'Hairspray for rappers.'
'(Size 1)8 Mile.'
It'd be easy to write Patti Cake$ off from the onset as derivative and clichéd, but doing so would be the cinematic equivalent of kicking a mangy, adopted puppy who has yet to show you how damn good it is at doing tricks. Here, defying all odds, is an underdog tale of not judging a book by its cover turning into an uncanny exemplar of life imitating art, from the film's accolades as a crowd-pleasing Sundance darling, to the unexpectedly enjoyable and resonant final product. Cheerfully bubbling with gusto and sincerity, Patti Cake$, 2017's most unexpected pleasant surprise, is decided more fun and worthwhile than the sum of its parts, oft-trod as its parts may be.
The plot, inevitably, is a harmlessly rote affair, complete with ragtag posse, debilitating family drama, and that oh-so-convenient battle of the bands for a record deal (do those even exist outside of the movies?) as the carrot dangled as Patti's potential escape from 'dirty Jersey.' Still, director Geremy Jasper attacks it all with such ferocious earnestness and urgency that it's easy to walk down Patti's path of desperation and redemption with minimal eye-rolling. The on-location shooting makes for a resonantly despondent setting, dredging up every last inch of grime, crime, and lack of opportunities, as Patti's poverty and paralysis ebb out from the cigarette butt-riddled concrete and her cheap, cracked sneakers. Similarly, Jasper carefully paces his film so Patti's breakout rap prowess isn't too saccharine and convenient, but plagued with genuine doubt and inertia, making the catharsis of each musical win all the more earned.
Jasper is also carefully to neatly invert expectations to keep his film fresh amidst its framework. Right when Patti's Nana (an amusingly salty Cathy Moriarty) is on the cusp of empowering and balancing her granddaughter's perspective, she drops off with inglorious nonchalance, and 'Basterd' (hilariously opaque, scene-stealing Mamoudou Athie), Patti's industrial thrash metal collaborator, is a young, solemn African American man instead of the stereotypical basement-dwelling white nerd, who additionally turns out to be a) a privileged rich kid acting out, and b) a viable love interest. Still, appropriately, Patti Cake$ truly comes alive and is elevated by its killer soundtrack, chock-full of tenaciously energetic, ferociously catchy, and lyrically nimble rap tunes (anyone who can make a song about a sandwich acronym turn into so bombastic a throwdown beat is all right in my books). The film's finale, which neatly weaves all conflicting plot threads together into an emotionally supercharged duet between Patti and her mother, is as flooring and affecting as any major blockbuster emotional beat of the year.
Newcomer Danielle Macdonald truly shines as Patti. Apart from her surprisingly fluid rapping, Macdonald delivers a performance so loudly belligerent you can too easily see her drifting into the same white trash anonymity as the rest of her family, but gleaming with so much mischievous playfulness and deepest emotional honest that you yearn for her to hit the heights of her rap dreams. Supporting her, Bridget Everett is exceptionally brash, abrasive, and achingly sympathetic as Patti's mother - a former hair metal singer turned into tragic, dissolute cautionary tale. Finally, Siddarth Dhananjay gives an exceptional breakout performance. Practically glowing with an unquenchable twinkling, bouncing jubilance, Dhananjay brings the film most of its biggest laughs and more poignant inspirational beats, proving himself a vibrant talent considerably worth keeping an eye on.
So insistently big-hearted that it worms - or perhaps bludgeons -its way into the heart, Patti Cake$ is a perfect example of how to ride out cliché with disarming charm. Defying expectation, the film provides the year not only one of its most addictive soundtracks, but infectiously enjoyable crowd-pleasing interludes. It's silly, convenient, and doesn't reinvent the wheel, but Patti Cake$ is miles away from the message of its recurring hair metal screech - Tuff (to) Love.
-7/10
It'd be easy to write Patti Cake$ off from the onset as derivative and clichéd, but doing so would be the cinematic equivalent of kicking a mangy, adopted puppy who has yet to show you how damn good it is at doing tricks. Here, defying all odds, is an underdog tale of not judging a book by its cover turning into an uncanny exemplar of life imitating art, from the film's accolades as a crowd-pleasing Sundance darling, to the unexpectedly enjoyable and resonant final product. Cheerfully bubbling with gusto and sincerity, Patti Cake$, 2017's most unexpected pleasant surprise, is decided more fun and worthwhile than the sum of its parts, oft-trod as its parts may be.
The plot, inevitably, is a harmlessly rote affair, complete with ragtag posse, debilitating family drama, and that oh-so-convenient battle of the bands for a record deal (do those even exist outside of the movies?) as the carrot dangled as Patti's potential escape from 'dirty Jersey.' Still, director Geremy Jasper attacks it all with such ferocious earnestness and urgency that it's easy to walk down Patti's path of desperation and redemption with minimal eye-rolling. The on-location shooting makes for a resonantly despondent setting, dredging up every last inch of grime, crime, and lack of opportunities, as Patti's poverty and paralysis ebb out from the cigarette butt-riddled concrete and her cheap, cracked sneakers. Similarly, Jasper carefully paces his film so Patti's breakout rap prowess isn't too saccharine and convenient, but plagued with genuine doubt and inertia, making the catharsis of each musical win all the more earned.
Jasper is also carefully to neatly invert expectations to keep his film fresh amidst its framework. Right when Patti's Nana (an amusingly salty Cathy Moriarty) is on the cusp of empowering and balancing her granddaughter's perspective, she drops off with inglorious nonchalance, and 'Basterd' (hilariously opaque, scene-stealing Mamoudou Athie), Patti's industrial thrash metal collaborator, is a young, solemn African American man instead of the stereotypical basement-dwelling white nerd, who additionally turns out to be a) a privileged rich kid acting out, and b) a viable love interest. Still, appropriately, Patti Cake$ truly comes alive and is elevated by its killer soundtrack, chock-full of tenaciously energetic, ferociously catchy, and lyrically nimble rap tunes (anyone who can make a song about a sandwich acronym turn into so bombastic a throwdown beat is all right in my books). The film's finale, which neatly weaves all conflicting plot threads together into an emotionally supercharged duet between Patti and her mother, is as flooring and affecting as any major blockbuster emotional beat of the year.
Newcomer Danielle Macdonald truly shines as Patti. Apart from her surprisingly fluid rapping, Macdonald delivers a performance so loudly belligerent you can too easily see her drifting into the same white trash anonymity as the rest of her family, but gleaming with so much mischievous playfulness and deepest emotional honest that you yearn for her to hit the heights of her rap dreams. Supporting her, Bridget Everett is exceptionally brash, abrasive, and achingly sympathetic as Patti's mother - a former hair metal singer turned into tragic, dissolute cautionary tale. Finally, Siddarth Dhananjay gives an exceptional breakout performance. Practically glowing with an unquenchable twinkling, bouncing jubilance, Dhananjay brings the film most of its biggest laughs and more poignant inspirational beats, proving himself a vibrant talent considerably worth keeping an eye on.
So insistently big-hearted that it worms - or perhaps bludgeons -its way into the heart, Patti Cake$ is a perfect example of how to ride out cliché with disarming charm. Defying expectation, the film provides the year not only one of its most addictive soundtracks, but infectiously enjoyable crowd-pleasing interludes. It's silly, convenient, and doesn't reinvent the wheel, but Patti Cake$ is miles away from the message of its recurring hair metal screech - Tuff (to) Love.
-7/10