The music is catchy and tune, yes even the rap despite some simplistic lyric writing. It's hardly a cheap-looking film and is shot well. The budget is not a huge one and 'Patti Cake$' is not a grand in spectacle film, nor does it need to be. Agree too that the script has its clunky moments. The looking up to the rap god subplot is contrived and underdeveloped, feeling like filler. Sure, 'Patti Cake$', being a film that treads familiar ground, is very predictable with not much new and characters that fall into cliché territory. Not as amazing as the best reviews have said it is, but for its flaws there is a lot to like here and it was quite the pleasant surprise. So wasn't sure how good 'Patti Cake$' would be, despite it being positively received, but there are good music-following your dreams films out there and there was the hope that 'Patti Cake$' would be one of them. Am not a big fan of rap, with a few exceptions, often finding it simplistic, repetitive and preachy, but have a high appreciation, if not quite love, for blues. Being someone who grew up with music being a huge part of my life, who sings and who graduated last year with a degree in Vocal and Operatic Studies, so considers music very important and that it wasn't appreciated enough or sadly not cool to like as a subject in my school years. And I yelled to the cabbie 'yo homes smell ya later' If you like a good underdog story that's more than the predictable Hollywood trope, then this is the flick for you. The question being presented is whether it's better to keep it real or to chase potentially false prophets. These scenes are done with a wonderful, vivid, surrealistic style of cinematography which contrasts well against the gritty Jersey reality that make up the rest of the story. Throughout the film we see Patti slipping into alternate realities as she imagines her fantasy success. And that is: chasing dreams (both positive and negative connotations). The last bit I'll mention is about a great theme that runs under the surface of this flick. And the song that ties it all up at the end does a great job of bridging the generational/musical gap between rap fans and classic rock fans. It's not just about a bunch of juvenile delinquents loitering at the gas station making noise with their mouths (although that scene does happen), but it's an art form like any other. The film actually gave me a newfound appreciation for rap, the unique style, rhythm & rhyme scheme of each rapper as well as the impressive production that goes into making good beats. The songs are really catchy with sly lyrics and great delivery by Patti, played by Australian actress Danielle Macdonald who had to take a 2-month crash course for the role, essentially training how to rap in dirty Jersey style. If you liked that one, you'll love Patti Cake$ even if you're not a rap fan. The tri-generational cross section (tough but kind grandmother, utter failure of a mom, young kid growing up confused) reminded me a lot of the excellent film Chocolat. Just as much as I enjoyed the storyline about her musical aspirations, I loved the storyline about her family: the love-hate relationship with her alcoholic mother (herself a failed rockstar who released one album but got pregnant with Patti, thus ending her own career and harboring a lifetime of resentment) and the grandmother, EXPERTLY played by the legendary Cathy Moriarty (from "Raging Bull"), who is a tough old hag with a really soft heart who encourages Patti's dreams and keeps her sane. ![]() ![]() And thus it's an interesting portrayal of a family life that got flipped turned upside down. She is the youngest in a tri-generational home where the grandmother is bedridden, the mother is an alcoholic, and she, Patti, seems to be the sole bread earner. ![]() What makes this story particularly interesting is that it's not just a chronicle of her attempts at cracking the music biz, but it's equally about her struggles with a sinking life, stuck in one of those faceless Jersey towns within sight of NYC but feeling like a million miles away. It's the story of a very unglamorous girl who's trying to break into the rap scene even though she can't even afford the 'b' in 'bling', let alone wear it. This is because, rather than pulling the Hollywood stunt of using a glamorous moviestar in the lead and uglying her down for the first half only to enact a-surprise!-transformation to glamorous moviestar at the end, Patti Cake$ doesn't pander to that cheap device. I don't hate rap, but let's just say the only rap song I know goes "Now this is a story all about how / My life got flipped turned upside down." Patti Cake$ is a quintessential underdog story, but I give it major points for being possibly the only true underdog story out there.
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