I PVRed this movie to watch after seeing countless previous on the movie channels and I'm glad I did! I went into this not expecting much and was very, very pleasantly surprised. It did remind me a little bit of a lighter version of '8 Mile', and is an inspiring story nonetheless (so much so that I had to write a review - which I never do). Main actress and supporting cast are great and I felt myself crying happy tears at the end. To the nay sayers of this film, they need to drop their negativity at the door and open their heart to the vulnerable beauty that is shown withing this film.

You cant help but love, root for, cheer embrace, and ultimately WISH to have some of the amazing qualities this filmmaker brought out in these characters. Kudos to all involved especially Danielle, her two band mates (wow wow wow!!!!), and her mother ...and way to go Cathy Moriarty! Watch this movie and you will be entertained, empowered, reaffirmed and rejoice. Watch this movie again a few months later and your life will be changed for the better as you absorb the film makers' finer messages and extract the benefits of the immensly deep, deep pool of talent pulled together for this rare film. Anybody who ever experiences the dreary or mundain ordinary moments life so often offers up to us will be inspired to turn those moments into ones that are fulfilling, inspiring, and happy joyous ones.

This was a genuine surprise. With so many films that deal with such an underdog story, it kind of felt like they were just tweaking things to make it original when I first heard about it. But it was much better than I hoped. A struggling overweight white female trying to be a rapper didn't interest me much but it's how the characters and situations are written that makes it so engaging and fresh. Also, the director having experience with music videos, seems to know how to pick songs. Keeping blues and rap side by side and a stunning finale song. Danielle Macdonald has given one of the best performance of the year. Still, the familiar tropes and some obvious parallels to other films are the minor drawbacks here.

'PATTI CAKE$': Four and a Half Stars (Out of Five)An indie drama written and directed by first time feature filmmaker Geremy Jasper. It tells the story of a plus-sized white woman, in New Jersey, who desperately wants to be a successful rapper. It stars Danielle Macdonald (in the title role), Bridget Everett, Siddharth Dhananjay, Mamoudou Athie, Cathy Moriarty and McCaul Lombardi. The film was made on a budget of just $1 million, and it premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. It's gotten mostly positive reviews from critics, and it was released in indie theaters by Fox Searchlight Pictures. I found it to be extremely inspiring and moving. Patti Dombrowski (Macdonald) is a young white woman that lives in Bergen County, New Jersey; with her mother Barb (Everett) and her grandmother Nana (Moriarty). She works as a bartender, at a local dive bar, and dreams of becoming a famous rapper. Patti attempts to make her dreams come true, in the music business, with the help of her friend Jheri (Dhananjay), but she constantly faces hate and harassment from nearly everyone in her neighborhood. Then Patti meets another struggling rap artist, named Basterd (Athie), that inspires her again.The film is a classic underdog story, that actually has some likable rap music in it (and I'm not a big fan of the genre). Macdonald is great in the lead, and her character couldn't be more relatable (to an outcast dreamer like myself at least). I was totally moved by the movie, especially by it's passionate conclusion. It's the type of film that just keeps building and building, on an emotional dramatic level, and by the climax you really want to see a happy ending. It's definitely an inspiring 'feel good' movie as well, in my opinion, that I think almost anyone could enjoy. Unless you're the type of person that likes bullying and harassing outcast dreamers.Watch an episode of our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: https://youtu.be/PdeLWCp_JrI