Moxie: A Review
By: Mallory Johnson
Moxie is a Netflix movie based on the same name by Jennifer Mathieu, and it recently came out. I read the book in 2018 and watched the movie. The film stars Hadley Robinson (Little Women, Utopia), Lauren Tsai (Legion, Terrace House), Amy Poehler (Inside Out, Parks, and Recreation), Alycia Pascual-Pena (Chase, The Plug), and Nico Hiraga (Booksmart, Summer of 17). The movie is about an introverted 16-year-old woman who finds inspiration from her mom’s feminist past and anonymously publishes her zine that sparks anger and revolution in her high school.
Before I go any further, I want to place a SPOILER ALERT, a trigger warning for sexism, sexual assault, racism, transphobia, and ableism.
I like how they critiqued The Great Gatsby and classic books that are assigned in high school. The school administration bothered me because they could not help when women were being harassed. The Moxie girls made excellent points about Mitchell. I loved when Vivian discovered all her mom’s feminist things. I loved when the title of the movie came into play. I loved the feminist girl power rock music that was in the film. I loved the English teacher and showed support for Moxie, and I appreciated that the Moxie women challenged him. I loved the hearts and stars on the hand to show support. I love that Vivian got so much support and popularity for moxie, especially when her crush Seth did it too. I hated when one of the girls got dress coded but loved how they protested it.
I am glad that Vivian’s mom recognized her own mistakes in her activism. We must double-check ourselves to make sure that our activism is constructive. I loved that the first Moxie meeting was done secretly at a big party. I was nervous that Vivian would get caught distributing her Moxie zines at their school, as she was keeping Moxie anonymous. The movie reminded me of Promising Young Woman a little bit. I love how Vivian organized a protest and a walkout. I loved watching Lucy and Vivian getting closer and closer. I love how the Moxie girls contested Mitchell Wilson winning the sports award uncontested. I loved how Vivian confronted her mom’s boyfriend about the American flag sticker on his car.
I loved this movie. It will inspire people to stand up and act against oppression and assault, and maybe publish their feminist zine. Overall, I give the film a solid 10/10 and highly recommend checking out both the movie and book! The movie is available on Netflix, and the book can be found at most booksellers!