Archewell film ‘Cookie Queens’ criticized for reality-show feel

“Cookie Queens,” a new documentary about the Girl Scouts cookie-selling juggernaut, is getting panned for feeling less like a celebration of young entrepreneurs and more like an outtake reel from the Sussexes’ Sussex Productions.

The film, executive-produced by Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, follows four teenage Girl Scouts as they race to sell the most cookies in a single season. Critics say the doc never escapes its reality-show DNA, stuck in a loop of manufactured drama and glossy close-ups. Variety calls it “too much of a reality-show ramble,” with Nahmias’s direction leaning harder on sparkly ambition than on the actual business of cookies.

The project lands at a moment when Girl Scouts of the USA is under pressure to modernize its century-old brand while keeping the cookie program thriving. Sales hit $444 million in 2023, funding camps, scholarships, and STEM badges—but the organization has been criticized for its reliance on unpaid youth labor and its $8 per-box price tag. The documentary was greenlit during the pandemic, when cookie sales moved online for the first time. Filming wrapped just as the Sussexes stepped back from royal duties, giving the project an accidental tie to their media ventures.

Meghan and Harry’s production company, Archewell Productions, has yet to comment on the criticism. The film is heading to Tribeca Festival next month, where distributors will decide if its reality-show vibe plays well beyond the usual cookie-craving fanbase. If it flops, it could reinforce the idea that celebrity-backed docs need more substance than sparkle. If it finds an audience, expect more brand-aligned “quest” projects in the pipeline. Either way, the real test is whether the girls in the film get lasting benefits—or just a fleeting cameo in someone else’s spotlight.