Review: Patti Cake$ (15)

Inspired by writer-director Geremy Jasper's efforts to break into the New York music scene, Patti Cake$ is a crowd-pleasing underdog story, which wears its heart on its sleeve.
By The Newsroom
Published 1st Sep 2017, 10:36 BST
Updated 11th Sep 2017, 13:06 BST
MATES: Danielle Macdonald as Patti and Siddharth Dhananjay as Jheri.MATES: Danielle Macdonald as Patti and Siddharth Dhananjay as Jheri.
MATES: Danielle Macdonald as Patti and Siddharth Dhananjay as Jheri.

This modern day fable about shooting for the moon, when everyone is telling you to dream smaller, earned standing ovations when it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

The film’s unlikely heroine – an overweight New Jersey twentysomething with a talent for immortalising her day-to-day existence in snappy verse – is a diamond in the rough, who just needs that one slice of luck to realise her potential.

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Every time life beats her down, she gets back to her feet and retaliates with a spontaneously crafted barrage of weaponised wordplay.

This star in the making is Patricia Dombrowski (Danielle Macdonald), who fantasises about public adoration under her rapper moniker Killa-P.Alas, she is stuck in a dead end job tending the bar where her booze-soaked mother Barb (Bridget Everett) belts out 1980s anthems on the karaoke machine. Music is Patricia’s escape from crushing reality and she composes tight rhymes with her best friend, Jheri (Siddharth Dhananjay).

Patti Cake$ exudes a roughly hewn charm and up-and-coming Australian actress Macdonald is irresistible in the lead role.

On general release.

Related topics:New York