Dumplin’, Friendship & Growing Up

Dumplin’

Directed By: Anne Fletcher

Grade: B+

Dumplin’ is based on the Julie Murphy book of the same name and is showing on Netflix. Which is generally having a good run of YA adaptations. It’s about Willowdean Dixon a plus size girl who as form of protest (and grief) joins her mother’s beloved beauty pageant and inspires several other girls who normally wouldn’t to do the same.

There is also a whole lot of Dolly Parton, a hero to Willowdean and her late Aunt Lucy.  I didn’t mind even if several days later I’m still randomly singing 9 to 5. Oddly I like this movie the more I think about it than I did while actually watching it.

Danielle Macdonald and Jennifer Aniston are very good as mother and daughter. I think Macdonald was a little staid at first but she grew into it the more Willowdean got into the pageant and began to deal with her grief.

One of the things I like about Murphy’s writing is no one is an adorable YA Saint and no one really sucks either. Everyone’s just people. Messy. Sometimes mean and judgmental. Sometimes lashing out. But relatable and I think Dumplin does an excellent job with that.

Actually Millie was pretty adorable and her wide-eyed hope and actual desire to be a pageant girl was well played by Maddie Baillio. She could have been an annoying character or treated like a joke instead I genuinely liked and wanted to be friends with her.

The other thing would have to be Beau. I feel like this relationship was really lacking while watching it. Didn’t care for him at all and other than the fact he likes Willowdean he stays a bit of a cipher.

Who am I complaining there’s not enough relationships?

Yes Beau was a part of Willowdean learning to accept herself and the people around her but he certainly wasn’t the biggest. That was the pageant, her relationship with her mother and the changing of an accepting of her friends and really her accepting herself with them. I bought those things even if I didn’t entirely by the Beau parts.

The movie and the book also has a great message I really appreciate. I even teared up at parts of the pageant. It also reminds me that I need to finally read Puddin’ as the sequel is all about Millie.

Recommend: Yes. If this was in theaters I’d say yes but wait until its on DVD or streaming. It really is the perfect Netflix movie however (I mean that in a good way) so go ahead and give it a go!