If you haven’t already heard the name Danielle Macdonald…well, then I was wrong about last year’s Patti Cake$ being her breakout film. Macdonald was truly phenomenal in the hip-hop coming of age story, and it has led her to much bigger projects with bigger stars. Dumplin‘ finds Macdonald switching gears from rap to the soulful sounds of Dolly Parton for an uplifting comedy alongside Jennifer Aniston.
Directed by Anne Fletcher (27 Dresses), Dumplin‘ stars Macdonald as a small-town Texas girl tired of living in the shadow of her mom, a former beauty queen who runs her own pageant. As a form of protest, she decides to enter the pageant herself, sparking a movement to reexamine traditional notions of what is beautiful.
The film is powered by the sounds of Dolly Parton (including new tracks and fresh versions of her classics), so your mileage may vary on the soundtrack. I like Macdonald in this kind of role, where she gets to overcome the odds and challenge expectations. It’s a good place for her, and I think this is an especially good time for this story as beauty pageants all over the country are changing their criteria. I get a Whip It/Patti Cake$ vibe, too, and that’s a combination definitely worth being excited for.
Also starring Odeya Rush, Luke Benward, and Dove Cameron, Dumplin‘ hits Netflix on December 27th.
