Patti Cake$ (2017)

P B N J. P P B N J. Don't worry that will be be in your head for days after watching this film. Patti Cake$ is wonderful. Small film, relatively small release and I wouldn't say has had a great deal of advertising. Nonetheless I heard of the film a few weeks ago, story seemed unoriginal but fun and the trailer sold me. Patti Cake$ is the story of underdog Patricia, AKA Patti Cakes$ AKA Killa P trying to break out of New Jersey and start her live over as a rapper. 

So the casting was spot on. Completely. Australian actor Danielle Macdonald killed it as Jersey born Patti Dombrowski. Carries the characters troubles well, shows off her hard work in all aspects of her life. And of course raps incredibly well. So after P we have B (P B N J) B is for Basterd, played by Mamoudou Athie, an outsider who Patti meets with her best friend Jheri at an open mic event. He screams for people to break out and not to be sheep whilst rocking facial piercings and a single white contact lens. His quietness is a contrast to Patti though they are compatible. Jheri, played by Siddharth Dhananjay, Patti's best friend is an extrovert like her, enthusiastic and passionate about music. He pushes her to become her best and it works, he's there for her debatably more than he's there for himself but they make a great team. See also his youtube channel Dhananjaythefirst and you can see why his performance seems so genuine. 

Patti's Nana plays a big part in Patti Cake$ career and not just her life, the first time we see her Patti is keen to share a new limerick she's made up and Nana is joyous to hear it. She believes in her granddaughter and it's clear that Patti wouldn't be the Killa P we end up loving without that. She even gets to perform on one of the tracks. It's apparent Patti gets her support here and not from her alcoholic attention seeking mother. Bridget Everett who we usually see in comedic roles pushes herself to a more dramatic character. Granted yes there's comedy in the film but not often with her, she has an understandable sadness to her. Manages to be somewhat redeemable even though she's not particularly likeable. 

I personally loved the style of the film. It opens with a big rap number, lots of colour and aesthetics, smoke, lights, make up and Patti giving it her all. Then she wakes up. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the film from one characters perspective, getting her point of view is great. We see her dreams and daydreams, and how she perceives different characters and key moments in the film. I loved the editing of the film too, it mirrored this, went well not only with the music but with the theme of the moment. Some parts were cut as if to be a music video, not just performances but how Patti saw the world. Emphasising how big of an influence music has on her life. 

And the music was great. Original music was fantastic, written by Jason Binnick and director Geremy Jasper. Being his feature length directorial and writing debut, alongside being composer for the film. And fair play to him, great piece all round there. You can tell the few things he's work on previously have been music related but this is the film to show that off in if any. Still needs a little work, a little rough around the edges but that is to be expected from someone with less experience. And with the fact he did so much on one project, that is often a recipe for a clustered film. 

Yes it hits that, life is hard for a fat girl thing but it doesn't rely on it. It's a tiny slice of who the character is and makes Patti much more than just a cliche

Predictable? Yes. Unsatisfying? Not in the slightest. It'll get you in the mood for live music and you'll undoubtedly be listening to the soundtrack on the way home 7/10

CINEMATES - A