Patti Cake$ tells the story of Patti, an aspiring rapper living in New Jersey. Danielle Macdonald leads the cast and puts in a wonderful performance as the main character. Patti has the attitude, the aspiration, and the talent to escape her dead-end life. All she needs is to find the right platform to get her career started.
The movie is directed by prolific music video director Geremy Jasper in his feature film debut. This pedigree probably accounts for the striking visuals on display. Patti very frequently has dreams or fantasies of the kind of life she hopes her rapping will bring her. These are usually very vivid and colorful images that break up the darker and more muted visuals that comprise the majority of the film.
Patti lives a destitute and desperate existence with her mother, Barb (Bridget Everett) and grandmother, Nana (Cathy Moriarty). Her family is constantly being hounded about debts and medical bills, Patti is harassed endlessly by locals about her appearance, and she only has one true friend in the form of Jheri, her musical partner, who is played by Siddharth Dhananjay.
Patti’s relationship with her mother is strained due to the financial struggles, as well as due to her mother’s penchant for binge drinking and one-night stands. Her father is unseen and is mentioned as having abandoned the family. The only talent Patti has and the only thing that seems to bring her any joy in her life is rapping. She participates in parking lot rap battles and attends small local shows with Jheri. This leads to the two eventually meeting with a rocker who goes by the name of Basterd, played by Mamoudou Athie. The three of them, along with Nana, form a group called PBNJ.
The members of PBNJ have great chemistry and there are some genuinely funny moments that arise once things get underway. Nana is without a doubt the funniest character in the movie and Moriarty deserves highest praise for her performance in the role. Athie gives a good showing as well in his role as the quiet and socially disaffected Basterd.
Patti herself works well with every other character in the movie which is a testament to Macdonald’s acting ability. The only other major character is Barb who at one time had the dream of being in music as well but had to give it up once she had Patti. The two of them drift from heated arguments to catty asides and their relationship is easily the most tragic feature of this production.
Up until now I have had nothing but praise for Patti Cake$, however there is a major flaw with the story. The dialogue from one character perfectly encompasses the biggest issue of the movie. After a brief exhibition of her talents, Patti is reprimanded harshly by a major figure in the rap industry. He criticizes her as being a “cultural vulture” and accuses her of not knowing who she is. The film has a serious problem with how disingenuous the characters seem to be. These are not greatly developed roles, they are personas and caricatures for the most part. The music that Patti and her group make is empty and meaningless bravado without any personality behind it.
Some people might say all rap is empty and meaningless, but these people are mistaken and likely have only scratched the surface of this kind of music. The mostly highly-regarded rap artists have most certainly made music involving bragging and boasting, but there are also countless songs from these same artists that have a more personal quality that helps puts them into a higher echelon. Patti has no such music for the majority of the film. The resolution of this story feels hollow as a result of this lack of personality within her music.
That is not to say the emotional climax of Patti Cake$ is not a moving one. There is appropriate catharsis for every plot point in the story, which is a high compliment. It just does not feel like these characters have learned anything or grown in any way with the exception of Barb. This issue with character development is a major one but not enough to take away from the whole experience of the movie itself, which is probably still worth seeing at the end of the day, which earns Patti Cake$ a 3/5.
