MOXIE: From Page to Screen
The movie Moxie premiered on Netflix early this month. The film, directed by Amy Poehler, was based on the novel of the same name, written by Jennifer Mathieu. The film was an accurate adaptation of the novel and there were some subtle differences that enhanced the plot and story of the movie.
The thing that initially struck me the most was how the movie portrayed the character Seth Acosta. In the book, Seth recently moved to Austin from a more progressive town and strikes Vivian as the mysterious new guy. In the film, Vivian takes an interest in him because he “grew up” over the summer, which is code for got hot. Additionally, the book portrays him as a fairly bland, white, male teenager. Nico Hiraga plays Seth in the film as a lovable skater boy. He’s everyone’s friend and cares a lot about Vivian. The film enhanced the character and gave Seth more depth. Although his backstory in the book has a bit more fluff and mystery, the film puts the character more in the spotlight and allows us viewers to relate to him. He’s not just an accessory for Vivian’s plot line, he has more to offer to the story.
Another part of the film that I found interesting was the role that the girls’ soccer team played in the creation of Moxie. The book depicts a bake sale that Moxie puts on to get the team new uniforms and mentions a few characters that are on the team. The movie weaves the soccer team into the main conflict of the story. Enhancing the inequality of girls’ sports to boys’ at the high school made the rising action more intense. It helped build the anger felt by the Moxie girls and showed the viewer how the girls of the school are treated worse than we thought.
Something that fell short in the movie was the history of the Riot Grrrls. In the book, the movement was talked about in more detail and was the inspiration for every action Vivian took. Although I don’t doubt that Vivian was modeling her zines and protests after her mom and the movement, the movie didn’t show it much. Additionally, the name “Moxie” came from Vivian’s grandmother, whereas the film takes the word from the principal. “Moxie” coming from Vivian’s family is more impactful, since that’s how her grandmother describes her. In the film it’s just a word the principal used to describe the school. Vivian’s mom also played a bigger role in the novel and had a storyline that was all her own. Although the film tried to give her her own life, it fell short of illustrating just how much she wasn’t in Vivian’s world.
Moxie the movie chose to cast a female principal. In the book, the principal is Mitchell’s father. His dad being the principal added an ensured level of protection for Mitchell, especially since the principle himself was a sexist meathead. That’s why it wasn’t shocking when throughout the novel he continuously defended Mitchell and dismissed the concerns of the female students. The film made the principal female which added a whole new discussion. What happens when you encounter a woman who doesn’t support women? Not only did she not listen to the students’ concerns, she also put Mitchell on a pedestal because he made the school look good. Even though the football team sucked, Mitchell was their star and was a celebrity of the community. As principal of the school, Marlene Shelly couldn’t diminish Mitchell’s image. Making her female added depth and realism to the story. It showed that there are women that will sweep harassment under the rug for men who hold power. We’ve seen it with celebrities and politicians and it trickles down to small town high-schools too.
One change that I wasn’t a fan of was that the bathrobe protest was changed to tank tops. Anyone who went to public high school knows that girls exposing their shoulders is considered “a distraction”. In the film the students protest by all wearing tank tops to school the next day. In the book they decide to wear bathrobes to combat the unfair dress codes. In my opinion, the bathrobes made more of a statement. They weren’t just protesting the absurdity around exposed shoulders, they were going against all the dress code norms: shorts that don’t go to your fingertips, absurd logos, bright colors, etc...Those participating illustrated the idea that if you can’t express yourself through clothes then you might as well just wear a bathrobe. Although it was a change from the novel, switching the protest to tank tops was an effective contribution to the overarching theme of the story.
Overall, Moxie was an excellent adaptation of the Jennifer Mathieu novel. The most important aspects of the story were preserved and the changes, for the most part, enhanced the themes and plot. If you haven’t read the book I highly recommend giving it a read. I think you’ll be able to relate to the Riot Grrrls of Moxie just like you will in the film.
