Patti Cake$

I really enjoyed this movie. The only part that I didn't care for was the dream sequences I could've done with less of those however although it started slow it movie ended with a bang and I thought it was well done and fantastic . When I heard about this movie I researched it and was disappointed to find out that it was not playing in my area so I had to drive an hour out of my way to be able to see it but I am very glad that I did. Reminded me a little of 8 mile and the rapping is fantastic, I'm going to download those songs from iTunes As for her cohort in crime Siddharth Dhananjay did a phenomenal job as well! Great performance !

Patricia Dombrowski is a weighty 23 year old woman in New Jersey. She lives with her mother, who regularly drinks too much. And also with her grandmother who is in need of care. Her dream, literally, is being a popular rap star, just like her idol OZ. If she reaches that, she will receive recognition and her family's scarcity will be history. Patricia has enough talent in writing poetic lyrics, but she doesn't have the looks or image of a rap star. In her neighborhood, she's often called by the nickname "Dumbo". So it's a tough challenge to make a name (as Killa P.) in the hip hop scene. The power of this movie is how all the characters are elaborated upon and how they develop in the story. That makes this movie fascinating and not superficial or cliché, what you might expect. Various aspects are highlighted. Such as the barriers from family, the strength from friendship and the meaning of following your dreams from a life of scarcity. In trying to make a breakthrough she has to work hard, search for opportunities, invest, take risks and fight against prejudices. This struggle teaches her a lot about herself and others, like OZ and her mother. The director and writer of Patti Cake$, Geremy Jasper, based the screenplay on his own life. He loves hip hop and through this movie he had the chance to create rap songs. The soundtrack has become great. And with his first feature film, he makes a fantastic debut.

The 6.1 average is in my point of view very underrated for this movie. All the characters spoke to me and touched me. It's a great plot, great cast, great movie and amazing Patti. I couldn't believe she had to learn to rap for the movie. I loved her raps!! I really recommend this movie to anyone who have a heart for the underdogs.

I am stunned that the formulaic, cliche ridden, boring, over-the-hill $cientologist Tom Cruise movie, American Made, has a rating of 8.8 and this movie 6.6. I don't have much hope for American culture anymore. We love the crap that we are fed by the entertainment *industry*, and give those same people more power than they deserve. This isn't about whether you like rap or not (I don't listen to it); that's not the issue. It's not a musical. Danielle Macdonald (Patti Cake$) is easy to listen to and the rap lyrics are clever. Funny how those who tolerate outrageous lyrics in rock/metal are suddenly offended by rap lyrics. I remember being young and the cherry on top was that my parents were highly offended by the music I liked. Rap is protest music, shock music, music about joy and desperation. Taken in that vein, it adds to the film rather than takes away from it. This film is even more remarkable in that its budget was under $5mil. Again, proof that budget is no indicator of quality. This is one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. I found it on a streaming service tonight. This is not your usual rags to riches(?) music story. Stories have to have some bit of formula in them, and that has been true since before Shakespeare, but Patti Cake$ keeps the formula in check with some much needed freshness and originality. The first part is all about theme, as people on the margins rely on their dreams to get up in the morning. From Patti's mom singing Heart's version of the lovely song "These Dreams" (Bridget Everett handles her character's vocals superbly), and her failed rock career, to Patti's seemingly hopeless music dreams, the theme overrides the formula. Patti can't sing, so her dream has more hurdles than usual as she uses her poetry as a white rapper chick. An obese white rapper chick. She might as well have tried to become Rhianna, complete with the necessary physical changes. The originally but never cartoonish quirky cast of characters in Patti's orbit add to this movie's watch-ability as we watch her put together a rap group. The acting is more than top notch from all involved, but Australian actress Danielle Macdonald as the Jersey Girl, Patti Cake$, deserved an Oscar. The formula kicks in as Patti hits the wall of life's hurdles, which she compounds, as we all do to some extent. Patti has no true role models in life except for an uber famous rapper she idolizes and dreams of signing her. Her mom has hit the rails and only sees value in Patti by what money she can bring in. Her Nana is on her side, but is our family's love ever enough when we are young? No. This movie grabbed me in the emotions and didn't let me go, more than any movie I have seen in a long, long time. The great acting and characterizations, plus masterful directing and writing, pulled me deep into Patti's life, as I related to her music dreams. I wouldn't watch this while doing chores, etc. You won't get the full effect. There are many twists and turns, and an interesting ending, but I will leave them to you as I don't want to put spoilers. If you require most of the actors to be "hot", don't bother with this. If you like meat with your salad, and substance, you will. If you've ever started from less than zero with your dreams, you will.

You don't have to like rap music or plus-sized women to like Geremy Jasper's gritty Patti Cake$. The story of working-class North Jersey girl Patti (Danielle Macdonald) working through the challenges of poverty, dead-end jobs, and family dysfunction to become a rapper is alternately clichéd, sentimental, and poignant. If it weren't about rap, it would be about any other impoverished young woman pursuing her dream despite the daunting Newark world. Think 8 Mile and the ultimate working-class to riches, Rocky. Her dogged pursuit is uplifting where another overweight young woman might fold hearing the regular shout-outs calling her "Dumbo." Where in Precious the audience might be aware of Precious's weight, here Patti's movement out of poverty is the major concern. In fact, she has been called "White Precious." Fortunately, she has boyfriends and male colleagues who believe in her talent and in some cases love her. It's not that Patti is lovable because Jasper's script does not allow her to be sweet. It's just that she makes sacrifices for her dying grandma and washed-up singer mom while she also nurtures her band, PBnJ, to where they can have the minor break on a local stage they have longed for. Special note for actress Danielle Macdonald: Amazingly you are not a Joiesy girl, you are from Australia; you are not a rapper, you are a fine actress who can believably rap with the best. For those of us who love classical music and mid-20thcentury folk, as I listen to the layers of culture in each rap song, I believe I could become a believer. Not enough songs, however, in this film. I should not forget to praise the soundtrack from Bruce Springsteen to unknown hip hop—it is full of the joy Patti has for her poetry; we just need to give her a chance.

