[Movie] Moxie(2021) - The Kind of Teen Film That Sparks Important Conversations

If you've been looking for a thought-provoking film that inspires young girls to challenge uncomfortable societal norms, build powerful female friendships, and does a great job of teaching everyone the power of collective action while bringing in some humour, this review is for you!

Imdb

Title: Moxie

Genre: Comedy-drama

Release Date: March 3, 2021

Main Cast: Hadley Robinson, Lauren Tsai, Alycia Pascual-Pena, Nico Hiraga, Sabrina Haskett, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sydney Park, Anjeuka Washington, Emily Hopper, Amy Poehler.

A shy and self-doubting Vivian hurries through her first morning of 11th grade with the same low expectations of everyone normalising sexism at school. But to her greatest surprise, a new student[Lucy] questions the school's inadequacies and stands up to the popular jock and jerk, Mitchell. Inspired by Lucy's confidence and her mother's rebellious past against the patriarchy, Vivian begins an anonymous DIY feminist magazine called Moxie, which eventually starts a revolution. Together with other girls and one ally, Moxie's goal of exposing the double standards in Rockport high school steers in the right direction, with challenges and some consequences to bear.

lmdb

Moxie is the first high-school feminist movie I've ever seen, and watching every scene brought back an influx of emotions I largely felt as a young teenager living in a deeply patriarchal country where girls were made to normalise every odd and insulting word or joke made by boys regarding their bodies. Every single girl I know had gone through the harassment that the female students of Rockport High School faced, so it was easy for me to settle into this movie as many scenes felt like a full-circle moment.

Now, the first scene that struck a chord with me was definitely the first day of school. The 16-year-old protagonist, Vivian, alongside her BFF, expressed disappointment over the school's yearly practice of publishing rankings like "Most Bangable" and "Best Rack" on social media.

Here, I could not only feel the sheer contempt in Vivian's expressions but also the dilemma of being a clueless teenager who believed she could do nothing to change the system. This right here is the true story of many teenage girls in mixed-gender schools: moving through life and learning about the challenges women face, yet having no confidence to voice our feelings. It's heartbreaking, to say the least.

Imdb

The second scene that stole my attention was Vivian's first class featuring a new female student named Lucy. She came across as a vocal Black girl whose first instinct was to question the school's need to prioritize books written by white men instead of those authored by immigrants and Black women who are in a better place to tell their stories. While the teacher attempted to hear her out, the popular jerk, Mitchell Wilson, cut her off and intentionally spoke over her.

After another experience of bullying from him, Lucy was forced to report to the principal, who weirdly brushed it off as "bothering," not harassment. Vivian, on the other hand, introduced herself, telling Lucy to ignore Mitchell. Here, Lucy left her with a question:

"Why ignore him when he can stop being a dick?"

These combined scenes were important as they highlighted how convenient it is to silence the voices of people of other races deemed to be of a lower class. They also proved how older women who might have been victims of sexism can make continuous excuses for badly behaved boys because they too have been conditioned to see such inconsistencies as normal.

Imdb

My third favourite scene centers Vivian back at home questioning her thoughts and eventually learning what her mum cared about as a teenager. The response she received happens to be my favourite quote from the movie:

"Smashing the patriarchy and burning it all down."

Vivian then goes to her mum's trunk, digs up her old stuff, which reveals some dope feminist zines, stickers, notes, and CDs that inspire her to start a revolution for the girls at school. The insertion of Rebel Girl by Bikini Kill playing in the background of this scene happens to be one of the most instrumental moments to the central theme of the movie.

OTHER STANDOUT SCENES

• Vivian going on a date to a funeral home with her one ally and soon-to-be boyfriend.
• Lucy kissing one of the Moxie girls.
• The college girls wearing tank tops to school in solidarity with Moxie's fight against sexism, specifically on policing women's bodies.

Poor development of a healthy mother-daughter relationship: Vivian's relationship with her mother wasn't exactly inspiring, and I'd like to think that it lacked the emotional depth and bonding expected of both mother and child, especially in one where social interests are being passed down and imitated. I strongly believe that if they had taken the chance to go deeper into this dynamic, it would've been a perfect opportunity to highlight how important it is for rebellious mothers to share their own stories and challenges with systemic issues.

No key exploration of the Moxie girls characters: Firstly, this movie introduced Lucy in a rather impressive way as the biggest supporter of the zine but failed to give viewers a chance to learn more about who she really is, her hobbies, her family dynamic, and everything else that makes her confident. This was also the case with Vivian's BFF(Claudia), as well as other core group members. They just felt like great characters tossed to the side to help the protagonist's story shine brighter.

Imdb

Little to zero mention of key feminist authors: For a feminist movie that explores the need for a revolution, especially for high school students who are often curious, Moxie missed the opportunity to introduce relevant books or authors to the group after Lucy was shut down by Mitchell during her first argument with the teacher. Feminist theory is super important to the movement, and there's no doubt that viewers would've loved to hear a few phenomenal names to look up later, or at least see the group draw inspiration from some popular feminist quotes.

Truthfully, Moxie isn't a perfect movie, but it's educational, enjoyable, and definitely worth the watch!

Rating: 85/100

Originally posted through scrobble.life/movies.