302 reviews
"Find out who you are and do it on purpose" - Dolly Parton
Damn, Julie Murphy. You wrote every fat girls story. I knew this going into the movie tonight, this cold December night I tucked myself into bed with a box of tissues, some pizza, and my cat. I was prepared. Ready to experience one of my favorite books on the "big screen", not to mention all the Dolly and Jennifer Aniston my heart desired. Well, Julie, I cried the entire time, mission accomplished, job well done. The movie is as bright, delicious, and strong as the book, with a little extra sparkle and zhuzh.
I hope everyone out there takes a minute to think about the fat girl inside of yourself, whatever that means, and think about fondly wishing her luck on her mission to finding out who she is on purpose.
Damn, Julie Murphy. You wrote every fat girls story. I knew this going into the movie tonight, this cold December night I tucked myself into bed with a box of tissues, some pizza, and my cat. I was prepared. Ready to experience one of my favorite books on the "big screen", not to mention all the Dolly and Jennifer Aniston my heart desired. Well, Julie, I cried the entire time, mission accomplished, job well done. The movie is as bright, delicious, and strong as the book, with a little extra sparkle and zhuzh.
I hope everyone out there takes a minute to think about the fat girl inside of yourself, whatever that means, and think about fondly wishing her luck on her mission to finding out who she is on purpose.
- amcedelstein
- Dec 7, 2018
- Permalink
Is this movie very original? Not at all. It follows the common formula of such self confidence movies. But it is lovely executed and I ended up enjoying every minute of it. It is very charming and positive. Positive not just in the main message (love yourself and be who you want to be) but also in the execution and how nice the characters are. Nobody is hateful and negative to others (except for that guy in the beginning who got what he deserved). There are no nasty jury who need to be proven something, no nasty contestants trying to sabotage you, actually no mean mothers. The only person one needs to prove something to is oneself. The rest of the women and girls are very nice to each other, which is so wonderful. And this is something that was kind of special in this movie.
Actors were also great. Jennifer Aniston is great at performing a loving mother who maybe has some misunderstandings with her daughter yet wants to do the best for her. Harold Perrineau is amazing. When I saw him first I had trouble to figure out who it is even though the face looked familiar. He is a great actor who is very different in every role I saw him.
So if you want to see some very deep award receiving movie, this is probably not the one for you. But if you want an entertaining and positive movie that will make you feel good about life than this is a good choice.
Actors were also great. Jennifer Aniston is great at performing a loving mother who maybe has some misunderstandings with her daughter yet wants to do the best for her. Harold Perrineau is amazing. When I saw him first I had trouble to figure out who it is even though the face looked familiar. He is a great actor who is very different in every role I saw him.
So if you want to see some very deep award receiving movie, this is probably not the one for you. But if you want an entertaining and positive movie that will make you feel good about life than this is a good choice.
- ComedyFan2010
- Jan 10, 2019
- Permalink
Jennifer Aniston was convincing as single mother Rosie Dickson who is still stuck in the accomplishments of her past. Whether intentional or not Rosie's daughter is left with the impression that in her mother's eyes she does not quite measure up. I was left with the impression though that from the perspective of Aniston's character she was just trying to protect her daughter but that was not what the daughter was understanding. She assumed her mother was ashamed when she was just wrapped up in her world and maybe at times emotionally neglectful.
The dynamic between the Will and Rosie felt real. Too often I will see an actress up on screen and she will have the obligatory child in the story but her moments with the child do not feel real. It is as if the actress has no idea how to connect with this young actor in front of them. I am thinking specifically of Ashley Judd in Double Jeopardy here. It is a good movie that falls apart when Judd must interact with the actor playing her child. She looked uncomfortable. Aniston came off as natural and quite comfortable. I give her credit for that.
Danielle Macdonald does an amazing job. She gets you to invest in the character. I felt bad for Will as she was struggling with self-image problems and her relationship with Rosie that both had been avoiding dealing with while her aunt who recently passed was alive. The aunt was a surrogate mother to Willowdean and now that she didn't have that relationship to hide in she had to actually deal with the problems in their relationship.
