Dumplin'

Rating: 4/5

A movie that was much more pleasant than I had anticipated, Dumplin' is charming, empowering, and very sweet.

Willowdeen Dixon (Danielle Macdonald), known as Dumpllin' by her mother Rosie (Jennifr Aniston), is a plus sized teenager who is the daughter of a former pageant queen. She feels as if she pales in comparison to her mother's legacy, and therefore doesn't have a close relationship with her mom. However, she did have an incredibly tight bond with her late aunt Lucy, who not practically raised her, but also instilled in her the love for Dolly Parton.

With pageant season fast approaching, Willowdeen knows that her mom will be high strung and hard to approach, so she intends to stay out of the way as much as possible. That all changes when she discovers that her Aunt Lucy had once planned on entering Miss Teen Bluebonnet alongside her sister; causing Willowdeen to sign up for her mom's pageant as a protest against the stereotypes of it, as well as for Lucy. What starts out as a personal battle, quickly turns into a larger war, when other girls see Willowdeen's entry into the pageant as inspiration, and sign up as well.

When it comes to movies that are based off of modern young adult novels, I don't generally have a tendency to gravitate towards them. I feel as if they often follow the same patterns and the acting can be fairly basic and underwhelming. That being said, even if Dumplin' does fall into some of those stereotypes, it is still better than your average teen film. By being set in such a small town, the story has a tighter feel to it, and seems easier to relate to for its' audiences. You aren't trying to get to know a large collection of characters, and it really allows the viewers to make a connection with Willowdeen "Dumplin", and be pulling for her to succeed throughout the story.

Upon first hearing about Dumplin', I was more intrigued by the idea of using Dolly Parton music as a plot concept, than I was about the teen novel side of the story. That being said, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I really enjoyed both pieces to the film. The soundtrack of Dolly music is without a doubt, one of the best parts in the movie, but the story, though not overly exciting or new, is sweet, touching, and inspirational.

For a movie that was based on a young adult novel, I was really impressed by the depth and emotion that the actors brought to the story. It definitely has some cliche teen moments throughout it, but the scenes in which Willowdeen is struggling with her grief over the loss of her aunt, are poignant and well acted. Danielle Macdonald's performance shines above the side characters that make up her social life, but that is to be expected, given that she is the title role. Jennifer Aniston's performance shows that she can do more than comedic roles and can also bring the necessary emotions for the character. Same as Willowdeen, Rosie is dealing with a great loss, and though the moments of heavy emotion are rare, they are definitely some of her better scenes in the film.

Dumplin' is unexpected in its' ability to tell a teen story that is accessible to multiple ages. It is very simple, and there's something very comforting in that fact. If someone were to turn away from watching Dumplin' because they thought it seemed to cheesy or juvenile, I would strongly urge them to reconsider, even if it is just to watch the movie for its' wonderful soundtrack.