Moxie

Moxie is a movie about a young shy high school girl named Vivian who breaks out of her shell to become a brave outspoken “rebel”. Her mom has a history of protesting and fighting the patriarchy while Viv likes to play it safe and just go with what is happening. It was not until Lucy, the new girl, showed up that Viv began to rethink her life and the people around her. Not wanting to just sit by anymore, she published an anonymous paper called Moxie. That is where she called out the sexism that happens in her school and rallied people to protest. The boy of the student body, plus the principal, have a problem with the paper and fight to get rid of the unknown activist.

Moxie surprised me. I always enjoy a movie that can get me to feel deeply. If it can get me to yell or cry I count it as a good movie. It did not always feel like I was watching a movie. It was not overdramatic or flashy. I really enjoyed watching Viv’s transformation from shy girl to comfortable and outspoken although there were moments where she rubbed me the wrong way. The relationship with her mom seemed strained but I could never really understand her animosity towards her mom. It felt unnecessary and was not elaborated on.

The diversity of the cast was a little shocking to me. I did not expect to see that amount of minorities, especially as main characters. I am all for movies about fighting racism but, it was also nice seeing an activist movie that included black women fighting for something else. Being black is not the only struggle for black women and I feel like the media often forgets that.

I would recommend Moxie for other people to watch. I liked it but, it did not leave me breathless.

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7/10