If you’re looking for a powerful, feminist watch for this Women’s History Month, then Moxie (2021) is perfect for you.
Netflix added yet another movie to its collection on March 3, featuring comedian Amy Poehler as one of its directors. Moxie is based on a book of the same name by Jennifer Mathieu. It’s definitely an odd day when I watch a movie based on a book that I haven’t read yet, but in this scenario, I’m kind of glad I saw the movie first. I would have been comparing the differences rather than focusing on the powerful message conveyed throughout the story.
The movie follows Vivian, a shy high school junior who feels overshadowed by the successes of her overachiever best friend—played by Lauren Thai—and the rebellious past of her mother—played by Poehler. After new student Lucy—Alycia Pascual-Peña—calls out the school’s blatant sexism, Vivian creates an anonymous feminist zine inspired by her mother’s past actions to “smash the patriarchy” by calling out the sexism in her school.
It’s no secret that sexism and misogyny are still present throughout most of society, but this fictional school hits at every low point one could imagine. There’s a dismissive female school principal who lets the star football players get away with harassment and a male English teacher who’s scared to add new authors to the old, white-washed male English canon. The school faces injustices including ranking girls based on their behavior or appearances and treating sports teams differently based on gender. It’s no wonder that Vivian is fed up and creates the zine “Moxie” just to do something.
A zine is a small publication produced at no cost. These became integral to the feminist movements of the 1990s by Riot Grrls who fought for women empowerment. Vivian learns about zines from her mother, who spent her youth in protests and didn’t hesitate to fight back. There’s one major difference between the 90s and the present, though, Vivian’s mother points out: the lack of intersectionality throughout the early feminist movement.
To promote intersectionality, Moxie is filled with a diverse cast of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ characters who band together, create a club at the school and spread the anonymous words of the zine to all students. The movie addresses many of the stereotypes and challenges of BIPOC women. Even Vivian needs to be put in her place by her best friend once or twice.
There are also a few relationships for viewers like me who love a great romance. What’s even better is that our main love interest, Seth—Nico Hiraga—is a feminist ally, showing that men are capable of recognizing when change needs to happen for women. Seth sets the bar quite high, although the apish football players who roam around shirtless and touch women without their permission have no chance of reaching Seth’s level.
As the movie hits its climax, there’s a satisfying ending that appeals to various viewers. While I think there are some unfinished and unexplored plot points, they didn’t detract at all from the movie’s important message: you can do something about injustice and create change. Moxie is not your typical coming-of-age story about a girl who finds herself. It’s much more than that.
Moxie highlights the power of words and the small actions that people can take to make change every day. It’s a call for everyone, not just women, to understand both the triumphs and pitfalls of the feminist movement’s past, present and future.
As Moxie demonstrates, even something as simple as putting pen to paper can inspire others to take action.