I'm a fan of Dolly Parton. I have developed an appreciative eye for drag culture. I'm a sucker for a well-made coming of age story. Put all those things into a blender, and you might concoct something like Netflix's Dumplin' (2018).
Directed by Anne Fletcher, Dumplin' is the story of a plus-sized girl whose mother runs local beauty pageants. As an ode to her recently deceased aunt, and a middle finger to the beauty standards that have alienated her from her mother, this girl signs up to compete in the Miss Teen Bluebonnet Pageant. She and her ragtag group of compatriots will learn what it means to accept the skin you live in, and how to have fun. Oh, and there's drag queens, too.
I. Every Body is a Swimsuit Body
This is a movie about body positivity and claiming victories for ones' self. The characters in this film have different arcs that explore the same idea: every body is a swimsuit body.
Willowdean (Danielle McDonald) learns to be comfortable in her own body, and sheds the damaging perceptions that she's learned over a lifetime of cruel jokes and casual shaming. It is legitimately difficult to watch someone detonate their own happiness, but McDonald plays the arc nicely. Willowdean cannot seem to enjoy what's right in front of her, because she has been taught that she is not to have nice things. Her acerbic humor at first comes off as strength, but, as the film winds on, it becomes the signal of her greatest weakness.
Ellen (Odeya Rush) learns that there is fun to be had in a thing she used to mock and ridicule. The pageant, for her, becomes an empowering activity that she embraces, even when it clashes with Willowdean's own preconceived notions of what a pageant, and a pageant girl, are. The girls' friendship is real and authentic. Ellen has her own anxieties and shows that "the pretty girls" don't escape unrealistic expectations, or societal pressure.
Hannah (Bex Taylor-Klaus), the revolutionary, finds a way to positively take power back from the pageant, without becoming mired in the kind of negativity that nearly consumed Willowdean. Taylor-Klaus has made a career of playing edgy, whip-smart characters, and it's nice to see her getting work.
The revelation, here, is Millie (Maddie Baillio). She is a force of positive nature. She has a nearly indomitable spirit, and a smile with enough wattage to power the eastern seaboard. Baillio plays Millie with nimble skill: her positivity is infectious, but it is as much a coping mechanism as Willowdean's crippling negativity. When Baillio lets the mask slip, those moments are earned and affecting. Millie could feel like a joke (and she does provide much of the film's feel-good comedy, and its singular F-bomb), but Baillio never allows the character to veer into cartoon.
Jennifer Aniston was an excellent choice to play Rosie, the pageant-obsessed mother of Willowdean. Aniston has the beauty and grace of a latter-day It girl, and finds the truth and the tragedy in Rosie in a way that neither justifies the low-key emotional neglect of her daughter nor celebrates her as an easily-absolved Hallmark movie archetype. Rosie has done damage, but not maliciously and not intentionally. The place where Rosie and Willowdean end up by film's end feels honest because Aniston was allowed to play a character in three dimensions, instead of being shunted into the Terrible Mother corner.
Willowdean (Danielle McDonald) learns to be comfortable in her own body, and sheds the damaging perceptions that she's learned over a lifetime of cruel jokes and casual shaming. It is legitimately difficult to watch someone detonate their own happiness, but McDonald plays the arc nicely. Willowdean cannot seem to enjoy what's right in front of her, because she has been taught that she is not to have nice things. Her acerbic humor at first comes off as strength, but, as the film winds on, it becomes the signal of her greatest weakness.
Ellen (Odeya Rush) learns that there is fun to be had in a thing she used to mock and ridicule. The pageant, for her, becomes an empowering activity that she embraces, even when it clashes with Willowdean's own preconceived notions of what a pageant, and a pageant girl, are. The girls' friendship is real and authentic. Ellen has her own anxieties and shows that "the pretty girls" don't escape unrealistic expectations, or societal pressure.
Hannah (Bex Taylor-Klaus), the revolutionary, finds a way to positively take power back from the pageant, without becoming mired in the kind of negativity that nearly consumed Willowdean. Taylor-Klaus has made a career of playing edgy, whip-smart characters, and it's nice to see her getting work.
The revelation, here, is Millie (Maddie Baillio). She is a force of positive nature. She has a nearly indomitable spirit, and a smile with enough wattage to power the eastern seaboard. Baillio plays Millie with nimble skill: her positivity is infectious, but it is as much a coping mechanism as Willowdean's crippling negativity. When Baillio lets the mask slip, those moments are earned and affecting. Millie could feel like a joke (and she does provide much of the film's feel-good comedy, and its singular F-bomb), but Baillio never allows the character to veer into cartoon.
