• Pop Culture
    • Movies
    • Television
    • Comic Books
    • Video Games
    • Toys & Collectibles
  • Features
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Articles and Opinions
    • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • Flickering Myth Films
    • FMTV
  • About
    • About Flickering Myth
    • Write for Flickering Myth
    • Advertise on Flickering Myth
  • Socials
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Bluesky
    • Instagram
    • Flipboard
    • Linktree
    • X
  • Terms
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

Flickering Myth

Geek Culture | Movies, TV, Comic Books & Video Games

  • News
  • Reviews
  • Articles & Opinions
  • Write for Us
  • The Baby in the Basket

Movie Review – Patti Cake$ (2017)

August 28, 2017 by Freda Cooper

Patti Cake$, 2017.

Directed by Geremy Jasper.
Starring Danielle Macdonald, Bridget Everett, Siddarth Dhananjay, Mamoudou Athie, and Cathy Moriarty.

SYNOPSIS:

She’s Patricia Dombrowski, aka Killa P, aka Patti Cake$.  She’s an aspiring rapper -and she’s desperate to escape her life in shabby New Jersey.

There’s a lingering sense of déjà vu hanging over cinemas.  Last week’s Logan Lucky bore more than a passing resemblance to director Steven Soderbergh’s most successful franchise, Ocean’s Eleven.  Now comes Geremy Jasper’s Sundance crowd-pleaser, Patti Cake$, the story of an aspiring white teenage rapper.  Eminem’s 8 Mile, anybody?

That was made in 2002.  Fifteen years later, we have a similar story but with a girl at the centre – and one who doesn’t fit the conventional image of a potential star, musical or otherwise.  Patricia Drombowski (Danielle Macdonald) revels in akas like Killa P and Patti Cake$ – and she’s a curvy girl.  Her size shouldn’t really be an issue but, in the context of the film, it is.  Constant cat calls of “Dumbo” and “White Precious” are all aimed at her weight and designed to put her in what the bullies see as her place.  She may be hurt by them, but doesn’t stay knocked down for long: if anything, they spur her on, making her determined to confound all those low expectations.

Who doesn’t love a rags to riches/star is born story?  Patti Cake$ fits neatly, if unconventionally, into both categories.  Patti is the main breadwinner in her home, one that she shares with her mother Barb (Bridget Everett), a singer in her own right but in a more raunchy, rock mode.  Her liking for the bottle means that she’s a failed one, a reminder to her daughter of how her life could turn out if she doesn’t escape.  There’s also her grandmother (Cathy Moriarty), a joyously feisty broad in a wheelchair with a medication bill that eats up all of Patti’s earnings.  Rap is the teenager’s escape, and she’s good at it, but she’s also constantly torn between her responsibilities and her ambitions.  And Barb doesn’t help with her attempts to steal the limelight and re-capture the career that she never really had.

Bold and overflowing with confidence, this is an assured debut from first-time director/writer Jasper.  And, while his story leans towards the derivative, its energy and spirit help shake off those memories.  He’s also been gifted two scene stealers as leading ladies.  Danielle Macdonald is a real find as Patti, a star in the making with genuine screen presence and the ability to bring the character, with all her complexities, to life.  She’s a leading lady with balls.  Bridget Everett, a more familiar face thanks to collaborations with Amy Schumer, makes a formidable Barb, exerting a powerful influence over her daughter, both good and bad.

What Patti Cake$ lacks in originality, it more than makes up for in humour, zip and, to use a word that its characters would no doubt think was seriously uncool, charm.  And that applies even if the music isn’t to your taste. The film has more than its fair share of all of all three, but most importantly of all, it burns with Patti’s ambition and desire for acceptance.  She’s the title, she’s the story – and she’d probably make a rap out of that.

Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★

SEE ALSO: Watch our exclusive interview with Geremy Jasper and Bridget Everett – who also bursts into song! – here

Freda Cooper.  Follow me on Twitter, check out my movie blog and listen to my podcast, Talking Pictures.

Originally published August 28, 2017. Updated April 11, 2018.

Filed Under: Freda Cooper, Movies, Reviews Tagged With: Bridget Everett, Cathy Moriarty, Danielle Macdonald, Geremy Jasper, Mamoudou Athie, Patti Cake$, Siddarth Dhananjay

FMTV – Watch Our Latest Video Here

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

Underrated 2000s Cult Classics You Need To See

10 Iconic Movie Weapons Every Millennial Kid Wanted

10 Great Forgotten 90s Thrillers You Need To See

10 Great Twilight Zone-Style Movies For Your Watch List

The Essential Indiana Jones Rip Off Movies of the 1980s

Fantastical, Flawed and Madcap: 80s British Horror Cinema

What’s Next For Tom Cruise?

10 Essential Comedy Movies From 1995

Essential Demonic Horror Movies To Send Shivers Down Your Spine

Great Director’s Cuts That Are Better Than The Original Theatrical Versions

WATCH OUR MOVIE NOW FOR FREE ON PRIME VIDEO!

Top Stories:

Movie Review – The Long Walk (2025)

First trailer for boxing biopic Christy starring Sydney Sweeney

Movie Review – Spinal Tap II: The End Continues (2025)

Movie Review – Eleanor the Great (2025)

Movie Review – Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025)

Movie Review – Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale (2025)

Movie Review – Swiped (2025)

Movie Review – The Man in My Basement (2025)

Movie Review – Rental Family (2025)

The Essential Indiana Jones Rip Off Movies of the 1980s

STREAM FREE ON PRIME VIDEO!

FEATURED POSTS:

10 Essential Vampire Movies To Sink Your Teeth Into

Great Vampire Movies You May Have Missed

10 Great Action Movies from 1995

10 Great Movies About Making Movies

Our Partners

  • Pop Culture
    • Movies
    • Television
    • Comic Books
    • Video Games
    • Toys & Collectibles
  • Features
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Articles and Opinions
    • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • Flickering Myth Films
    • FMTV
  • About
    • About Flickering Myth
    • Write for Flickering Myth
    • Advertise on Flickering Myth
  • Socials
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Bluesky
    • Instagram
    • Flipboard
    • Linktree
    • X
  • Terms
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

© Flickering Myth Limited. All rights reserved. The reproduction, modification, distribution, or republication of the content without permission is strictly prohibited. Movie titles, images, etc. are registered trademarks / copyright their respective rights holders. Read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. If you can read this, you don't need glasses.


 

Flickering MythLogo Header Menu
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Articles & Opinions
  • Write for Us
  • The Baby in the Basket