One perpetual thorn is that all of Will's friends call her "Will" with only her mother using "Dumplin'." I can empathize with this as I had a childhood nickname that my parents used in front of everyone wherever we went, and it was always quite embarrassing. Macdonald's reaction as the character was authentic. Will also deals with feelings of inadequacy when it comes to workplace hunk Bo (Luke Benward) who is clearly interested in her but she cannot understand why.
Willowdean and Rosie must also confront their feelings over the loss of Rosie's sister. She was the glue that apparently held everything together and her loss is exposing old wounds. This movie does a good job at exploring the void that the death of a loved one can create in a family.
This is all set to an obsession Will and her late aunt had with the singer Dolly Parton which is shared to an extent by Will's best friend. It is a sweet and quirky little connection that is played very effectively and provides for a great soundtrack but then you really cannot go wrong with Dolly. Fitting in with the Dolly theme in this movie is a drag biker bar that was an important part of the life of Will's Aunt Lucy (Hilliary Begley).
The movie is about the assorted characters coming into their own. They are either being who they truly are or coming to terms with emotional baggage. Will is finally confronting apparent resentment she never realized she felt towards her best friend Elle (Odeya Rush). Meek Millie Mitchellchuck (Maddie Baillio) is inspired by Will to finally pursue her dream she had since she was eight years old and enter the pageant despite feeling that her weight was a hindrance as well as stand up to her overprotective mother (Kathy Najimy). Hannah Perez (Bex Taylor-Klaus) gets to just be herself in front of the world. I felt her part was the least developed. Too often she was just the sarcastic friend.
Dumplin' is done in such a touching way here. Normally these types of films can get overly saccharine or overly downbeat but neither happens here. You feel the character highs and lows, but it is never downbeat nor is the film a knock-on parents or families or institutions. It is merely the story of a young woman and those around her and the growth they go through during a certain period.
The best part is they do not go for the obvious ending. Too often it is eyerolling and totally unrealistic. Dumplin' does not win the pageant, but she is still victorious in her own way by bridging the divide with her mother and finally willing to believe it can work with Bo along with making amends with Elle.
There is a word that got tossed around quite a lot a few years back, but I have not heard it used too much recently. It is dramedy. That is what this movie is. It is a drama with plenty of comedic elements. It is serious but the seriousness is balanced out by lighthearted moments. You will laugh and it will tug at your emotions.
Dumplin' is a very enjoyable heartwarming film adaption of the young adult novel of the same name. It has a great script with plenty of jokes and a significant amount of heart. If you get a chance you should watch this.
The dynamic between the Will and Rosie felt real. Too often I will see an actress up on screen and she will have the obligatory child in the story but her moments with the child do not feel real. It is as if the actress has no idea how to connect with this young actor in front of them. I am thinking specifically of Ashley Judd in Double Jeopardy here. It is a good movie that falls apart when Judd must interact with the actor playing her child. She looked uncomfortable. Aniston came off as natural and quite comfortable. I give her credit for that.
Danielle Macdonald does an amazing job. She gets you to invest in the character. I felt bad for Will as she was struggling with self-image problems and her relationship with Rosie that both had been avoiding dealing with while her aunt who recently passed was alive. The aunt was a surrogate mother to Willowdean and now that she didn't have that relationship to hide in she had to actually deal with the problems in their relationship.
One perpetual thorn is that all of Will's friends call her "Will" with only her mother using "Dumplin'." I can empathize with this as I had a childhood nickname that my parents used in front of everyone wherever we went, and it was always quite embarrassing. Macdonald's reaction as the character was authentic. Will also deals with feelings of inadequacy when it comes to workplace hunk Bo (Luke Benward) who is clearly interested in her but she cannot understand why.
Willowdean and Rosie must also confront their feelings over the loss of Rosie's sister. She was the glue that apparently held everything together and her loss is exposing old wounds. This movie does a good job at exploring the void that the death of a loved one can create in a family.
This is all set to an obsession Will and her late aunt had with the singer Dolly Parton which is shared to an extent by Will's best friend. It is a sweet and quirky little connection that is played very effectively and provides for a great soundtrack but then you really cannot go wrong with Dolly. Fitting in with the Dolly theme in this movie is a drag biker bar that was an important part of the life of Will's Aunt Lucy (Hilliary Begley).
