Moxie * Wonderful Comedy, Drama and Terrific Message
Fed up with the sexist and toxic status quo at her high school, a shy 16-year-old finds inspiration from her mother’s rebellious past and anonymously publishes a zine that sparks a school-wide, coming-of-rage revolution.
KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Katherine S. comments, “I love the coming-of-age movie, Moxie! It has comedy, drama and a terrific message, while handling very serious topics. The cast is perfect, and the music gives the film a lot of energy.” See her full review below.
Moxie
By Katherine Schell, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 13
I love the coming-of-age movie, Moxie! It has comedy, drama and a terrific message, while handling very serious topics. The cast is perfect, and the music gives the film a lot of energy.
Moxie is based on the novel by the same name by Jennifer Mathieu and follows a 16-year-old girl named Vivian (Hadley Robinson) who prefers to be under the radar. This all changes when Lucy (Alycia Pascual-Peña) comes to her high school. After witnessing Lucy “holding her head high” during an encounter with another student, Vivian notices all of the horrible ways that girls are being treated at her school and decides to publish an anonymous zine that sparks a fire in all of the other fed-up girls at her school.
Amy Poehler directs the movie and plays Vivian’s mom. She also happens to be my favorite character, because she is very clever, inspiring and is not a “traditional mom.” The rest of the cast plays their characters so well. We see Vivian’s journey from follower to leader. Lucy is such a bold and confident woman, standing up for what is right. Seth (Nico Hiragra) comes across as a really cool love interest of Vivian’s and male ally to the female revolution. Patrick Schwarzenegger’s portrayal of Mitchell Wilson is terrific, as I just hated him in the movie. The supporting characters are very diverse as we see people of all shapes, sizes and races, including a girl in a wheelchair, which I rarely see in movies, plus an all-girl band.
The key messages in this film are: to be the change you want to see, and friendship can support that change. You should know that the film has some mild profanity, shows underage drinking and handles some mature subjects.
I give Moxie 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 13 to 18, plus adults. It comes out on Netflix March 3, 2021.
