Review of Patti Cake$ (2017) by Glenn G — 30 Aug 2017

RAPTURE - My Review of PATTI CAKE$ (4 Stars + 3 $$$!!).

Geremy Jasper, making his feature film debut here, clearly loves an underdog story, and more specifically, I'm betting he loves MURIEL'S WEDDING and 8 MILE. PATTI CAKE$, the story of an aspiring New Jersey rapper, plays right into the hands of those who worship either slightly delusional characters or pulse-pounding musicals. It's slightly conventional, but if you stick with its gritty, grimy ways, you're gonna have a blast. I loved this movie so much.

Australian actor Danielle MacDonald is Patti, a young bartender/cater waiter by day who dreams of rap superstardom along with her pharmacist sidekick/BFF (an incredibly winning Siddharth Dhananjay) who serves as her nerdy/jumpy MC. When she's not daydreaming about a better life, she lives with her financially struggling mother Barb (Bridget Everett). Barb used to sing in an 80s hair metal group and still dreams of the spotlight, especially when a local cop enlists her to front his band. Everett, who I've known from her standup comedy and outrageously salacious appearances on The Amy Schemer Show, is a revelation in the role. I love it when comics explore their dark sides, and her rich performance reminded me of Bette Midler in THE ROSE. Try watching her sing Lita Ford's "Kiss Me Deadly" without wanting to run up and smooch the shit out of her! Barb leans a little too hard on Patti to help pay the bills, especially since her ailing mother (a hilarious and nearly-unrecognizable Cathy Moriarty) has pressing health needs.

There's no way around the fact that Patti's a bit of a slob, but she demonstrates a strong work ethic. There's nothing like a family that needs you to light a fire under your ass. But she just KNOWS that she's destined for bigger and better things, and when she opens her mouth to rap, it's pure, cinematic joy. Unlike Muriel, she has the goods to back up her confident demeanor. Like she says to herself in the mirror, "I'm a bad-assed bitch!" MacDonald is pure dynamite with her blustery swag, but she really takes off when showing the hurt child underneath it all. At a club one night, she sees a haunting black man (Mamoudou Athie) perform onstage. A death metal Satanist, he covers one of his eyes with a blue contact lens and has multiple piercings. Unlike everyone else in the crowd, she takes a liking to his music and sees an opportunity to make unique tracks together. Living like a hermit in a park, beyond a tunnel that literally has, THE GATES OF HELL spray painted on its arch, his serial killer-esque lair doesn't scare Patti away. She knows a like mind when she sees one, and her persistence with him shows just how well she knows her own voice.

Jasper, a Jersey native, understands the hopes and dreams of his characters so well. In fantasy sequences, they explode into music video nirvana or in one stunning moment, Patti lifts right off the pavement as if to touch the sky. His shooting style is bold, helped tremendously by cinematographer Federico Cesca, who lovingly shows the contrasts between Patti's real and imaginary worlds. A highlight for me was when Patti records her first single, PB&J, which hilariously samples her grandma's raspy voice. It's a dorky/catchy song and a believable hit.

Yes, it's not the most original story. We've seen this played out before, beat by beat, but it's worth going down this road mainly for the star making performance by Macdonald. She's not asking the audience to love her, she's just embodying a flawed character, one who works her way through the pain of being called "Dumbo" and comes out the other side a "master spitter". By the end, I'm willing to bet you'll stand up and cheer for this incredibly winning film.