The movie is about the assorted characters coming into their own. They are either being who they truly are or coming to terms with emotional baggage. Will is finally confronting apparent resentment she never realized she felt towards her best friend Elle (Odeya Rush). Meek Millie Mitchellchuck (Maddie Baillio) is inspired by Will to finally pursue her dream she had since she was eight years old and enter the pageant despite feeling that her weight was a hindrance as well as stand up to her overprotective mother (Kathy Najimy). Hannah Perez (Bex Taylor-Klaus) gets to just be herself in front of the world. I felt her part was the least developed. Too often she was just the sarcastic friend.
Dumplin' is done in such a touching way here. Normally these types of films can get overly saccharine or overly downbeat but neither happens here. You feel the character highs and lows, but it is never downbeat nor is the film a knock-on parents or families or institutions. It is merely the story of a young woman and those around her and the growth they go through during a certain period.
The best part is they do not go for the obvious ending. Too often it is eyerolling and totally unrealistic. Dumplin' does not win the pageant, but she is still victorious in her own way by bridging the divide with her mother and finally willing to believe it can work with Bo along with making amends with Elle.
There is a word that got tossed around quite a lot a few years back, but I have not heard it used too much recently. It is dramedy. That is what this movie is. It is a drama with plenty of comedic elements. It is serious but the seriousness is balanced out by lighthearted moments. You will laugh and it will tug at your emotions.
Dumplin' is a very enjoyable heartwarming film adaption of the young adult novel of the same name. It has a great script with plenty of jokes and a significant amount of heart. If you get a chance you should watch this.
- Warren-Watched-A-Movie
- Sep 22, 2020
- Permalink
The movie is a good, heartlifting movie with good music and enjoyable characters. Unfortunately it leaves out a lot of major characters and a lot of the book plot. If you haven't read the book you will like it even more, irregardless it is worth the watch.
- ramsayreader
- Dec 6, 2018
- Permalink
- JoBloTheMovieCritic
- Jul 19, 2019
- Permalink
It's hard to dislike the movie with the message they're delivering. However, it felt like a worse Hairspray. You can't miss the message in this movie as the writers stuffed it down your throat as much as they possible could however they weren't creative in their delivery and had the actors force it into dialogue in a played out way. But like I said it's heartwarming nonetheless in your typical feel good predictable kind of way.
Dolly Parton's wonderful songs (and her distinct voice) are the highlight of this film. That said, "Dumplin'" film feels like a low-risk, tv special, played at 8 pm. The script is overly-sentimental, and while the themes are worthy, the delivery felt flat.
Several characters who deserved to be fleshed out got the short-shrift. I'd like to see a more layered narrative of the lives of drag queens, apart from their entertainment value, but this film missed the mark. Even "Bo", the teenage hunk was reduced to a cardboard figure, imbued with cliched sound bites. Kathy Najimy (a fine actor) was given a perfunctory role, filled with animated actions.
If you want to see Aniston deliver a riveting portrayal, see the film "CAKE". Sadly, she is not believable in this role. Although "Patti Cake$ was not a great film, I enjoyed the performance of MacDonald more in that project. While "Dumplin" was not altogether terrible (most of the actors gave it their best), the script is in sore need of refinement and enriched characterizations.
Several characters who deserved to be fleshed out got the short-shrift. I'd like to see a more layered narrative of the lives of drag queens, apart from their entertainment value, but this film missed the mark. Even "Bo", the teenage hunk was reduced to a cardboard figure, imbued with cliched sound bites. Kathy Najimy (a fine actor) was given a perfunctory role, filled with animated actions.
If you want to see Aniston deliver a riveting portrayal, see the film "CAKE". Sadly, she is not believable in this role. Although "Patti Cake$ was not a great film, I enjoyed the performance of MacDonald more in that project. While "Dumplin" was not altogether terrible (most of the actors gave it their best), the script is in sore need of refinement and enriched characterizations.
