Recently, the video streaming company, Netflix provided viewers with a new comedy-drama movie titled ‘Moxie,’ directed by actress and comedian Amy Poehler.

The film was released on March, 3, 2021, and has been generally successful among the company’s clients. It amassed a 69% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 6.7/10 on IMDB.
The plot of the film includes a protagonist named Vivian who is inspired by her mother’s wild teen years to create a secret society called “Moxie” in order to empower the women in her school.
This society calls for women in the school to participate in many activities to unify them in a male-dominated world and school environment.
The film seems to be very progressive and brings attention to the struggles and discrimination that women face in school and society in general.
One of the most memorable scenes in the movie occurs early in the film. A character has been “dress-coded” unfairly.
The character has been wearing a tanktop similar to many other students in the class but is singled out due to her body type.
Many examples similar to this occur throughout the film, acknowledging real-life issues that women and girls are forced to deal with on a daily basis.
While the film seems to be very empowering for women and girls, it’s solutions to problems that women have dealt with for years seems to be sub-par and unrealistic. For example, at one point in the film, the society calls for all the women in the school to draw stars and hearts on their hands in order to show support for those who have been affected by the sexist dress code. While this may show a small amount of support for those who have been affected, it is purely performative and does not promote change.
Disregarding the seemingly performative plot, the film’s acting is relatively average. Actress Hadley Robinson plays the protagonist, Vivian, in the movie. While the actress portrays the character well, the performance is not too memorable, especially considering the serious issues the protagonist deals with.
However, actress Alycia Pascual, who plays Lucy, portrays her character very well. Lucy, a character with a very progressive mindset, is able to be a role model for all girls who are watching the movie.
Her character is not afraid to stand up for what she believes in, and she forces change to occur in order to feel safer and more confident in her school environment.
Personally, I feel that Lucy should have been the main protagonist over Vivian due to her confidence and drive to get things done.
Would I recommend this movie? Yes. If you would like to spend an afternoon watching a fast-paced, semi-progressive movie, I would recommend Moxie.
Although it has some issues with performative activism, overall the movie attempts to portray a good message and is interesting to watch.