How To Build A Girl
Starring: Beanie Feldstein, Alfie Allen, Laurie Kynaston
Directed By: Coky Giedroyc
Rated: R
Johanna Morgan is an imaginative teenage girl looking for adventure in her mundane life. She spends some days dreaming about meeting a Mr. Darcy type to sweep her off her feet, but that seems like a far-fetched notion in her small England town. After school, she goes to her working-class family home to her room, shared with one of her four brothers. There, she speaks to the photos on her walls of people that inspire her like Maria von Trapp, Cleopatra, and Jo March. Maybe they’ll help give her the inspiration of what to do next.
How To Build a Girl tracks the next steps in the life of 16-year-old Johanna Morgan. The coming-of-age film based on the experience of screenwriter Caitlin Moran is a little bit Almost Famous meets Booksmart. Johanna is a great writer who tries her hand at poetry, but a failed TV poetry reading puts a halt to that dream. After a few pep talks with her supportive brother Krissi, Johanna interviews with a local paper to review music. It’s there that she finds a new passion in the world of music journalism. Her eyes are opened to a whole new world of underground bands, indie music, and concerts that fill her with enthusiasm to change her life. This causes her to reinvent herself with a new persona, Dolly Wilde, the music critic.
How to Build a Girl is a clever film, particularly when it utilizes Johanna’s imagination. Several dream sequences are highly entertaining. I like that the film shows Johanna is a highly imaginative person and frequently slips away into her daydreams. The best use of this is probably when it comes to Johanna’s wall art that talks to her. From Maria von Trapp to Jo March to Cleopatra, it’s highly entertaining to see her interact with her heroes and see them talk back to her.
Beanie Feldstein has made a career out of coming-of-age films from Booksmart to Lady Bird. Here she continues down the path in the lead role of Johanna and does a good job of carrying the film. I was skeptical when I saw the preview of how she’d handle a British accent for the entirety of the film, considering she’s not British. But it worked out just fine. Johanna is a dreamer who has big dreams for her life. Feldstein plays the role with heart and humor. The only issue I had with her casting is she’s supposed to be playing a 16-year-old, and at 26-years-old, it’s obvious she’s not in high school. It would’ve made more sense if her character was college age. When the characters kept referring to her as a high schooler, it was a little jarring.
Alfie Allen and Laurie Kynaston stand out in the supporting cast. Allen is John Kite, the musical frontman that instantly intrigues Johanna with his charm and charisma. She is fascinated by him and dreams that they’ll fall in love. Maybe friendship is in order for the two first. Kynaston is Krissi, Johanna’s supportive brother, who is always there when things seem too difficult in her tumultuous world of teen angst.
While the film is perfectly enjoyable, it can’t be ignored that there are some cliches present throughout this script. The typical teen makeover montage is, of course, a part of this movie. Also, the personality change when Johanna becomes popular is present. If teen movies have taught me anything, it’s that people aren’t allowed to be popular without extremely negative connotations. These are just two examples of story arcs present that seem to be recycled in a lot of teen films.
How To Build a Girl has some cliches, but it is an enjoyable and charming tale of a teen writer trying to find her place in the world.
My Rating: 6/10