is a kind (if somewhat sassy) person who voices her opinions and is polite to everyone until they piss her off.
- Hidden Depths: Has always secretly admired Romy and Michele's bold fashion sense.
- Old Maid: Christy believes this since Lisa is 28 years old and not Happily Married. Lisa is quick to defy this trope and turn it around at Christy.
- Token Good Teammate: While she helps Christy pull pranks on Romy and Michelle, she was the only member of the A-group to express an opinion of her own, even if she took it back to save face.
- Took a Level in Kindness: Is much nicer at the reunion, even delivering a cool insult to Christy without coming across as bitchy.
