Teenage girl Johanna Morrigan (Beanie Feldstein) is a talented copywriter and not popular at all in her school. At home, Johanna has a “Wall of Gods” featuring photographs of her literary and historical heroes, including: Sylvia Plath (Lucy Punch), Elizabeth Taylor (Lily Allen), The Bronte sisters, Sigmund Freud(Michael Sheen), and Maria von Trapp (Gemma Arterton). Johanna speaks to these photos, and the fact that they answer her makes for some early fun. Johanna’s family hustles to stay just above poverty. Her dad, Pat Morrigan (Paddy Considine), still has dreams of rock stardom even though they have long passed, and now he breeds black market Border Collies. Her mother Angie (Sarah Solemani) suffers from post-partem depression after giving birth to unexpected and unprepared for twins.
After winning a local TV spot as student poet (in a quick turn as a show host is Chris O’Dowd) turns mortifying, Johanna’s brother Krissi (Laurie Kynaston) suggests she audition for a London magazine’s opening as music critic. She unironically writes up a piece on the soundtrack to Broadway’s “Annie”—which nabs her an interview, but only as a joke. Undeterred, she overwhelms the smarmy hipster editor (Frank Dillane) into an assignment and gets the full fledged opportunity to work for a rock magazine. They however are less than impressed when she writes what is essentially a teenage love crush fluff piece on her first big interview piece about musician John Kite (Alfie Allen) and she gets the hatchet.With that Johanna decides to sharpen her claws and it’s here where, low and behold, she does a complete reinvention of herself and evolves into persona ‘Dolly Wilde’. It’s no surprise that Dolly’s hatchet jobs become a cause-celebre’ hit. Celebrating the idea of “A nice girl gets nowhere, but a bitch… A bitch can make a comeback,” she gradually rises to become the most hated person in the industry including winning ‘Asshole of the Year’ journalism award.
Performance wise, sometimes it’s left to ponder who Considine’s representation is as he can be fantastic actor, but at times picks roles where he fails to bring any expectation to the character he’s playing. Feldstein, being American, has a somewhat thick British accent here and aside from a few struggles with said accent, commands your attention at all angles. There are times when even though you don’t really believe she is fully pulling the character off – you still root for her – follow her – even if her figure character becomes almost unbearable in between. Nevertheless, Johanna has her heart in the right place and so this comedy is quite a decent affair – and not only for girls. That’ll help you miss some of the weaker elements. Minor characters are allowed little opportunity to develop and the story feels boiled down to the most obvious plot points. There is nothing superficial about Johanna, but the film itself fails to dive far enough beneath the surface to do her justice.
While the film doesn’t work perfectly Director Coky Giedroyc does a perfectly acceptable job of making it a fine watch. I do hope to see Feldstein break out of this typecasting of roles and move towards ones that she can really sink her teeth into. All in all “How to Build a Girl” is more of a cutsey, fun watch than maybe the book by Caitlin Moran was meant to be as Moran’s audacious humor sometimes feels muted. There is also something quite fun as well in a film that decides it is up to every girl to build and/or rebuild herself in any images she so chooses.
Grade: C+Follow me on twitter: @pegsatthemovies and Instagram: peggyatthemovies
Media Review link courtesy of IFC Films
“HOW TO BUILD A GIRL” hits select drive-in theaters and VOD on Friday, May 8, 2020
If it was a regular movie year where we were going to cinema and tons of movies out, I would probably completely agree. As is, I’m barely getting anything new to review at all, I’m going with I was just appreciative to be able to watch a decent cutsey film. 🙂 It’s worth a watch…
I will admit when it first came on I was like..whaaaa?? but with a few mis-steps I wasn’t mortified. I’ve heard worse. I still never understand the British trying to do Southern or Boston etc. and US doing Brit. it’s like we all got enough actors that are from these places that can do it right.. hahahahahaha
You’re right. Feldstein was not as bad as Don Cheadle in the Ocean’s movies. 😂That’s honestly the worst I’ve ever heard.
It’s one of those things where Americans are better at picking up bad American accents and vice versa when it comes to Brits and British accents. I am from grey London so my ears were quick to spot the inconsistencies. 🤓
Such a sign of the times when the best place to see a movie is a drive in!
Peggy at the Movies 
Really like Beanie and the cast, but this sounds more than a little…inessential?
If it was a regular movie year where we were going to cinema and tons of movies out, I would probably completely agree. As is, I’m barely getting anything new to review at all, I’m going with I was just appreciative to be able to watch a decent cutsey film. 🙂 It’s worth a watch…
I’m here for Beanie, so appreciate the review and thank you for bringing it to my attention. Stay safe!
I like the idea of the film. It’s unlikely I’ll watch though because of Feldstein’s accent, which I heard in the trailer.
I will admit when it first came on I was like..whaaaa?? but with a few mis-steps I wasn’t mortified. I’ve heard worse. I still never understand the British trying to do Southern or Boston etc. and US doing Brit. it’s like we all got enough actors that are from these places that can do it right.. hahahahahaha
You’re right. Feldstein was not as bad as Don Cheadle in the Ocean’s movies. 😂That’s honestly the worst I’ve ever heard.
It’s one of those things where Americans are better at picking up bad American accents and vice versa when it comes to Brits and British accents. I am from grey London so my ears were quick to spot the inconsistencies. 🤓
Such a sign of the times when the best place to see a movie is a drive in!
I would LOVE to be able to go to a drive-in again!! 🙂
Maybe not sneak in in the trunk like we did as kids. 😁