Films about young women striving to break into the music industry are hardly rare, so writer-director Geremy Jasper deserves credit for transcending the tropes – but he couldn’t have done it without his lead actress, newcomer Danielle Macdonald.
An irrepressible spirit, the actress plays Patricia Dombrowski, a young New Jersey native with a head full of flowing rhymes and dreams of stardom. Patti is overweight and lives in poverty, and so her body and dreams are mocked mercilessly by those around her – including her bitter, alcoholic mother Barb (Bridget Everett, compelling).
But while Patti is far from the cookie-cutter ideal that the music industry supports, she is also a white woman trying to break into hip-hop – and Jasper acknowledges the issues of race and cultural appropriation. When Patti snaps at her mother to act her age, Barb easily shoots back, “Act your race”.
Luckily, Jasper fills his film with a diverse cast of characters. Patti’s best friend is an Indian-American called Jheri (Siddharth Dhanajay), and she finds an unlikely musical partner in a pierced, milky-eyed African-American punk rocker (Mamoudou Athie) known as Basterd.
Together they form PBnJ and set out to attain life-changing success.The cast is impeccable, with their music alternately fun and emotional. Patti Cake$ is a winner – and Danielle Macdonald deserves to be a star.