Introducing . . .
Starring: Danielle Macdonald, Bridget Everett, Siddharth Dhananjay
Director: Geremy Jasper
The Plot: Patricia Dombrowski (Macdonald), a.k.a "Killa P", a.k.a. "Patti Cake$", is a young woman from New Jersey who dreams of being a rapper. Despite being genuinely talented, her being both white and overweight makes it tough for her to be accepted within the hip-hop community. As she struggles with the hardships of her life, working two jobs to support her alcoholic mother (Everett) and sick grandmother, she's supported by her friend and fellow rapper Jehri (Dhananjay) who, along with an unusual musician known as Basterd, they form a group called PBNJ. When given a chance to perform, will Patti have the confidence to deliver?
Review: Let's be honest to begin with - the underdog story is well-trodden in cinema. We've seen it countless times in many genres. You could even argue that we've already seen a version of Patti Cake$ itself before in 2002's 8 Mile, the story of Eminem's rise from a nobody white man to rap star. These days an underdog story needs to be something special to stand out from the inevitable predictability, and I'm happy to report that Patti Cake$ is just that. This isn't a rag-to-riches story but rather a rags-to-rags one, and it's told with such passion and talent that, come the end, you'll understand why this film received a 10-minute long standing ovation after it was screened at Cannes.
A film like this needs a strong central performance to carry it and, as Patti, Danielle Macdonald is outstanding. Her dedication to the role is incredible - the Australian actress took lessons to learn a New Jersey accent, which is impeccable, and spent over a year learning how to rap. She performs all of Patti's raps in the film herself (the lyrics were written by director Geremy Jasper) and she's genuinely good. Even if you're not a fan of rap music, you can appreciate the skill she shows off here. But it's not just the musical side where she's strong, as she puts in an emotional performance: we feel her pain and humiliation at the mocking she suffers from other rappers, we feel the sadness and anger she has for the state her mother is in, we feel the love and respect she shares with her best friend Jehri. She's completely believable and as the audience we get behind her 100%, which is what a story like this needs.
She's surrounded by a strong supporting cast. As Patti's alcoholic mother Barb, Bridget Everett elicits both sympathy and pity. A washed-up singer who has turned to the bottle, she doesn't believe in Patti's rap dream and subsists off of her daughter's menial labour. She's alternately cruel and kind, which is reflective of how much her character has drunk, but despite their arguments it's clear she has a genuine love for her daughter. Patti's best friend Jehri is a somewhat clownish figure and provides a lot of the film's light-hearted moments, but Dhananjay never takes this too far and remains a likeable character throughout. Jehri has an unwavering belief in Patti's talents and continually supports and encourages her, forgiving her for the mistakes she makes, and it's clear how important his friendship is to Patti. Stealing all of the scenes she's in is Cathy Moriaty as the wheelchair-bound Nana, Patti's sick grandmother who, unlike Barb, is a believer in her talents and refers to her as her "superstar." One of the funniest aspects of the film is that, having been taken along to Basterd's recording studio (a.k.a. a decrepit shack), Nana becomes the "N" of their group PBNJ after they sample her voice. Posing for a group shot for the cover of their EP, Nana lifts her balaclava to berate the photographer with "Will you hurry up and take the fuckin' picture?"
The film is shot very well and captures the gritty locations of Patti's world in New Jersey. There are some particularly nice shots at nighttime where Patti sits atop her car writing lyrics as as the bright lights of Manhattan shine in the distance, both a physical representation of, and a metaphor for, Patti's goals. Given the nature of the film the soundtrack is also excellent and (unsurprisingly) grounded in hip-hop, with Macdonald's rap performances the clear standouts.
But. To come back what I was saying earlier about predictability, it's something that the film can't quite overcome, as good as the story and the performances are. It was very easy for me to guess where the film was going, what particular beats it was going to take and what events were going to happen. In fairness to director Geremy Jasper, who also wrote the screenplay, it's incredibly difficult to write an underdog story that's entirely fresh and original. I know I wouldn't be able to do it, if I were tasked to sit down and write an underdog tale. It's a shame, but not something that blame can really be attributed to.
Score: 4 out of 5 stars
An emotional, funny and feel-good story featuring a stand-out performance from Danielle Macdonald. The nature of the tale means it suffers from being predictable, but this doesn't stop this from being an excellent film. Highly recommended.
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