PEANUT BUTTER JELLY TIME :: PATTI CAKE$ (movie review)

PATTI CAKE$

This film is what 8 Mile would be if Eminem was a thick, female New Jerseyite. Patricia Dombrowski, aka Killer P aka Patti Cake$ has got the passion and the talent. She also has the poverty and misogyny that come from small-town New Jersey life. Her one dream - to get across that bridge to Manhattan. Patti's mom - a singer herself, who once had aspirations of making it big, doesn't quite understand the music ... but Patti's grandmother has always believed in her dream.

Patti's story is really a coming of age tale. She battles the local bully and earns his respect. She and her entourage record and distribute their music and work hard to get heard. What I did not expect from this movie was a love story, a mother-daughter connection and a statement about seeing through your idols. It's really got it all.