Jennifer Aniston was an excellent choice to play Rosie, the pageant-obsessed mother of Willowdean. Aniston has the beauty and grace of a latter-day It girl, and finds the truth and the tragedy in Rosie in a way that neither justifies the low-key emotional neglect of her daughter nor celebrates her as an easily-absolved Hallmark movie archetype. Rosie has done damage, but not maliciously and not intentionally. The place where Rosie and Willowdean end up by film's end feels honest because Aniston was allowed to play a character in three dimensions, instead of being shunted into the Terrible Mother corner.
II. We Could All Be a Little More Like Dolly
I love that this movie roots itself in Dolly Parton's unique brand of positivity and strength. Parton has always seemed to personify being ones true self in an unrepentant way. Her songs weave in and out of this movie, as snippets of her lyrics weave in and out of the script, serving as inspiration and underscore for the themes of the movie.
Is it a little corny, and a little over the top, and a little too much on the nose? Maybe. But then, that's kind of the point, right?
Is it a little corny, and a little over the top, and a little too much on the nose? Maybe. But then, that's kind of the point, right?
III. Bo is NOT a Teenager
Luke Benward, the actor they got to play Bo, is not a bad actor. He's fine. He's honest and makes Bo feel like a real person. But he aint no teenager. The actor is 23 years old, and looks it. It's a bit weird, and it took me out of the film momentarily.
IV. Hearts and Minds
I especially liked the way that Dolly's wisdom and the movie's body positivity themes are all punched up by the inclusion of drag queens. The Hideaway (the best name for a low-key gay bar in Texas), and its denizens feel real. The bar itself is a wonderful set: it looks like a real dive bar. I appreciated that The Hideaway wasn't a joke. There aren't gigantic gay stereotypes or offensive portrayals of the community there.
Drag queens are naturally celebratory, and body positivity is part and parcel in the decision to dress in drag in the first place. The queens that help Willowdean and her friends show a positive and heartwarming view of the community, and, in 2018, I am glad that we are seeing more of this kind of representation on screen. Think about the kind of confidence and self acceptance one has to have to dress up in drag and perform on stage. We could all learn a thing or two from a drag queen.
Drag queens are naturally celebratory, and body positivity is part and parcel in the decision to dress in drag in the first place. The queens that help Willowdean and her friends show a positive and heartwarming view of the community, and, in 2018, I am glad that we are seeing more of this kind of representation on screen. Think about the kind of confidence and self acceptance one has to have to dress up in drag and perform on stage. We could all learn a thing or two from a drag queen.
V. A Little Ham Handed
The movie, by and large, is very good. There are times, however, when the script gets a bit preachy and succumbs to the Tell Don't Show fallacy. How many times, really do I need to see flashbacks to a slow-motion dancing Aunt Lucy? Willowdean is given a few monologues where she protests a bit too much, and it feels like drama for drama's sake instead of earned emotional beats.VI. Colorful
I really appreciate the way this film uses color. Willowdean's world, for the most part, exists in technicolor. The pinks and teals are on full display, and dialed up to eleven.
Except at her house. The home is dark, and drab, and it feels like there's no light there. It is an interesting way to help us understand how Willowdean feels about being at home: it's a sad place for her, not just because of her aunt's death, but also because of her mother's seeming disappointment in her. This juxtaposition of color is a wonderful way of telling the story. But it isn't the only way that the film uses color.
There's the little room, where Lucy and Willowdean danced to Dolly Parton, and The Hideaway. Both of these places are lit with lush, warm yellows and reds. They feel like home, because they are the places where Willowdean felt the most love. The most like herself. It is interesting that The Hideaway is the only place with the same color scheme and feel. Even though she's never been there before, there is an instant feeling of being at home. Of being accepted.
Except at her house. The home is dark, and drab, and it feels like there's no light there. It is an interesting way to help us understand how Willowdean feels about being at home: it's a sad place for her, not just because of her aunt's death, but also because of her mother's seeming disappointment in her. This juxtaposition of color is a wonderful way of telling the story. But it isn't the only way that the film uses color.
There's the little room, where Lucy and Willowdean danced to Dolly Parton, and The Hideaway. Both of these places are lit with lush, warm yellows and reds. They feel like home, because they are the places where Willowdean felt the most love. The most like herself. It is interesting that The Hideaway is the only place with the same color scheme and feel. Even though she's never been there before, there is an instant feeling of being at home. Of being accepted.
VII. Should You See It?
Miscellany
- Jennifer Aniston, who also produced this film, convinced Dolly Parton to record new original songs for the film's soundtrack.- Julie Murphy, the author of the book this film is based on, is in The Hideaway as a patron in the film's final scene.
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