Without focus and all too often unbelievable, Amy Poehler’s “Moxie” feels like a battle between two competing visions: the fun of the go-girl crowd and the serious drama of high school harassment. Neither wins.
Based on the young adult novel of the same name by Jennifer Mathieu, the story centers on Vivian (Hadley Robinson), 16, a calm girl who turns into a rebel when a new student (Alycia Pascual-Peña) challenges the sexist culture of their school. Vivian’s nascent feminism gained momentum when, inspired by a collection of riot-grrrl memorabilia from the 1990s belonging to her single mother (Poehler), she created an anonymous zine, named it Moxie, and threw copies of it in theaters. girls bathroom. Just like that, a revolution was born.
Despite an attractive young cast – Nico Hiraga, as Vivian’s gentle and respectful love interest, stands out – “Moxie” needs fewer stereotypes and infinitely more nuance. The characters are subscribed and the script (by Tamara Chestna and Dylan Meyer) overloaded. Transgender and immigrant issues, as well as gender inequality in sport, are all superficially verified in a plot that nostalgically suggests that a homemade pamphlet from the last century is more likely to raise awareness than it is. a wall-to-wall culture of #MeToo.
Overwhelmed by oversimplification and unsettling rudeness – a young woman’s devastating revelation is just a stepping stone to the film’s ra-ra finale – “Moxie” is a CliffsNotes guide to fighting patriarchy. In its hyper-condensed view, all you need is a tank top, a Bikini Kill song and a massive outing and voila! The fight is over.
Moxie
Rated PG-13 for its vulgar language and sexist behavior. Duration: 1 hour 51 minutes. Watch on Netflix.
