‘Moxie’ REVIEW: Ending sexism, one zine at a time
‘Moxie’ REVIEW: Ending sexism, one zine at a time
Hadley Robinson plays the introverted feminist Vivian in Moxie (2021).
This review contains spoilers for Moxie (2021).
Long gone are the days when the mean, popular and beautiful are the ones who are considered cool. It is now time for relatable girls to shine on screen, the ones whom you would never suspect to lead the movement to promote solidarity among females and take a stand against the patriarchy. Main characters that would make you believe that, like them, you could someday start a feminist revolution of your own.
Netflix’s newest film Moxie does exactly that, as it talks about female empowerment just in time for Women’s History Month. Directed by Amy Poehler based on the novel of the same name, it revolves around Vivian (Hadley Robinson), who takes inspiration from her former ‘riot grrrl’ mother (Amy Poehler) to address the inequalities in her school by anonymously starting a zine for girls.
Several minutes in, one can quickly recognize that this follows the unspoken blueprint of a high school comedy as we are introduced to the cliques: the popular kids, the jocks, the goths… you name it. Of course, every coming-of-age needs a trustworthy sidekick, and Vivian has Claudia (Lauren Tsai). The pair, despite their lack of chemistry and similarities, had been best friends since they were four. They talk about the rankings, where categories such as ‘Most Bangable’ and ‘Best Ass’ go up for nominations. In 2021, even the existence of such social lists seems so outdated.
Lucy (Alycia Pascual-Peña) is the new girl in town who challenges their English teacher on their first day of class, asking why they’re still reading ‘The Great Gatsby’ during this era. “It’s written by some rich white guy about some rich white guy,” she retorts, when resident douchebag Mitchell Wilson (Patrick Schwarzenegger) cuts her off. His role is convincingly agitating enough to get on one’s nerves, but Lucy holds her head up high. Vivian, who is used to shrugging off incidents like these, is inspired by Lucy's attitude, and they form an admirable friendship.
Moxie’s soundtrack features an assortment of edgy tunes, but none of them as highlighted as ‘Rebel Girl’, a classic feminist punk anthem by Bikini Kill, whose lead singer Kathleen Hanna was also one of the main character’s idols. Hanna was a prominent figure of feminism during the ‘90s, specifically the Riot Grrrl movement, which Vivian’s mom took part in. The movement was a response to the male-dominated punk scene during that time and was characterized by angsty lyrics, leather jackets and fanzines, which are handcrafted publications that served as a safe place for women to talk about their experiences and ideas. Ultimately, this also became Vivian’s avenue to express her frustrations towards her school’s sexist culture.
The girls of Moxie.
The film tries to be more intersectional by casting a diverse supporting ensemble, which is commendable yet disappointing, since they decided to let the white, blonde girl take the lead when they had minor characters such as CJ (Josie Totah), who is trans, and Kiera (Sydney Park) and Amaya (Anjelika Washington), who are both Black. At any given moment, Lucy—who is suspected of starting Moxie in the first place—and even the soft-spoken Claudia could steal the show and would have been better characters to represent the movie’s message. Nevertheless, watching Vivian’s transformation from being the ‘Most Obedient’ to leather-clad undercover revolutionary is interesting.
The jokes in Moxie don’t land, mainly because of their poor delivery. The lines sound like they were from feminist statements on Tumblr in 2015. Come to think of it, this film could have done well in reviews if it was released during that decade, during a time when the term ‘woke’ was fairly new and feminism was only becoming mainstream through cute, pink PNGs. It does have a lot to say about race, gender, and sexual assault, but all of it is touched very lightly in order to fit inside its runtime of 111 minutes. But then again, none of it is completely original.
In the final act, Moxie is accused of targeting Mitchell of bullying while they were campaigning for their friend Kiera to win Student Athlete Ambassador, which led to their eventual loss. Vivian, outraged, plans to deface school property by bumping “You’re an Asshole!” stickers everywhere. Her supportive love interest, Seth (Nico Hiraga), a skater boy who is more socially aware than one would expect, asks if this is the best idea.
Vivian (Hadley Robinson) and Mitchell (Patrick Schwarzzeneger) have a face-off.
Of course, it isn’t, so they are faced with suspension in the name of the zine. The problem is, no one knows who’s Moxie except Vivian herself and Seth. Her friend Claudia faces the consequences instead, since she had officially registered the club in their school, which puts Vivian in a compromising spot. Thankfully, they address the main character’s whiteness and how different her struggles are in comparison to those who are from a different background, but it’s still pretty spoon-fed.
Vivian displays one final act of rebellion under the comfort of her anonymity when she receives an anonymous note saying that they have been assaulted. This led to a protest to walk out after the first bell rings to show them that they are not alone. She then finally reveals her identity in the crowd that she organized, as the creator of Moxie. But Moxie isn't just Vivian—it's a fragment of every girl in Rockport, who fights their individual battles against the patriarchy in their own ways.
Moxie may not be the most progressive film out there to properly express the complexities of feminism, nor does it stand out in contrast to movies of the same genre. Perhaps it is best served to a younger audience as an introduction to the ideology, and it might become an inspiration for them as well.
Moxie is now available on Netflix.
