by Alice Micheli, Contributing Writer
Released on Netflix this month, Moxie is a biting look at the current anti-feminist culture of high schools in the U.S. As someone who lives in Australia and only understands the experience of the average American teen through what they’ve read in books and seen in movies, this immediately stood to mind as a representation that is less interested in glamorizing the behaviors and attitudes of the typical high school persona, and more in breaking them down.
Following shy, 16-year-old, Vivian (Hadley Robinson) as she creates an anonymous magazine calling out sexism at her school, director Amy Poehler uses the film’s narrative to explore what it is to be young and female in America right now, and having to fight against the small subtleties of inequality that the general public has always preferred to ignore.
From the outset, this film has a lot to prove. Any movie that is entering the cinemascope touting to be a purveyor of a key social issue is immediately going to have its strong supporters and in-turn, its haters. Make that issue anything to do with going against tradition, unspoken inequality, or feminism and it’s ten-fold. But the question is, did it manage to do so?
Moxie certainly hits all the right beats, possibly helped along by the fact that the story is based on the successful young adult novel of the same name. It has a solid cast, an enjoyable enough story, and takes you on the standard three act journey of the hero, from reluctant leader to voice of freedom. However, as I was watching it, I sensed that there was something missing. A certain, je ne sais quoi, as the French say.
Every avenue of the sexist issue was referenced in some way, shape, or form, but there were certain moments that felt like they were included more because they had to be in order to be to fully round out the issue, rather than because it served the story.
This resulted in me feeling slightly empty at its conclusion. What should have been a moment of hurrah and motivation ended up feeling more like mild contentment, followed by my quick moving on to the next part of my night. The power behind the movie’s call to action was lacking, so the overall quality of the watching experience was, in turn, affected by it.
Having said that, this wasn’t an insurmountable blight on the entire experience. It was still an enjoyable film that I can see myself revisiting in a few years on a relaxing Sunday evening.
As mentioned, the story was told in a typical, even comfortable manner. The heroine’s journey is one we’ve all seen before. It’s “coming of age” in all of its clichés, such as the attractive, yet more sensitive than the rest love interest (see: She’s The Man), the best friend who finds themselves in conflict with the protagonists’ change (see: The Princess Diaries), the new friend who helps the protagonist reach their potential (see: Mean Girls), the teacher who actually relates and understands their plight (see The Edge of Seventeen), and oh so many more.
So basically, you know what you’re getting into when you hit play. The only difference here is that it’s meant to be saying something more. It’s not simply a coming of age story in the way that it’s only about an individual journey. But it’s intertwined with a very stark, and very real issue, that is likely present in the mind of most female American high schoolers today – the constant struggle against dated and unfair sexist school regulations.
And while it doesn’t quite hit the heights it promises to, it still reaches enough of a climax to not leave any on-side viewer with a bad taste in their mouth.
I’m not sure this is the film that is likely to punch a hole in societal sexism, or even convert those who had been opposed to it until now, but it’s a start. Maybe if this one gets some traction, and even a cult following down the line, it could lead to some similar stories being produced that do hit harder and break the pop culture stratosphere in a way that this is one won’t. Only time will tell.
So, as an Aussie who has absolutely no understanding over the realities of the American teenager, and no expertise on the social issue at hand, other than the fact that I am a woman and have indeed come of age (ripe old age of 26 that is), I will say that Moxie is a perfectly fine teen film that might not have quite hit its potential, but is a perfectly good choice for a weeknight movie pick for the whole family.
Grade: C