Patti Cake$ (***)

It's the underdog story that I think most people will find so alluring in PATTI CAKE$, the debut film from musician/director Geremy Jasper. I attended a screening in which we learned the process by which this movie was made: a Sundance Film Festival-based workshop in which the actors met to rehearse, role-play, and develop characters. What an exciting way to make a movie, especially one that is so small and so restricted in budget, marketing, and star power. I only wish the final result was more potent.

The movie follows the traditional "poor kid who dreams" arch that we recognize from movies like "Precious" and "8 Mile." Our hero is Patti (Danielle Macdonald, an Australian actress in a remarkable debut), a heavy-set girl who hops job to job to support her Nana (Cathy Moarity) and vicious mom (Bridget Everett). While her days are occupied by busy work and bartending at a local watering hole, her mind races with lyrics and rhymes that keep her motivated. Her goal? To become an A-list rapper by the name of Killer P. She is quite good. In rap circles she dominates the field and puts other men to shame. Her only support comes from her friend and pharmacist, Jerry (Siddharth Dhananjay), himself an accomplished lyricist.

The plot kicks off with several factors falling into place, mostly Patti's meeting of a mysterious figure dubbed "Antichrist," aka Bob (Mamoudou Athie), a skinny black kid with a pale blue eye and lives in the remote forest near a cemetery. What Patti needs is to make a demo tape to advertise her talent, and Antichrist has what she believes to be the best beats in town. In the movie's best scene, Patti and her nana stroll over to Antichrist's house (along with Jerry), and the group creates a very catchy song called "PBNJ," complete with nana's raspy voice serving as the baseline.

When I say her mom is vicious, what more can you expect? Everett plays the mother, Barb, as a woman who long ago dreamed of having a similar life. She worked hard to become a mainstream singer but now finds her evenings getting drunk on her daughter's tab and singing profound karaoke with surprising conviction. When she hears that her daughter hopes to be a rapper, she scoffs at the idea. Maybe it's because she's supposed to be "villainous," or more likely because she doesn't want to see her daughter fall down the same path as she. The movie concludes with a rap contest in which PBNJ (Patty, Bob, Nana, and Jerry) compete for a cash prize and the attention of one of Jersey's most famed rappers. Of course Barb shows up in the end, and there's a moment that made my audience cheer in which mother and daughter find a way to bond over their differences. Did I think the moment worked? Let me just say that from the moment we first meet Barb, this is the conclusion you would probably expect coming.

I liked the performances by most of these unknown stars, the surprisingly great songs penned by director Jasper himself. The trailer was one of my favorites of the year: an underdog story that promised heart and a fresh take on a story we have seen so many times before. Instead what we get is a movie that is almost always exactly what we might expect. There aren't surprises here. The story plays out exactly like hundreds of movies have done before. For every strength I saw in the picture, there was an equal and opposite detractor. Do I recommend PATTI CAKE$? Sure. There's a lot of talent at work here that doesn't deserve to go unlooked. Maybe if you are sold by the story, then you might even find yourself cheering in the theater at that climax that so many others praised. It's a movie that obviously has done something right by many people.