- Tail_End_Charlie
- Dec 8, 2018
- Permalink
Dumplin' was sweet and powerful and uplifting and intimate all at once. The acting was fantastic (especially Jen Aniston (who I haven't seen this good in a long time), Danielle Macdonald, and Maddie Baillio), the message was inspiring, and the music really topped it all off. It was however relatively predictable, and the script was a little stuffy and artificial, but other than that I loved it. Overall, just a really fun movie to watch, would definitely reccomend!
- gatannahfiles
- Dec 7, 2018
- Permalink
Dumplin' was actually good. The story is touching and the performances spot on. The overall result was entertaining and the soundtrack just perfect.
- PennyReviews
- Apr 23, 2020
- Permalink
Really surprised at how much I enjoyed this film. Most Netflix movies are cheesy and predictable, but this one is truly heartwarming. The story is great and the dialogue feels natural. Dolly Partons songs are a real highlight as well, and the message is delivered organically in stead of being shoved down your throat. I would recommend this for a nice Friday film night.
- stasiakoroleva
- Dec 6, 2018
- Permalink
Let me start out by saying this film is definitely not my typical area of interest. A movie about someone trying to upend the routine of a yearly beauty pageant in order to prove a point to her judging mother, is not something I would usually check out. However, with Jennifer Aniston involvement as the aforementioned Mother, I felt it might be worth giving a shot. Luckily, the film makes every attempt to divert expectations and avoid cliches, but it forgets how to right a lead character that can be someone you care about. She's every bit as judging and critical as her mom is but to other people. Of course, that's the arc 'Dumplin' goes through as she navigates her own sort of coming of age story. It has sweet intentions, is executed well enough to be watched but perhaps not well enough to be acclaimed.
6.5/10
6.5/10
- ThomasDrufke
- Dec 30, 2018
- Permalink
There was such hype about this movie and I love both Jennifer Aniston and Dolly Parton but I was so let down. The dialogue was very bland. I expected the story to be predictable but was hoping the actor's lines would inject life into it but sadly it didn't. Frankly the best part of the movie was Dolly Parton's music and little else.
- BandSAboutMovies
- Dec 12, 2018
- Permalink
I've watched this more than once now. The first time I loved it,but my second time I find myself frustrated with parts of the story.
I don't find Willowdean as likeable or as pretty as Millie the other big girl in the story and would find it more believable if Bo liked Millie.
It is nice that the skinny girls are not mean to her in the pageant and for once that type of girl is not portrayed as mean.
The message of accepting yourself is shoved down your throat as much as possible which is a bit unnecessary.
Generally: Amusing
Plot: Messed-up family, daughter tries to get mom's attention
Best thing: Tries to make a point and send a message (not very well)
Worst thing: Way way way toooo much Dolly Parton
Apparently Netflix started doing not just series, but also single movies. I got confused at first, thought it would be a pilot episode of a new show, but not. Spent time watching it. Generally it is very amusing, you won't feel disappointed if you spend the time. Bad thing is, it implements damn way too much of Dolly Parton. Don't get me wrong, country music fan here too, but the use of Dolly's name is way too much. Using Dolly's music is completely fine for me.
The movie tries to make a point and send the message that every body is okay (the main character is overweight). However this part of the movie is a bit weak and messes up with the main point of the story - the entire story actually goes around the main character, trying to get her mom's attention and respect. That's it, no more or less. How she tries to send the message is not well done.
Acting is okay, no comments here. But the path to the glam is not well shown, maybe because at first the nerd girls club tries to sabotage the beauty contest, before later they decide to actually do it.
What would have been done better: (1) Showing more funny moments of how the girls prepare for the contest, more floppy walking on heels, makeup-drama, trying more clothes etc. (2) Since the actual story is the main character trying to win her mom's attention and respect, I would like to see more of her inner drama and her efforts revealed.
Apparently Netflix started doing not just series, but also single movies. I got confused at first, thought it would be a pilot episode of a new show, but not. Spent time watching it. Generally it is very amusing, you won't feel disappointed if you spend the time. Bad thing is, it implements damn way too much of Dolly Parton. Don't get me wrong, country music fan here too, but the use of Dolly's name is way too much. Using Dolly's music is completely fine for me.
