Moxie (2021) Review

With the world still being stuck in this pandemic, it means we don't have that many new movies coming out but Moxie came out last week and today I sat down and watched it and here is my review for it. The premise of the film sees a teenager inspired by her mother decided to take a stand against the sexist and toxic ways at her high school. 

Main Character

Hadley Robinson plays the main character and she does a decent job here. She is a young and pretty inexperienced actress but she does well with the material that she is given, you care about the struggles she is going through for some of the film and the elements of the film that the film does well she does to. The issue is I just thought her character took a complete turn late on in the 2nd act and she actually became annoying, yeah by the end she basically gets you on side again but I can't help and think about the parts of the film where she is unlikeable. 

Supporting Characters

The collective group of friends she have are all pretty good here too. I mean they are all pretty stereotypical characters but I thought the performers all did decent jobs and hopefully could have long careers ahead. Amy Poehler plays Robinson's mum in the film and she is also good, they have a nice chemistry together and you see the influence she has on her as a mother and the actions she takes forward. Ike Bariholtz is usually an actor I am not fond of but I thought he filled his role as the English teacher well and for a film that isn't that funny I thought he was probably the funniest part of the film. I mean this film has a small role from Clark Gregg which is great to see, even if the film does waste him for sure. 

Story

The story looks at certain ideals in feminism and equality which obviously these are subjects that should be mentioned and talked about in film and this film does it okay with one really powerful moment happening towards the end of the film. But you can't help but notice that this is one of the most stereotypical and generic stories ever told, if you have seen a high school drama you know exactly what is going to happen here and it becomes very predictable in its execution. 

Script 

The script is okay, there are some decent dramatic moments here, especially the one that takes place at the end of the film. But there is plenty of high school drama, and teen angst that is dull and uninspired as is in the majority of these types of films. Plus there is a romance here that feels unnecessary and kind of even goes against some of the messages put in place here. 

Style 

The film has a pretty exaggerated style to it, I mean this story has some pretty mad conveniences to it but they are so overblown that it works. I dunno, it is just the film doesn't maybe go hard enough with what it is trying to tell and I could have done with more scenes with Poehler and Robinson to really sell that bond and connection. 

Overall

Overall, this is an above average film. It does what it wants to quite well but there is plenty around it that falters and that stops it from getting a full recommendation. For me it isn't probably worth a watch, but if you do watch it you won't think you wasted 2 hours of your life at least. 

Rating - 6/10