Moxie, a movie directed by Amy Poehler, was released on Netflix on Mar. 3, 2021. The movie, which was based on a book written by Jennifer Mathieu, centers around gender inequality in school districts and society in general.

Like most films, Moxie had some highs and lows. The movie focuses on how women at the school were treated differently by the principal, teachers, and male students. As the movie evolves, the director attempts to bring awareness to rape and abusive relationships.

While it is commendable that Poehler tries to show that feminism is about equal treatment and bringing awareness to the awful treatment that women are exposed to, the film barely focuses on it as much as it should.

Emma Cunningham, played by Josephine Langford, who is known for her role in the movie After, is a cheerleader at the high school who had just broken up with the star quarterback Mitchell, played by Patrick Schwarzenegger. Emma is barely in the movie, only being shown around three times in the film’s first hour. The character goes through significant trauma, and at one point in the movie, it is hinted at in the form of an anonymous message. While this is not a bad approach to the situation, it is only ever discussed again towards the movie’s very end.

I broadly support the idea of showing how even if you are in a relationship with someone, it does not automatically mean you have consent. However, I do not appreciate that it was a sub-plot rather than a constant theme throughout the film. I would have preferred Vivian to get the message earlier and attempt to help. Student Sofia Ezzouhairy said, “I really loved the movie overall, but I do wish that they had made it a little longer so we could have seen more of the other characters.”

As for the movie’s positives, I adored the different viewpoints on feminism by the male students. One of the main characters, Seth, is shown multiple times throughout the movie to be supporting the women as they go against the school. Junior Alessia Scala commented, “Seth was honestly probably my favorite character. I mean, you always wanna root for the feminist cute kid.” We also see one of the teachers, played by Ike Barinholtz, who was initially against the reforms earlier in the movie, showing his support towards the end of the movie.

I also enjoyed how even though the leading group of girls was very comfortable taking action in more significant, more drastic ways, we also got to see Claudia, a character who completely supported her friends and their ideas, but did not have the same comfort level as the others. At first, Vivian, the movie’s main character, believes it is because Claudia was too afraid, but Claudia later explains that she does care but needs to do things in her way. Amintta Ragavanis, a junior, said, “I loved watching Claudia’s story specifically because it was nice to see a different point of view on it.”

Overall, this was a great movie that addressed some critical issues and was enjoyable to watch. I loved all the actors, especially Clark Gregg, who only had a small part but is one of my favorite actors. I loved how the movie showed that sometimes women can be biased against other women simply because of how they were raised and how the movie addressed racism and disregarded hurtful stereotypes that are often played into. In our current times, I think it is essential to try to educate people on issues like this so they are easier to understand or even relatable. Gender inequality has been a problem for centuries, but we are now at a point where women can be in charge of an entire film dedicated to how women live.

If you are looking for a movie to enjoy, I recommend checking this out! Outstanding acting, a fantastic soundtrack, and even some romance awaits you!