The worst type of feeling is being late to see a film from a previous year that you just know would have made its way into not just your list of favorites, but your heart as well. Andrew Bujalski's Support the Girls is definitely one of these films, as it might have been one of the best ones of 2018. This movie is an incredibly warm and honest look at a group of working-class girls working for a roadside bar and grill called Double Whammies operated by a loving manager. This entire cast makes this film truly come to life, as each character is fleshed out in such painfully real ways that will make the audience feel for them more than anything else. While some may see this film as exploitative of these actresses, the script and energetic performances from the cast completely prove that otherwise, paving the way for one of the most down-to-earth and realistic films as of late.
Lisa (Regina Hall) is the manager of a roadside "sports bar with curves," a meeting place for the local folk of the small town in Texas where she lives. Over the course of one day, everything that she is accustomed to gets tested, but despite so much drama going wrong in her life, she knows that she will always have her employees, and more importantly her girls, to fall back on. The greatest piece of this film, both written and directed by Andrew Bujalski, is how raw and authentic the story and its characters are. Lisa is written to be the most caring and dedicated manager who truly puts up with everything. Throughout everything that she has to handle, however, it is plain to see how much she cares for and supports the girls that work for her. Through the restaurant's policies and five golden rules, a healthy and loving environment had been created in Double Whammies and under Lisa's care, it is obvious how rigid she is on enforcing these rules, and for good reason. Mirroring the production of this film, I could see how comfortable the actresses were telling this story, despite how uncomfortable and slightly taboo the subject may be. The employees were also a huge part in telling this story, as each character was developed so well and each stood out on their own. Maci (Haley Lu Richardson) was the hopelessly optimistic and loyal right-hand woman to Lisa and would do anything for their restaurant. Jennelle (Dylan Gelula) was the new recruit that was willing to push the boundaries of right and wrong in order to make a bit more money. While these characters were given the most time on screen to develop and show the various personality types, all of the other girls worked very well to tell this overall story. I simply adored how all of these characters came together to create this authentic setting and how the script was not afraid to incorporate so much real-life drama into the film, especially in Lisa's arc.
As the new sports bar named Mancave was moving into town, it was interesting to see how much Double Whammies contrasted the nationwide franchise, particularly regarding how they treated their employees. A great aspect of this script was how they included this local competition and to see how much more hard work and care goes into independent restaurants. This created some much-needed drama to pair alongside the drama going on in Lisa's life with her husband and former employees stealing money. There was so much emotion put into writing the stories of these girls and I loved how Bujalski directed them all as well. Bujalski never relies on solely showing off the bodies of the actresses or taking a hard turn into dark drama, but hovers on the line between them to create a great balance of tension and authenticity. This film absolutely radiates pure heart and the way that he treats these characters is clearly out of love. The indie tone that he also established helped with this too, as anything he could have done to make this story feel more "Hollywood" would have ruined its effect. Matthias Grunsky's cinematography is another critical part of how the movie feels. The slightly shaky camera and vast use of wide shots make this world feel so empty when it needed to, but so loving in the right moments as well. Hall, Richardson, and the rest of the cast's performances in this film helped to tell its story in such a genuine way. Once again, I could tell that the cast felt comfortable in this world and that is beyond important in telling this kind of tender story. Not to mention that the last, cathartic scene of this film feels so well-deserved.
Support the Girls is a fantastic, feminist film that deals with struggles of the middle and lower class in such honest ways that are beautiful to see. Accompanied by a cast full of thoroughly talented actresses and perfect cinematography, this film accurately paints a picture of the pure heart and devotion that goes into supporting your second family.
My Rating: ★★★★½
No comments:
Post a Comment