Hey there, YA fans!
If you’re plugged into the YA world, you likely know that Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu was adapted into a Netflix film that dropped last month, directed by Amy Poehler (who also starred as Vivian’s mom). I really enjoyed the book, which is the story of a Texas teen who generally finds herself keeping quiet and silently enduring the sexist treatment that she and other girls in her school are exposed to daily, both from peers and their school administration. Vivian’s single mom used to be a Riot Grrl, and so Vivian was brought up with her mom’s favorite music and stories about how her mom protested with zines in the 90’s. When a guy at school takes things just a little too far, Vivian has had enough. She creates a zone protesting the inequality and sexism at her school, but she does so anonymously and leaves the zines in the girls’ bathrooms–not realizing that she’s about to kick off a feminist revolution.
The movie adaptation was overall very enjoyable and it both honored the spirit of the book while also featuring some pretty big changes to the story. The most noticeable, which I think altered the feel of the story just a bit, is that the movie is set in a small town in the Pacific Northwest rather than Texas, which are worlds apart. Other small changes include cutting Vivian’s very Texan grandparents, casting a female as the school principal, and switching up her crush from a new kid in school to someone she’s known for a lot longer, which was fine with me–his character worked either way.
Some details of the feminist revolution were probably the most significant changes from book to movie, and there was some stuff I enjoyed and some stuff that I think the book did better. I really appreciated that the movie took a cast of characters with some diversity and broadened it so that there were more people of color. However, the cast was still a little lacking when it came to diversity in sexuality and gender identity–those characters are given very slight nods and brief moments and nothing more. I also appreciated that as a result of the cast diversification, intersectionality was explored a bit more than in the book, and it was done with some nuance although not incredible depth. For me, that was okay–I think there are still so many teen girls who are afraid of calling themselves feminists that I hope this movie offers an introduction to these theories and concepts and how they work IRL, but I don’t think anyone expects this movie to be a deep exploration of feminism in the real world.
The plot made some interesting changes, most notably in how the feminist revolution played out. I really enjoyed that Vivian’s best friend Claudia was given more of a backstory and we saw broader context as to why she was hesitant to identify as a feminist, and why she was reluctant to join the Moxie revolution. However, as the movie unfolded, I was a little perplexed about some of the changes to the actions that the girls took, and the climax of the movie left me a little bit doubtful about how believable it was. I could understand the why of a few of those changed (which played out more dramatically on screen compared to what happens in the book), but the big reveal regarding the girl who instigates the scene of the story’s climax was, I believe, handled more realistically in the book than the film–although some may disagree with me on that point!
However, these are small quibbles and there is still a lot to love in this movie! I can definitely see myself watching it again, and I think there are probably many teens who can see themselves and their experiences reflected here. Not to date myself, but 10 Things I Hate About You was my favorite movie as a teen, and I think that if I’d seen Moxie at 14 or 15, it would have been similarly inspiring and empowering!
If you liked Moxie (both the book and movie!) I have 5 book recommendations for you over on Book Riot!
Thanks for hanging out, and have a great Monday!
Tirzah Price
Thanks to Oni Lion Forge Publishing Group for making today’s newsletter possible!
