Moxie is an American comedy-drama film directed by Amy Poehler and stars Hadley Robinson, Lauren Tsai, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Nico Hiraga, Sydney Park, Josephine Langford, Clark Gregg, Ike Barinholtz, Poehler, and Marcia Gay Harden. It was released on 3rd March 2021 on Netflix.
Vivian Carter (Hadley Robinson) is now a high school girl and on the first day, she gets to know about the ranking system by her BFF Claudia (Lauren Tsai). The ranking includes who is most annoying, most obedient...that sounds good right....but hey... it also has a section...most bangable, best a*s and whatnot. Vivian is depressed to see the toxic atmosphere in her school, where there is not equality, quiet ones are bullied, but something sparks in her seeing a new student, a black girl, Lucy Hernandez (Alycia Pascual-Peña) getting harassed by the school most famous boy, the alarming and dangerous, the school football team captain, the smug macho Mitchell Wilson (Patrick Schwarzenegger) but she knows to stand for herself. Vivian, then, starts a feminist club 'Moxie', without disclosing that she is the one who started it, and the girls begin to join this club, after getting encouraged by seeing the zine that Vivian made.
Based on the 2015 novel, Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu, and with the screenplay by Tamara Chestna and Dylan Meyer, Moxie celebrates the power of feminism. Though that remains one of the most significant tracks for the film, it is also about friendship, new friends, love and family, standing against what's wrong, and doing something about it. That's where Vivian comes into the picture, a shy and quiet girl, who gets swayed and influenced by the newcomer Lucy, starts Moxie, a feminist club, where more and more girls join and comes in the support it, Vivian is one of them, she's telling that doesn't know who Moxie is, nobody knows. That's where Vivian stands strong, a silent player and inspiring.
Lucy is getting harassed, but what's upsetting is to see the principal handling this issue as 'this might bring a heavy load of paperwork on her'. Kaitlynn Price (Sabrina Haskett) is told to go home as she came to school wearing a tank top but Jason (Joshua Darnell Walker) can roam shirtless. Lucy's name was under a horrible section in the rankings, and all these things lead to protests and vandalisms but then Emma (Josephine Langford) comes out with a most shocking revelation, that might feels very easy to end the film, but coming up with such a grave matter at the end hardly matter, it would have been brought in the middle. Other than this, Moxie is the same as any other coming of age dramas, where a friend feels her best friend is alienating her for new friends, the heroine's perfect love life, and a supportive mother. And everything is done satisfactorily well, as you'll find cheering for this girl gang.
Hadley Robinson as Vivian Carter fits the role of a timid and introverted girl. Alycia Pascual-Peña as Lucy Hernandez is remarkable. Patrick Schwarzenegger as Mitchell Wilson is terrific, you'll hate him, you'll wish that he won't get the scholarship and all, and so he's good. Nico Hiraga as Seth Acosta as the supportive boyfriend of Vivian is decent and Amy Poehler as Lisa Carter, Vivian's mom, is a scene-stealer. Josephine Langford as Emma Cunningham shines surprisingly, even better performance from her last ventures like After. And others have lent good support.
The cinematography by Tom Magill is perfect for this kind of film. The camera movement is fast and free and gives a fresh look to the film. The production design by Erin Magill is appropriate and the music by Mac McCaughan perfectly goes with the tone of the film. The editing by Julie Monroe is tight and you'll not feel bored.
So, Moxie is not your usual coming of age dramas. Revolving around the students of high school, much importance is given to the abuse and harassment the girls have to face. Where most of the film on feminism showcases male characters as predators or a nobody, here you'll get to see Seth and Ike Barinholtz as Mr. Davies supporting them. Stream it, it is a fully entertaining, satisfying, heartening, beautiful film about girl power, which you'll love thoroughly.
Rating:- 3.5/5
Now streaming on Netflix.
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