The movie tries to make a point and send the message that every body is okay (the main character is overweight). However this part of the movie is a bit weak and messes up with the main point of the story - the entire story actually goes around the main character, trying to get her mom's attention and respect. That's it, no more or less. How she tries to send the message is not well done.
Acting is okay, no comments here. But the path to the glam is not well shown, maybe because at first the nerd girls club tries to sabotage the beauty contest, before later they decide to actually do it.
What would have been done better: (1) Showing more funny moments of how the girls prepare for the contest, more floppy walking on heels, makeup-drama, trying more clothes etc. (2) Since the actual story is the main character trying to win her mom's attention and respect, I would like to see more of her inner drama and her efforts revealed.
- StrayFeral
- Dec 26, 2018
- Permalink
I was surprised by the fresh humor, finally a new take on Beauty pageants! Beautifully done, funny and loving the Dolly theme. Away with magazines telling us what is beautiful and not!! 👌
- gwenvdbergh
- Jan 2, 2020
- Permalink
Full disclosure, I have not read the book so I saw the movie with virgin eyes and zero expectations. If you're looking for a deep, insightful comedy drama with a bunch of existential messages this is not the movie for you. If you're looking for warm and fuzzy feelings mixed with some sass and charm I recommend this movie. My belly didn't ache from laughing, but my mouth did hurt from smiling so much. If you watch enough movies and TV they all become predictable, but that doesn't have to take away from your enjoyment or the message of self love that this movie leans on. So found a comfy spot on the couch, grab some tea, and let the positive vibes flow.
- senseofsight18
- Dec 8, 2018
- Permalink
It was a pleasant surprise to see Jennifer Anniston in good shape.
Dumplin' delivers a good youth drama, filled with good attitudes, good initiatives, perseverance and overcoming.
There are several scenes in which subliminal messages are transmitted subtly and sensibly, broadening the spectrum of the characters and offering good fun for the whole family, especially for those who have teenagers and can enjoy this nice movie simultaneously.
And Danielle Macdonald is no longer a promise, she's a complete actress. And very, very good !!
- alexmelillo
- Mar 5, 2019
- Permalink
- TalulaGrey
- Dec 7, 2018
- Permalink
Is the movie an Oscar contender? No, but who cares. The movie has a great message and it's fun. I enjoyed the movie from beginning to end. All you naysayers and haters, get some joy in your life and be entertained without tearing down. It's a movie for teens to learn the value of understanding who you are and living your best you. Something us 40 somethings need to be remind of too!
- tbyrd-50088
- Dec 8, 2018
- Permalink
It's not often you can find a family friendly movie without constant cuss words and in your face sex scenes anymore. Although not entirely believable (but then again, what in Hollywood is...), it is definitely a sweet, charming movie worth a watch.
I like Dolly Parton music,
I liked Muriel's Wedding (Ugly Duckling story)
I liked Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (Drag Queen story)
I like Jennifer Aniston.
I don't like this film.
I don't think they made the main character likeable enough, her chubby friend Millicent was way more charismatic. It's one thing if you make the lead big, but then you need to write her in a more charming, sympathetic way if you have a young handsome guy throwing himself at her.
She was just boring and depressing, and it made little sense why Bo at the diner would go out of his way to pursue her.
Jennifer Aniston was more likeable and she was the villain.
The actors were fine, but the script just wasn't good enough.
It contained all of the above listed elements, but they weren't brought together in a believable, coherent manner.
- icymi-37906
- Dec 19, 2018
- Permalink
Overall, I liked it. I think there was a good message portrayed. It's one of those feel-good kinda movies. But, um, what up with the fake southern accents? I live in Texas, I have lived in Texas my entire life, from experience I can tell you we do not have southern accents, even fake ones. So that part of the movie confused me, and felt very culturally inaccurate. Maybe some research could have been done in the accent department. Also never knew what a drag queen was before this movie... I think Millie was the best character in the movie.
- watcherofthemovingpicturebox
- Dec 9, 2018
- Permalink