Dumplin' (2018) Comedy/Musical

 

Inspired by the novel written by Julie Murphy, Dumplin' released December 2018 on Netflix. Starring Danielle Macdonald as Willowdean Dickson alongside Jennifer Aniston portraying Rosie Dickson, Willowdean's mom. Touching on themes of self-esteem, grief, self-care, acceptance, and friendship, this film is everything a girl needs to feel empowered and unapologetic about who she is. 

The movie begins to unravel with Willowdean in the spotlight. Her Aunt Lucy passed away 6 months prior and she is trying to navigate through the world by channeling the life lessons she left behind. For instance, Aunt Lucy had a Dolly Parton inspired self-help mantra for just about everything. Her influence is of no surprise since Dolly Parton is a recipient of the "Living Legend Award" and is one of few individuals to receive a nomination "from all four major annual American entertainment award organizations." A muse to any struggling individual serving as proof that dreams can come true but, "If you want the rainbow, you have to put up with the rain." 

In the film, Aunt Lucy ultimately becomes synonymous with Dolly Parton infecting the spectator with confidence and faith in oneself. Aunt Lucy empowers Willowdean in a manner her mother Rosie never could by putting her best face forward and owning exactly who she was. She introduces Willowdean to her best friend Elle who seems like a polar opposite but, "Lucy always said the greatest friends have nothing and everything in common all at once." The group of them would have "Dolly parties," and listen to her music in celebration of being so close. Willowdean and Elle go as far as writing thank you letters to Dolly Parton for bringing them together and she responds with gratitude. The atmosphere of this film is dominated by Dolly Parton's music, providing an additional interpretive layer to this narrative. Moreoever, the movie is sprinkled with wonderful Dolly one-liners like, "Figure out who you are and do it on purpose" and "It's hard to be a diamond in a rhinestone world." It cannot be ignored that Willowdean's name echoes the name of one of Dolly Parton's siblings, Willadeene Parton. Once Aunt Lucy passes away she is represented by a bumble bee brooch Willowdean so desperately seeks to locate. Once she finds the brooch among her aunt's possessions, her sense of direction is finally clear.  

Conversely, Rosie Dickson does not know much about her daughter or cares to show interest because she is too busy reliving her past. Rosie is a "celebrity" in Texas and has no time for Willowdean as she  oversees the Miss Teen Blue Bonnet pageant she won so many times. She also serves as a mentor for the competing girls, inspiring them with her presence and legacy. There is a scene in which Rosie embraces a pageant participant on stage and Willowdean looks shocked that her mother has so much love to give to someone else. Unfortunately, Willowdean or "Dumplin" as her mom insists on calling her, seemed like the complete antithesis of a pageant queen. Willowdean's biggest insecurity is her weight after all. She is constantly reminded about her appearance by her mom and continuously sets her up for failure. An embarrassing moment for Willowdean is when her mom screams out Dumplin instead of her name in front of the kids at school. As a result, she is ridiculed and gets suspended for standing up to her male aggressor. Willowdean's mom doesn't understand why her daughter is so different. Unfortunately, this inadvertent rejection by her mother only intensifies the pain of losing her aunt and biggest cheerleader.

There is another individual who is kind to Willowdean and that is her coworker Bo. They seem to have a genuine friendship and Willowdean can be herself around him. He gives her a "Magic 8 ball" but Willowdean thinks he is just being nice. For example, Bo invites her to see a meteor shower which turns into a romantic date. The couple kisses and as their moment intensifies, Bo places his hand on Willowdean's lower back and she freezes. Willowdean darts to her feet and goes home where she looks at herself in the mirror with disappointment. Throughout the film the protagonist acts like she is unworthy of being noticed because she is "fat." According to her, someone as attractive as Bo does not belong with someone who looks like her. Nevertheless, Bo points out qualities of her personality that he admires; she does not care what people think and she expresses her mind with a smile on. Bo inadvertently tells Willowdean she is beautiful and confesses, "To hell with anyone who has ever made you feel less than that." This deeply embedded self-hate can be traced to the disapproval she experiences from her mother. Rosie is unable to see the true beauty within her own daughter as she judges many other young girls by an unrealistic set of standards. Perhaps, she rejects the image of beauty Willowdean projects because it reminds her of Lucy's influence over her own daughter.

Furthermore, Rosie had no real connection with her sister and is eager to get rid of her stuff to reuse her room for pageant dress alterations. Willowdean objects and takes Aunt Lucy's stuff into her room to look through it. Before locating the bumble bee brooch, Willowdean finds a pageant form that her aunt filled out but never submitted. The idea that Aunt Lucy wanted to do something and did not get a chance to truly plagued Willowdean. Her aunt reinvented the meaning of beauty and would shine from inside out, attracting others like a magnet. Therefore, Willowdean decides to join the pageant for her aunt and for herself. 

Willowdean shares the news with her best friend Elle and it quickly transforms into a protest of acceptance. Gaining momentum, Hannah and Millie, the two other "Weirdos" join the cause and Willowdean clarifies she is "not the Joan of Arc of fat girls." When Rosie finds out about Willowdean's plans, she has no words of encouragement for her and almost refuses to sign the form. Initially, Willowdean is set on sabotaging the pageant but this mindset proves to be problematic. Elle questions if ruining the pageant for everybody else is the best way to revolt or provoke meaningful change. This duo's friendship is put on temporary hold when Willowdean questions Elle's enthusiasm about the pageant. At this point, they go their separate ways and Willowdean must rely on her intuition to find the answers she seeks. Willowdean looks through Aunt Lucy's stuff once again and finds a Dolly Parton scrapbook with a flyer for "The Hideaway" featuring a Dolly Parton drag night. 

Again, we see Dolly Parton's influence is more than just music. Willowdean discovers that Dolly Parton and Aunt Lucy continue to inspire a group of drag queens to be fabulous and "do it in a pair of red shoes." Reconnected with the essence of her aunt, Willowdean begins "breaking tradition" with The Weirdos, Hannah and Millie by her side. The drag queens help each girl unlock their own unique beauty. This is not achieved until they learn to be comfortable with who they are regardless of what anyone else thinks. After all, true beauty is recognized in the differences too not only the similarities. When the pageant takes place, Willowdean is able to project confidence and genuine splendor, her mother finally having a sincere moment of pride for her daughter. 

Willowdean does not win the pageant but her friend Millie makes it to 2nd runner up and it absolutely feels like a victory. Millie went behind her mother's back to enter the pageant because she dreamt of joining the pageant since she was a little kid. Her weight and appearance no longer being an obstacle keeping her from what she loves. Although Willowdean gets disqualified she is able to add inclusivity to the definition of beauty. When Elle and Willowdean make amends they decide to walk together for the swimsuit segment wearing the phrase, "Everybody is a swimsuit body."

Another key moment is when Rosie cannot zip her dress up, further demonstrating traditions are meant to be broken. Beauty is more than just physical appearance and means something different to each person. Highly recommend this film as a critique on the unrealistic standards of the "ideal" female image in modern day society. Real queens like Dolly Parton or Aunt Lucy liberate others to their higher selves, regardless of how they look. We absolutely need more of that in this world, literally and fictionally.