'Romy And Michele's High School Reunion' Exists in The Quentin Tarantino Cinematic Universe

Reader, have you ever wondered if Romy and Michele proceeded to stop by Big Kahuna Burger for a post-high school reunion snack after landing in LA on Sandy Frink’s helicopter? Do you think our titular heroes take turns dunking on old, campy reruns of Bounty Law just like they do the shopping scene in Pretty Woman? Have you often wondered if Mia Wallace, roughly three years out from her, erm, very eventful night with Vincent Vega, ever stops by the Romy + Michele boutique for a totally '90s shopping spree funded by her husband Marsellus’s mob money?

Well, folks, it seems the answer to all of these inquiries may be a resounding yes – at least according to a newly-resurfaced theory regarding the cult classic, Romy and Michele's High School Reunion. That's right, the duo's famed 1997 get-together, in all of its brightly colored, interpretive-dance filled glory, may actually exist in a world where Hitler was blown to bits at a movie theater and Sharon Tate actually got her happily ever after – Quentin Tarantino's ultra witty, ultra-gory, cinematic universe. 

As anyone who has watched more than a handful of Tarantino movies (and/or spoken to an obnoxious film student for more than 30 seconds) can tell you, the fictitious brands Red Apple Cigarettes and Big Kahuna Burger are certified staples in the beloved director's filmography. The tobacco brand has appeared in nearly all of the director's flicks – including Inglorious Basterds, The Hateful Eight, and Kill Bill – with the fast-food chain popping up in Death Proof, Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, and most notably playing an integral role in one of Pulp Fiction's most iconic scenes. 

Yet it seems these non-existent brands aren't confined to the products of Tarantino's imagination. Sprinkled throughout Romy and Michele's one hour and 32-minute run-time, there are a couple of blink-and-you'll-miss-it easter eggs connecting our dynamic duo to characters like Richard Gecko and Mr. Brown – a Big Kahuna Burger bag in the background as the girls chow down on junk food and an advertisement featuring the Tarantino-CU cigs appearing behind their Jaguar convertible as they head to their event.

”It’s a signature thing,” Jerry Martinez, the designer behind the iconic companies told Entertainment Weekly in a 1997 article discussing Tarantino's influence on the chick flick. ”It’s Quentin’s way of saying all these different characters share the same universe.”

While as the article notes, the inclusion of these brands in Tarantino's movies – which exist in the director's main world, consisting of films like Once Upon A Time In Hollywood and Pulp Fiction, and the main world's cinematic offerings, Kill Bill and From Dusk Till Dawn – came out of practicality, as clearing registered brands is a pain in the a**, their genesis in Romy and Michele was slightly different. Between 1995 and 1998, Romy herself, actress Mira Sorvino, famously dated Tarantino. As such, the film's team decided to include the easter eggs, serving “as an in-joke among friends.”

Although the theory was a popular topic nearly a quarter-century ago, the idea of Romy and Michele existing alongside Tarantino's work recently exploded on TikTok, after user @lusci0usgarbage created a viral explainer on the absurdity of the crossover. 

“Romy and Michele exist in the Quentin Tarantino universe," the creator explained in disbelief, noting that the crossover was “too good to keep to myself.”  “Pulp Fiction and Romy and Michele, they're in the same world, they exist together!”

For more internet nonsense, follow Carly on Instagram @HuntressThompson_ on TikTok as @HuntressThompson_, and on Twitter @TennesAnyone.