Patti Cake$: The Summer's Must-See Indie

Like Napoleon Dynamite via 8 Mile, the new film Patti Cake$ is a WTF indie of glorious suburb miserabilism. Its hero, a white rapper battling for her dreams, is the anti-Slim Shady: Nicknamed "Dumbo" by haters, Patti (Danielle Macdonald) is a plus-size Jersey girl who bartends so she can afford to make mixtapes with bestie Jheri (Siddharth Dhananjay). But she never succumbs to body-shaming, and director Geremy Jasper exalts diversity in this badass crowd-pleaser. Patti's crew also includes a poetic black love interest (Mamoudou Athie) and her dying, chain-smoking Nana (Cathy Moriarty, a total scream). But the film's heart lies in Patti's bond with her mom (Bridget Everett), a failed singer whose daughter holds her gaze while she drunkenly does karaoke, then holds her hair while she pukes. Because that's what love looks like when you're hustling.

Patti Cake$ is out in theaters August 18. Watch the official trailer, below.

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