Vivian is inspired by her mother and by her new classmate Lucy (Alycia Pascual-Pena) to make the magazine in an attempt to address inequalities in the school. Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide. Called out: In the middle of class, Kaitlynn is publicly sent home by Principal Shelly because her tank top is allegedly inappropriate. Web Looking for female founders to feature on the Moxie Sessions podcast! Soon, Moxie grows from a one-woman anonymous publication into a core group of students rallying for change. The Den of Geek quarterly magazine is packed with exclusive features, interviews, previews and deep dives into geek culture. She supports Kaithlyn (Sabrina Haskett) after Principal Shelley (Marcia Gay Harden) enforces a discriminatory dress code and she backs Kieras (Sydney Park) campaign to win a valuable sporting scholarship. That sometimes makes Moxie feel like a checklist of artificial social awareness. Also, what happens now at the school? Josh Andrs Rivera as Sejanus Plinth. Vivian is 16, lives with her mother, Lisa, and attends Rockport High School. Netflix has been a bit scarce these days for me, so I was ready for Poehlers new movie, Moxie. I was expecting a Mean Girls type of vibe, with some hints of Baby Mama both of which feature Poehler. Its not clear if the decision to suspend Claudia will be reversed but the two are reunited as best friends who have grown together. Davies doesnt know how to handle his pupils burgeoning interest in feminism and so he does nothing. Vivian's lifelong best friend, Claudia (Lauren Tsai), is less comfortable with the stringent activism, and the introverted Vivian finds she'll have to choose between remaining anonymous or taking public responsibility for what she's started. Shelley makes some valid points shes not wrong about it being important for things to be done within school rules, that girls should pull up a chair if we want a seat at the table, but her apathy leads to toxicity going unchecked. Did you know you can flag iffy content? Kaitlynn is a student in Vivian's class who tries to keep to herself despite many people looking at her differently due to her body. Common Sense Media Reviewer The queen is the best.. Teens drink during a raucous house party scene, and there's Fueled by this attack, and a Bikini Kill song her Hadley recently appeared in the 2019 adaptation of Little Women as Sallie Gardiner. Emma is the most popular cheerleader in school and often a target for the guys. Lucy also takes the blame since she started the Instagram account. Two characters make out in a car and talk about "doing it" (both for the first time). Lucy was the real star of Moxie. Poehler decided to keep to the basic and formulated plotline of white saviorism. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. Lucy steals the show right from the first scene. Sometimes she hits out at the wrong people. A group plays beer pong. He is not afraid to speak out against things that he views is wrong and is a surprise supporter of Moxie. Tamara Fuentes is the current Entertainment Editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covers TV, movies, books, celebrities, and more. Everyone knows Vivian is the one behind it. Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide. Tamal Kundu. Ever heard of Brock Turner?, Moxie isnt perfect. This explanatory role extends to other BIPOC characters in the film, like Vivians best friend Claudia (Lauren Tsai). But generally, its satisfying to see Vivians evolution from shy wallflower to leader emboldened by anonymity. Support independent student journalism by donating to the FreeP here! He is also a model and has appeared in campaigns for labels like Tom Ford and Calvin Klein. Stepmom. Even the high school principal is often on his side, which causes issues raised against him to be ignored. It sparks a movement and it will totally inspire you to want to do the same. Every year, a group of popular boys, led by football captain Mitchell (Patrick Schwarzenegger, who pulls off the charming-douchebag role with almost alarming finesse), roll out a ranking of female students, giving them degrading titles like Most Bangable and Best Rack. When new student Lucy (Alycia Pascual-Pea) dares to speak up against Mitchell, she gets blasted on the list. Details. March 3, 2021. Sometimes a classmate asks me a science question and almost immediately a male peer nearby says, Dont worry! I can explain this if she cant!, Later on, Mitchell confronts Lucy at a vending machine and puts his hand on her without her consent. We need to break it all down in this post with theMoxieending explained. newsletter. Lauren is a well-known illustrated who has created works for Marvel and Mortal Kombat. In part, this is a setup to give Vivian an opportunity to correct that mistake, but it's a setup for the film to struggle as well. Common Sense and other associated names and logos are trademarks of Common Sense Media, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (FEIN: 41-2024986). Inspired by the riot grrrl movement a feminist punk movement from the 90s an anonymous student decides to create their own zine, Moxie, to help share their frustrations. Instead its an intelligent exploration of tolerance and how things might be better for everyone regardless of our generation if we try to listen and learn from each other. She tries on her mother's old leather jacket and digs up her photocopied feminist zines and pores over them, fascinated. Once Lucy gets the recognition she deserves, Ill stand behind Poehler and become a member of Moxie myself. What you willand won'tfind in this movie. Moxie Ending, Explained. Sabrina previously auditioned for American Idol back in 2014 and recently starred in Radiant Studio's Happy Hazel on YouTube. We also find out later that Mitchell had previously raped another girl; she didnt report it for fear of the ramifications, and we dont see him suffer any consequences. From her first day of school, Lucy was being targeted by the popular boys. The girls also call out racism and other prejudices in the course of their activism, and one girl finally