Support the Girls (B or 3/4 stars)
When one thinks of the restaurant industry, one might think food, tips & service. In this indie film, 'Support the Girls' (written & directed by Andrew Bujalski) the restaurant industry infers bullying, racism & sexism. And yet, as much as this film is about that, it's also a keen character study of the film's protagonist, Lisa - expertly portrayed by Regina Hall (stellar in Girls Trip & The Hate U Give, recently). This film opens with Lisa crying while sitting in her car outside her place of work. Her home life is deteriorating but it's time to start the day at Double Whammies {a Hooters-like sports bar-&-grill just off the highway}. Lisa is a tireless mother hen type of manager, fiercely protective of her female employees & even caring of her mostly-male customers.
Today - and just today - her many problems will include: the hiring of new staff {always stressful}, enacting an illegal car wash fundraiser for one of the waitresses who has lofty hospital bills, the arrest of a burglar who's become caught in a vent {crazy!}, TVs that won't work {with a big boxing fight coming on soon}, personal issues with her husband, & conflict with the restaurant's owner, the combative, tyrannical Cubby (James Le Gros), whose constant threats to fire Lisa threaten her outwardly calm/roll-with-the-punches exterior. As the GM of Double Whammies, Lisa is responsible for the day-to-day running of the establishment & has formed a mother-daughter relationship with most of her employees; particularly 2nd-in-command Danyelle (Shayna McHayle, aka Junglepussy) & the naive-but-endearingly-sweet Maci (Haley Lu Richardson), who is as enthusiastic as she is optimistic about life. Most of this 90 min. film is constructed around Lisa's various interactions with those two, her soon-to-be-ex-husband, gross customers, and nasty Cubby.
I enjoyed watching this movie for a very long time as a slice-of-life dramedy until it starts to stall down the home stretch. But I digress, for a bit. Andrew Bujalski has concocted a thematically rich movie with a mix of laughs {not the kind that shake your belly, but more out of recognition of day-to-day humor that come organically in life} & some emotionally rich scenes where Lisa & her 'girls' support each other. 'Support the Girls' also offers a viable insider's perspective of how an place like Double Whammies is run -- this movie pulls back the curtain; covering everything from burgers, beer & boobs to the details of how to keep the customers entertained when the cable TV goes out, etc..
Regina Hall's warm performance is what kept me compelled to the more banal goings-on of the "plot" {again, there isn't much of one, things kinda just ... happen}. Her Lisa is the picture of resilience in a degrading world & job. Her uncomfortable denial about the state of her "now" is palpable. And yet, through the steely eyes {that are often holding back tears}, she tries to put on a smile and keep things moving. Lisa's boss doesn't recognize her worth. The employee she's trying to raise $$ for is too deep in a pattern of abuse. Her husband doesn't like the lovely apartment she's picking out for him so he can transition out of their own home with ease. I could go on. Hall, with the smallest of gestures & nuances, moved me in large ways as an every woman trying to keep her head above water. I also enjoyed Haley Lu Richardson, who is an absolute ray of sunshine every moment she's onscreen.
I mentioned earlier that the film stalls near the end. Lisa exits the story for about 15 min. and I couldn't have cared less about what was going on. And it made me realize that 'Support the Girls' was going to mostly be a character study about Lisa and that I shouldn't expect some big upcoming plot revelation to unfurl -- it just isn't that type of film. I definitely think 'Support the Girls' is a good little indie flick with humor, heart, insight and, it ends with a great scene of our main female characters screaming their lungs out on a rooftop -- it's a yell of frustration, but also an invigorating yell of sisterhood and of looking to the future. I just wish that this character study - so acute on Lisa - spread out a bit to some of the other girls for a richer film experience.
Today - and just today - her many problems will include: the hiring of new staff {always stressful}, enacting an illegal car wash fundraiser for one of the waitresses who has lofty hospital bills, the arrest of a burglar who's become caught in a vent {crazy!}, TVs that won't work {with a big boxing fight coming on soon}, personal issues with her husband, & conflict with the restaurant's owner, the combative, tyrannical Cubby (James Le Gros), whose constant threats to fire Lisa threaten her outwardly calm/roll-with-the-punches exterior. As the GM of Double Whammies, Lisa is responsible for the day-to-day running of the establishment & has formed a mother-daughter relationship with most of her employees; particularly 2nd-in-command Danyelle (Shayna McHayle, aka Junglepussy) & the naive-but-endearingly-sweet Maci (Haley Lu Richardson), who is as enthusiastic as she is optimistic about life. Most of this 90 min. film is constructed around Lisa's various interactions with those two, her soon-to-be-ex-husband, gross customers, and nasty Cubby.
I enjoyed watching this movie for a very long time as a slice-of-life dramedy until it starts to stall down the home stretch. But I digress, for a bit. Andrew Bujalski has concocted a thematically rich movie with a mix of laughs {not the kind that shake your belly, but more out of recognition of day-to-day humor that come organically in life} & some emotionally rich scenes where Lisa & her 'girls' support each other. 'Support the Girls' also offers a viable insider's perspective of how an place like Double Whammies is run -- this movie pulls back the curtain; covering everything from burgers, beer & boobs to the details of how to keep the customers entertained when the cable TV goes out, etc..
Regina Hall's warm performance is what kept me compelled to the more banal goings-on of the "plot" {again, there isn't much of one, things kinda just ... happen}. Her Lisa is the picture of resilience in a degrading world & job. Her uncomfortable denial about the state of her "now" is palpable. And yet, through the steely eyes {that are often holding back tears}, she tries to put on a smile and keep things moving. Lisa's boss doesn't recognize her worth. The employee she's trying to raise $$ for is too deep in a pattern of abuse. Her husband doesn't like the lovely apartment she's picking out for him so he can transition out of their own home with ease. I could go on. Hall, with the smallest of gestures & nuances, moved me in large ways as an every woman trying to keep her head above water. I also enjoyed Haley Lu Richardson, who is an absolute ray of sunshine every moment she's onscreen.
I mentioned earlier that the film stalls near the end. Lisa exits the story for about 15 min. and I couldn't have cared less about what was going on. And it made me realize that 'Support the Girls' was going to mostly be a character study about Lisa and that I shouldn't expect some big upcoming plot revelation to unfurl -- it just isn't that type of film. I definitely think 'Support the Girls' is a good little indie flick with humor, heart, insight and, it ends with a great scene of our main female characters screaming their lungs out on a rooftop -- it's a yell of frustration, but also an invigorating yell of sisterhood and of looking to the future. I just wish that this character study - so acute on Lisa - spread out a bit to some of the other girls for a richer film experience.