A Netflix original that didn’t suck…
I’m not a huge movie fan, but I’m always on the lookout for something cute, cheesy, and doesn’t take itself too seriously. Moxie was released on March 3 and was pretty well received. The 2021 Netflix Original sees a cute and funny take on feminism in the modern age. It was written and directed by women so while I do have my gripes with the film, I still enjoyed it. The main character is your typical wallflower and ends up becoming a hot feminist rebel girl, with the leather jacket included- Rebel girl by Bikini kill confirmed to be apart of the movie. The main character was inspired by her mother and while at times the dialogue does not feel realistic for something a teenager would say, the point comes through. The main character is my least favorite part of the movie, but the rest kinda slaps:
Seth Acosta is one of the best love interests ever. He’s cool, but also a little bit dorky. He supports her, he knows how to keep a secret – swoon. I would’ve been head over heels if I’d seen this in high school. While I would have appreciated it more if Seth was more vocal in his disapproval of Mitchell’s actions, I do approve of all of the decisions he made. One of the main points the movie tried to push is action, but Seth was pretty complacent when it came to other men. This portrayal of a man who is supportive of feminism and displays a different type of masculinity is an important representation. If these kinds of character were always the love interest there would be a shift in what women would be willing to accept from men (which let’s be honest, is the bare minimum).
Lucy, the side-kick, carried the entire movie and was the stereotypical helpful negro to the protagonist, Vivian. Lucy showed Vivian the way to being a rebel girl and educated her on true feminist ideology. Vivian secretly makes a magazine called MOXIE and it starts to give the girls in her school hope. Despite the white lead, there are two Asian people and a handful of black people that are central to the main story. The slight diversity was something that we’ve come to expect from Netflix, but there was definitely a missed opportunity when it came to how these characters expressed the need for intersectionality. However, despite some shortcomings, the movie was funny, with the rebel mom being the interrogative figure that most fathers are. Another good thing was the direction they took the characters, and while the character development and overall story felt very predictable, the movie ended nicely as well as providing a view of feminism that is for everyone. The movie focused a lot on girl love and women supporting and believing each other which is a sentiment all movies should seek to demonstrate between their female characters
thanks for reading
-HCXO