feels supported enough to tell the story of how she was raped. Girls can do anything boys can do, sometimes better, including sports. Get your scissors and markers ready, because it's time to join the Moxie revolution. I was all in. It's unacceptable that teen girls (and grown women too) still have to deal with this crap. Vivian gets inspired by her riot grrrl past and learns a lot about zines and the movement from her. ", the principal finally takes action against him, despite other people wearing the same top. I rated this movie 12+, because I think that everyone should watch this - and not just high school girls. But after witnessing a new student, Lucy (Pascual-Pena), stand up for herself against the norm, Vivian begins to realize how awful normal is. And unlike Moxie s If your school didnt have a list where guys ranked the girls, you were lucky. She is well-known for being a starring cast member in Saturday Night Live and Parks and Recreation. Sexual themes, language in feel-good feminist teen tale. A boy jokes at a Hawaiian-themed party about everyone getting "lei'd.". Vivian has a dream in which she's being chased through a woodsy area and nobody can hear her screaming. She also currently appears as Cyndie in The Walking Dead and will also star in the upcoming Netflix film, There's Someone Inside Your House. | If you chose to provide an email address, it will only be used to contact you about your comment. Hopper as Meg, Vivian (Robinson) is a typical introverted teen just trying to survive high school and keep out of the crosshairs of bullies and jerks. Parents need to know that Moxie, which is based on Jennifer Mathieu's YA novel, is an upbeat coming-of-age dramedy directed by Amy Poehler (who also-co stars). You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. The official Netflix score was composed by Mac Even in places where other characters take the lead, the film sticks to Vivians limited point of view: Moxie pits Kiera against Mitchell for an athletic scholarship, but after the fallout, the focus isnt on Kiera. Lines and paragraphs break automatically. Seth seems like your average skater boy, but he is definitely far from of it. Now, Im glad Shelley finally did something, but Id be surprised if she actually heard anything that was going on outside. But when Kiera doesnt win, Vivian is angry and disillusioned. Espaol (prximamente) - volver al inicio, Best Movies on Netflix, Disney+, and More, 50 Modern Movies All Kids Should Watch Before They're 12, Common Sense Selections for family entertainment, Best TV Shows on Netflix, Disney+, and More, 50 Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12, YouTube Kids Channels for Kids Who Love Cartoons, Exploring and Celebrating Multicultural Families with Entertainment. Netflix's latest film, Moxie, follows a group of young women at a high school where a yearly list ranks them sexually and they've had enough of it. Vivian gets it wrong but she accepts this, atones and doesnt give up. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available from thestaff@tvtropes.org. His smirky condescension is pure sexist gaslighting, yet Vivian cant yet see it for what it is. Patrick previously starred in films like Midnight Sun and Stuck in Love. Seth later gives one to Vivian, telling her that she's taking her anger out on people who've done nothing to deserve it, including him. School teachers and administrators look the other way despite troubling behavior and first-hand complaints of mistreatment. Two of Vivians friends, soccer players Amaya and Kiera (Anjelika Washington and Kiera Pascal), are Black, and already savvy about their own oppression, which influences Vivians blossoming feminism. As both outsiders in their high school, they tend to stick with each other for everything. We need to see more movies like this to helps us understand and appreciate our ethnicities and backgrounds better. But it causes her to make bad decisions, distributing stickers that get her and the others into trouble and stealing an award won by the Principal which ultimately leads to her best friend Claudias (Lauren Tsai) suspension from the school. Its easier to patch up a simple mother-daughter misunderstanding especially since Vivian was inspired by her moms rebel days than it is for the heroine to consider her own self-centeredness and make personal amends to her friends. Does she really get to remain principal after everything that happened? Think Bryce Walker on13 Reasons Why, because thats the type of thing that happens in a system that is inherently sexist. She starts as a shy and timid high schooler and then finds her voice. Im here to say that theyre not. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/Moxie. Vivian finds her voice, her allies and her desire to fight, but mistakes are made along the way. Release Dates Shes jealous of Vivians new passion and new friends and, in Vivians eyes at least, isnt supporting her. She explained: High school boys often try to explain physics or calculus problems to me in a way that clearly implies they think I have no idea what Im doing. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. Fathers are largely absent, but Vivian's mom is supportive and models strong communication. I petition for Lucy to become the new main character. And it was a smart idea at the script level to start the film with Vivian mulling over her college application essay, that rite of passage for college-bound high-schoolers who are expected to both summarize their lives and show themselves to be wholly unique. Moxie tries hard to be inclusive, but it ends up being awkward. We won't share this comment without your permission. There is one disabled character, Meg (Emily Hopper), but her presence couldve been highlighted more, and the lack of body diversity in the cast is noticeable, as is the almost complete absence of the specific issues faced by fat girls and queer girls., That being said, I maintain that Moxie presents viewers with a window into some of the real-life challenges that teenage girls confront every day, and that these are issues we should all take seriously.