Centerpiece: Patti Cake$
Description
The unqualified breakout hit of this year’s Sundance Festival, Geremy Jasper’s debut feature erupts with head-nodding beats from the opening scene and boasts a stirring performance by Danielle Macdonald as the title character. She plays Patricia “Patti Cake$” Dombrowski, who moans to her best pal Hareesh, “I’m 23 and I ain’t done shit,” though dreams of hip-hop stardom fuel both of their fantasies. She bartends at Lou’s Tavern for spending money and tries to stay clear of her loving but tempestuous mom, Barb (an excellent Bridget Everett), who carries her past disappointments around like a weight. What Patricia is good at, though, is spitting rhymes, and when she meets an intriguing outsider named Bastard who has a facility with instrumental styles, they agree to enter a local music competition. As Patti assembles her crew of old and new friends (including her raspy-voiced grandmother, played by Raging Bull’s Cathy Moriarty) and they start laying down diverse and very catchy tracks, writer/director Jasper (who also wrote the original songs) shows just how transporting hip-hop can be—for the multi-racial motley group that Patti assembles around her as well as the viewers of this moving and immensely entertaining film.
Writer, director and musician, Geremy Jasper made a name for himself directing music videos; most notably he co-directed videos for Florence + The Machine, Selena Gomez, and Goldfrapp. His feature directorial debut, Patti Cake$, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was a recipient of the San Francisco Film Society’s KRF Filmmaker Grant in 2014. Also, a talented musician, he wrote the film’s original songs.
Film Details
Language English
Year 2016
Runtime 108
Country USA
Director Geremy Jasper
Producer Michael Gottwald, Noah Stahl, Dan Janvey, Rodrigo Teixeira, Daniela Taplin Lundberg, Chris Columbus
Writer Geremy Jasper
Editor Brad Turner
Cinematographer Federico Cesca
Music Geremy Jasper
Cast Danielle Macdonald, Bridget Everett, Cathy Moriarty