Find out who you are and do it on purpose.

Dumplin'
2018 | 1 HR 50 Min | PG-13 | Comedy | Netflix

Director: Anne Fletcher

Writers:

Kristin Hahn

Julie Murphy

Stars: 

Danielle Macdonald

Jennifer Aniston 

Odeya Rush 

Synopsis:

Willowdean ('Dumplin'), the plus-size teenage daughter of a former beauty queen, signs up for her mom's Miss Teen Bluebonnet pageant as a protest that escalates when other contestants follow her footsteps, revolutionizing the pageant and their small Texas town.

Everyone is so busy talking about Netflix's Bird Box they just might be missing out on this tender coming of age flick Dumplin' or are they. With strong performances from Aniston and Danielle Macdonald can’t save this conventional pageant saga that seems to be centered around the music from Dolly Parton. In a house full of girls this was the movie of choice last night and even if the movie never really gets into second gear its message is important and not shoved down your throat.

Dumplin' is a big-hearted dramedy about an overweight teenager who finds herself by way of Dolly Parton. There is fun to be had, as in a scene where a cheerful group of Texan drag queens performs some of Ms. Parton’s greatest hits. But as a coming-of-age tale, a comedy of southern pageantry, or a story of mother-daughter reconciliation, it is well boring. Giving the sensation of having seen it all before, only this time with more glitter and higher hair. It's a story worth telling just at a staggering and very predictable pace.

Dumplin’ is more often a film loudly announcing its noble intentions with slogans instead of dialogue: “A protest in heels”, “Every body is a swimsuit body” and as if inching toward self-awareness, “Hey hey, ho ho, patriarchy has got to go.” That’s a message to get behind, as is Aniston’s superfluous southern accent and the ascent of Macdonald. The movie, however, not so much.

Sorry Dumplin' 

3 out 5