Film Review: 'Stargirl'

For Leo Borlock (Graham Verchere), the small town of Mica, Arizona is one of those towns where nothing happens. That was the way it was when he moved there after his father's death, leading him to go out of his way not to stand out after his habit for wearing his father's favorite tie made him a target for bullies. But in his junior year, everything changed with the arrival of a new student: a girl who goes by the name "Stargirl" (Grace VanderWaal, in her film debut), who quickly captures Leo and the rest of the school's attention for her unconventional clothing and odd habits.

It's after Stargirl and her music talent launches her into popularity at Mica High that Leo finds himself growing closer to this elusive girl who has become the star of Mica. But after an incident that turns much of the school against Stargirl, what will this mean for her, Leo, and the culture of Mica High as a whole?

Based off a 2000 YA novel by Jerry Spinelli, Stargirl was a movie that had me ambivalent upon seeing its trailer. After hearing the film's titular heroine described as "different" and "magical", I fully embraced myself for a film that would overdose on the "Manic Pixie Dream Girl" trope--a problematic character type that has long fallen out of the public's good graces since the original novel's publication. Unsurprising, given that the trope (in its most basic form) essentially means taking a female character and boiling her down into a plot device to service the development of her male counterpart. But while there are certainly traces of this reductive trope to be found in Stargirl, there are just as many moments that defy the Manic Pixie Dream Girl archetype and even bring criticism to it.

On the surface, Stargirl Caraway epitomizes the Manic Pixie Dream Girl image: unconventional clothes, quirky mannerisms, an almost aggressively optimistic and cheerful disposition, her efforts to befriend and coax main protagonist Leo out of his shell, and her appearance in Mica making a wide impact on the once lifeless town. But in an important subversion of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope, it never appears that Stargirl is going out of her way just to aid Leo's self-discovery. She's simply a girl whose confidence in being herself inspires Leo to rise to her level, rather than a quirky caricature who exists solely to be a savior to Leo and his conformist high school. And in comparison to what I've heard about the book, Stargirl's quirky traits are greatly toned down in favor of focusing on her more character-building traits: that being her kindness and her drive to help other people.

WARNING: Spoilers Below

It's in the third act when Stargirl finds herself ostracized by the students of Mica High that the film goes into criticizing some of the problematic aspects of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl in addition to defying them. In the midst of the controversy following the ill-fated football defeat that the school unfairly blames Stargirl for, Hillari Kimble (a brief role played with authentic emotion by Shelby Simmons) confronts Stargirl for having returned a bike to her brother after finding it broken in a thrift shop--as the bike had been damaged in an accident that left her brother injured to the point where he could never ride it again.

While this moment is a part of Stargirl's abrupt and somewhat unrealistic third act conflict, it acts as a nice subversion of the idealized Manic Pixie Dream Girl image, by painting Stargirl as someone with legitimate flaws rather than as a perfect angel. The third act also has Stargirl rightfully call Leo out for encouraging her to repress herself to fit in, with her climatic Winter Ball "surprise" being something done just as much for herself as for Leo. This is all hampered a bit by Stargirl suddenly leaving town after Leo no longer needs her help, with the ending leaning further into the trope by having Leo rhapsodize about how magical and influential Stargirl is (with a weak band-aid "she was just a girl" statement to cover for it). But in the end, Stargirl goes against the tired cliche about equally as much as it goes along with it.

Spoilers Over

Another part of why Stargirl works as a character has to do with Grace VanderWaal's exceptional performance, bringing more than enough heart to Stargirl to make up for her more schmaltzy moments. VanderWaal also shines when it comes to Stargirl's more down-to-earth, emotional moments, and is given plenty of time to show off the beautiful pipes that brought her the win on America's Got Talent. While plot-wise, the film occasionally indulges too much time to Stargirl's serenades, anyone who's a fan of VanderWaal's music is sure not to mind.

Elsewhere, Graham Verchere has his share of strong moments as the sweet but shy Leo Borlock, though the character ultimately falls flat in comparison to Stargirl and the supporting characters (Stargirl would've benefited a lot from its titular character be the film's focal point rather than Leo). Karan Brar is charming as Leo's loyal best friend Kevin, and Giancarlo Esposito and Darby Stanchfield each make an impact as Leo's elder mentor Archie and mother Gloria respectively, with Stanchfield bringing a touching authenticity to her portrayal of a loving but imperfect single mom in her limited screentime.

Stargirl has its share of problems, and whether or not you like it will have a lot to do with your own personal suspension of disbelief limit and taste for fluffy, sentimental coming-of-age movies. But thanks to Grace VanderWaal injecting her potentially problematic character with a lot of sincerity and a strong cast to join her, the film rises above where it stumbles in terms of pace and writing. If you're a fan of the original book or are in the mood for a nice feel-good movie to enjoy by yourself or with the whole family, Stargirl rises to the occasion.

Score: 8 out of 10 ukuleles.