Film: "Patti Cake$"
An irresistible underdog story about a hard-edged Jersey girl with an uncanny talent for freestyle rap.
“An unambiguous joy.” —The New York Times
Every few years, an indie character comes along who so perfectly captures what it’s like to be mocked and marginalized, even as she refuses to let the bullies and abusers have the last word. That’s the kind of character Patti Cake$ is, and we cannot help but cheer for her at every turn. Music video director Geremy Jasper launches this unlikely rap star in his high-energy debut which electrified the Sundance Film Festival and sold to Fox Searchlight for $9.5 million.
Patricia, a.k.a. “Killa P,” a.k.a. “Patti Cake$,” is a plus-sized freestyle rapper who cannot get out of her downtrodden Jersey life fast enough. This is a tall order: her mother (cabaret phenom Bridget Everett) is a train wreck, she can’t afford a demo and local rappers give her no respect–calling her “a white Precious.” But this irresistible underdog will not stay down: her confidence, uncanny talent and the film’s original and affecting soundtrack make Patti Cakes$ impossible to resist.
D: Geremy Jasper, US, 2017, 1h48m