Cert 15 for language content. This is an independent musical which follows the rags to (presumably) riches life of an aspiring female rapper. Australian actress Danielle MacDonald is Patti, a young waitress by day, ambitious rapper by night. Patti is searching for stardom with her equally talented friend who works as a pharmacist. Meanwhile Patti is also financially struggling to support her ailing grandmother, whose medical costs are mounting causing frequent phone-calls chasing up for payment. There's some friction between Patti and her mother, who had a promising singing career which ended early. Patti is a white girl trying to make it in the black stereotypical world of rap, it's not the most original story, and feels predictable, especially towards the end. Worth watching even if you're not a big fan of rap music

'PATTI CAKE$': Four and a Half Stars (Out of Five) An indie drama written and directed by first time feature filmmaker Geremy Jasper. It tells the story of a plus-sized white woman, in New Jersey, who desperately wants to be a successful rapper. It stars Danielle Macdonald (in the title role), Bridget Everett, Siddharth Dhananjay, Mamoudou Athie, Cathy Moriarty and McCaul Lombardi. The film was made on a budget of just $1 million, and it premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. It's gotten mostly positive reviews from critics, and it was released in indie theaters by Fox Searchlight Pictures. I found it to be extremely inspiring and moving. Patti Dombrowski (Macdonald) is a young white woman that lives in Bergen County, New Jersey; with her mother Barb (Everett) and her grandmother Nana (Moriarty). She works as a bartender, at a local dive bar, and dreams of becoming a famous rapper. Patti attempts to make her dreams come true, in the music business, with the help of her friend Jheri (Dhananjay), but she constantly faces hate and harassment from nearly everyone in her neighborhood. Then Patti meets another struggling rap artist, named Basterd (Athie), that inspires her again. The film is a classic underdog story, that actually has some likable rap music in it (and I'm not a big fan of the genre). Macdonald is great in the lead, and her character couldn't be more relatable (to an outcast dreamer like myself at least). I was totally moved by the movie, especially by it's passionate conclusion. It's the type of film that just keeps building and building, on an emotional dramatic level, and by the climax you really want to see a happy ending. It's definitely an inspiring 'feel good' movie as well, in my opinion, that I think almost anyone could enjoy. Unless you're the type of person that likes bullying and harassing outcast dreamers. Watch an episode of our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: https://youtu.be/PdeLWCp_JrI

I can now understand the 10-minute standing ovation at Cannes -- This is the kind of feel-good movie we all need to see right now. Major star turn for Danielle Macdonald, with top-notch performances from Cathy Moriarty, Bridget Everett, Siddharth Dhananjay, and Mamoudou Athie, Hope this little film gets the wide release it deserves. I'm not a hip-hop fan, but I even love the soundtrack.

Somewhere in-between 8 Mile and this Swedish film called We Are the Best (Go find it if you have not herd of it.), Lies PattiCakes. About a girl trying to make it in this Hip Hop game, but it's a hard climb for a heavy set white girl from the burbs trying to make her dreams come true. A better cry for feminist power than anything Jenifer Lawrence could ever put out as we watched the ultimate underdog story. A common story with an uncommon protagonist at the center. It has all the elements of a good sports movie but the competition is rap. My favorite part in the movie was when she and her odd rap crew are getting her record done. The whole creating process of making an album was really cool. Couldn't tell you if the words she spit were fire, but it does not matter, it's still a great musical journey and worth seeing for all fans of not just hip hop, but music.

From early on in "Patti Cake$," it seems evident that director Geremy Jasper's energetic style and tone to this story of a woman from 'dirty Jersey' trying to make it big in the rap scene will likely make this independent film appealing to mainstream audiences as well. First of all, the film's music is excellent. It is well-written, authentic and filled to the bone with genuine passion. If you're a rap fan, this would make the film most certainly worth the price of admission alone. The film has some notable performances as well, with Danielle Macdonald's role as Patti particularly note-worthy. The depiction of New Jersey is gritty and realistic, while still keeping a sense of dry humor when necessary, and the characters--while offbeat--are generally developed nicely. However, the film is not without flaws. The main reason why this is the case is because of the film's rather generic script. While the script feels a bit bundled in parts and seems to work a little overtime to make the movie feel like a 'crowd-pleaser,' that's not the main problem with it. The real concern here is that the film contains a number of clichés that have been done many times before in films about performing arts. This makes the movie feel very slightly tedious and containing a bit of narrative 'filler' due to the presence of these tried-and-true events. As a result, it could have been about 10 or 15 minutes shorter without really losing anything. While the movie is enjoyable and amusing throughout, it really rises to the occasion during the scenes Patti is rapping. In those scenes, the energy is truly both electric and infectious. Due to this (and the film's characters and accessibility,) this could also be an independent film that breaks out and finds a real audience in wide release, much like "The Big Sick" did earlier this summer--although unlike "The Big Sick," people will also run to iTunes when they get on their computers after arriving home from the theater to download the soundtrack. Recommended. 7/10 Disclaimer: I have not yet seen "The Big Sick," although I do plan on watching it on Redbox, and am not attempting to compare this film to that one in terms of quality. I was only using it as a comparison on the nature of accessibility/mainstream appeal.