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'Patti Cake$'
U.S. Dramatic; 108 minutes.
A Jersey girl aims to take on the world in "Patti Cake$," a do-rags-to-riches story as overflowing with exuberance and charm as its plucky title character.
Patricia Dombrowski (Danielle McDonald) has been called Dumbo since grade school, on account of her plus-sized figure. But she has another name for herself: Her rap handle, Killa P. Her rhymes don't impress her mom, Barb (Bridget Everett), who sings karaoke in the bar where Patti pours drinks, trying to relive her thwarted '80s rock dreams. Patti's laid-up Nana (Cathy Moriarty) believes in her, calling her "my superstar."
As Patti veers from confidence to self-doubt about her rap skills, she's also under pressure from Barb to find full-time work outside the bar, to afford Nana's health care.
Patti gets encouragement from her best friend Hareesh, a k a Jheri (Siddhartha Dhananjay), who urges her to record and perform, with him singing back-up. At an open-mic show, they encounter a nihilistic industrial musician, Basterd (Mamoudou Athie), whose edgy beats are the missing piece of the puzzle. Patti and Jheri convince Basterd to produce tracks with them, and even throw Nana's voice into the mix — to create their own act, called PBNJ.
Writer-director Geremy Jasper makes the familiar up-from-nowhere theme feel fresh and vibrant. He nails the rhythms not only of Patti's rhymes (he co-wrote the songs with …), but also the suburban New Jersey blandness from which Patti, Jheri and Basterd so desperately want to escape.
The ensemble cast is delightful, but it's the three women in the Dombrowski household who give "Patti Cake$" its energy. Moriarty, smartly deglamorized, provides the spark that gets Patti out of her funk. Everett paints a touching portrait of a woman railing against her crushed dreams. And McDonald is a joyous find, who owns the movie as surely as Patti commands the mic.
– Sean P. Means —
Also showing:
"Patti Cake$" screens again at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival at the following times and venues:
• Wednesday, Jan. 25, 3:30 p.m., Redstone Cinema 1, Park City
• Thursday, Jan. 26, 6 p.m., Broadway Centre Cinema 6, Salt Lake City
• Friday, Jan. 27, 8:30 p.m., Prospector Square Theatre, Park City
• Saturday, Jan. 28, 9 a.m., Library Center Theatre, Park City