“Moxie”: A review of the new Netflix original movie, “Moxie”

You know the classic part of movies where the protagonist is so fed up with the world that they transform their whole life and cut out all the toxic energy? “Moxie” is that “one part” as an entire movie, and I’m living for it.  

“Moxie,” the latest Netflix release directed by Amy Poehler, perfectly encapsulates every aspect of the feminist movement today. 

The movie depicts high school student Vivian, played by Hadley Robinson, following in her mother’s (Amy Poehler) footsteps in protesting the sexist behavior at her school. 

She does this by anonymously starting a magazine called “Moxie” which puts into words the anger that her fellow classmates, and women everywhere, have toward the patriarchal society they live in. 

The plot begins when a new girl, Lucy (Alycia Pascual-Peña) comes into the high school and calls out the school’s problematic behavior that everyone else has been taught to brush aside. The most troubling of all being the football team’s official list on which they “rank” each girl at the school — best rack, best ass, most bangable, etc.

Vivian, along with her fellow like-minded classmates, is inspired by “Moxie” to organize school-wide protests. 

They first ask the student body to draw hearts and stars on their hands to symbolize feminism — this method of protest is always exceptionally powerful because it allows us to see the mass support a cause has. Then later on, everyone is asked to wear tank tops in protest of a gender biased dress code. And after finding out that a fellow classmate was raped, they hold a school walkout. 

Often in movies, the situations are a bit far-fetched and difficult to relate to, but these were spot on. I remember the first time my parents interrupted my recount of schoolyard soccer triumphs with a disgusted, “You wore that [a skinny strap athletic top] to school?!”

I really admired that, although this movie’s driving topic is feminism, they also addressed racism, ableism, transphobia and many other issues, which are all intertwined in their revolution. Too often movies will zoom in close on one topic and not accurately depict their accompanying factors. 

Some of us need to take a step back to decipher how to most effectively use our voice in a way that’s best suited for us. Vivian’s best friend, Claudia (Lauren Tsai), isn’t as into the public protests — partly because of her introverted personality, but also because her parents are immigrants and with all the pressure she has on her, she can’t risk getting suspended.

Instead of wearing tank tops and drawing on herself, she decides to help the club in other ways such as getting “Moxie” registered as an official school club so they can hang posters. 

The inclusion of this character helped me realize you don’t need to be involved in the heated action to make a difference.

Later on in the film, Vivian is overcome with anger that “Moxie” has worked and protested so enthusiastically. When push comes to shove, it feels as if no progress has been made, and ends up alienating her friends, family and boyfriend who’ve shown her infinite love and support.  

Side note: I never thought I’d simp for Nico Hiraga, who plays Vivian’s boyfriend Seth, but here we are — proving that the hottest thing a guy can be is a feminist. 

Throughout the film, one of “Moxie’s” biggest enemies, second only to the patriarchy, is their school. The blatantly sexist policies enforced by their principal prove that women can equally be part of the problem and teachers who refuse to comment on “women’s issues” are complacent in the problem.

Gender bias policies are so deeply embedded in our society and it’s crucial for those authoritative figures to remember that part of their job is to reform — see what they did at SM North in reforming the racist mascot policy.  

It’s not often that a movie, especially a Netflix original, will check every box for me, but “Moxie’s” writing, directing, casting, subject, soundtrack and every other aspect left me in complete infatuation with the film and an overwhelming urge to burn down the patriarchy.