Where was Empire Waist when I was in Middle School? I would have non-ironically eaten up a story centering around an insecure, plus-size student with a special interest and Missi Pyle and Rainn Wilson as her loving parents. It’s the kind of representation that Hollywood and media have been lacking for decades. However — while done in good faith, Empire Waist often fumbles with its intersectionality.
Written and directed by Upright Citizens Brigade alum Claire Ayoub, the film focuses on Lenore (Mia Kaplan), a plus-size high school student who dons all-black and talks to no one in order to stay invisible. While tolerating her classmates, fitness-obsessed mother, and well-meaning father, she comes alive as a fashion designer. Her colorful creations never make it out of the closet, though. When her science teacher pairs her up with the body-confident Kayla (Jemima Yevu) for a project, her secret is discovered and her new friend encourages her talent, wanting her to enter into a national student competition.
Soon Lenore is making clothes for other outcasts at the school who not normally catered to by the fashion industry including Tina (Holly McDowell), a tall, and loveable klutz, Marcy (Daisy Washington), a sardonic activist in a wheelchair, and Diamond (Kassandra Tellez), a smart and quiet genius on the smaller side. As the girls help Lenore on her entry, mean-girl Sylvie (Isabella Pisacane) is around every corner to take the spotlight away from them.
This is a very sweet and well-intentioned film. The costuming is done tastefully for the age by Francesca Roth. Rainn Wilson is delightful as Lenore’s goofy dad and works beautifully off of Missi Pyle, who gives us an endearing performance that we’ve never seen from her before. The relationship between Kayla and Lenore feels real and lived in, but Empire Waist is not one size fits all.
The film doesn’t nail its tone. The dialogue is sometimes corny and over the top, reminiscent of American Girl Doll direct-to-video films of the 2000s. Dramatic scenes often lean into full melodrama and some of its moments of marginalized representation need rethinking. We first meet a pivotal trans character when she is stuck in a trash can. Though Kayla is given a backstory, at times, the character feels like the “fat, Black, best friend” archetype even though the main character is also larger. The Marcy and Diamond character arcs are also non-existent.
Ayoub falls into some of the same plus-size tropes Hollywood has been giving us for years without dissecting or deconstructing them fully. There’s not much nuance in this film, which would be fine if Ayoub knew which age demographic she was writing for. On one hand, the insults Slyvie throws Lenore’s way feel juvenile, while on the other there are a few racy jokes that are clearly for older watchers.
This film had so much potential and I think with a clearer tone and better dialogue, it could have been a really wonderful movie for a whole new generation of girls — something like Dumplin’ or Moxie. While imperfect, there is something about Empire Waist worth celebrating even if it has some growing to do.
Empire Waist is in theaters now. Watch the trailer below.
