Ringside Report Reviews Luckiest Girl Alive On Netflix – Entertainment News
By Janet Grace
If you watch anything at all, have it be: The Luckiest Girl Alive.
I’m still hearing the outro music and couldn’t wait to begin writing this short “no spoiler” synopsis, although there are many reviews that give up the treasures and its soul.
I cannot even tell you the ingredients for the battered crust, never mind the sauce used for the filling, beyond the fact that it was based on a 2015 New York Times best seller by the same name, written by Jessica Knoll. This was her first book. She hit it out of the park. Here is my roundabout review.
The story takes on several “Ouch” topics, in one movie.
That; alone, has ruffled many a critics feathers who never mix their chocolate with peanut butter, despite these being serious topics which truly need to be addressed.
Beginning with self absorbed parents who do more harm than good in their quest to entrap, manipulate, shame and guilt their offspring into living their own failed achievements, it highlights the “Keep it Quiet” syndrome, which billions of children and young adults face daily by not being able to have the courage, wording, vocabulary, mental capacity required to speak their truth or make a positive dent in their own lives when being taunted, ousted, bullied by peers – especially when truth is challenged by those whose behemoth lies carry more weight then a simple featherweight whisper. “Snitches get stitches.”
When grown, these folks take that same “never gonna tell” attitude into their workplace, relationships. Some; unfortunately, pass it down to their descendants. Some are lucky to break the spell.
It speaks to the “Fake it Till You Make It” existence.
Have you met Planet Earth?
This world is filled with unchecked, undiagnosed, untreated, traumatized beings who believe money and success to be the ultimate F.U. to their past; the best or only way to rise above the mental torture endured at some point or many, in their lives. “Laugh though your heart is breaking”.
You’ll find many running for political office and winning, as well. VOTE, PEOPLE. I digress.
Mila Kunis could speak the word: “Chicklet” and I would give her a standing ovation, but she truly deserves any and all awards absolutely available to the seriously talented actors of our time for her rendition of the grown-up main character: “TifAni” nicknamed “Ani”, pronounced “On-Eee”.
Miss Ciara Aurelia’s portrayal of the young “Ani” was spot on. With tough subject matters dealing in a smorgasbord of hot topics such as bullying, violence and intimidation, assault and school shootings, this story is brimming with reasons for which people should run, not walk, to a therapist. Many do not. Instead, they grin and bear it, using success to climb away from the guilt they’ve been made to feel, is the answer by the assholes anywhere and everywhere, who they may have shared their truth with. “Blame the Innocent” plays a role in this movie as well.
Unaddressed CPTSD; worn off the shoulders like a well hidden tattoo, always creeps out at the most inopportune moment. In this movie it presents itself as Ani’s perfect life with all the accoutrements one would expect — that is, until it unravels like a thread of a classic cable knit cardigan and the secrets begin to drop like a loud scream in a quiet church.
Speaking of which, earlier today, a woman standing right next to me at the grocery store, suddenly gave a blood-curdling scream, which had folks run towards her, or running for cover, upon seeing her grand-daughter who’d tapped her from behind.
I dropped the gallon of milk in my hand, (clean up on aisle 3) and hit the ground, crouched like the character in the movie at a crucial scene. I hadn’t seen the movie yet, but when I saw that part, I sneered. It made me angry –again. I don’t know how long it took me to be able to stand up and breathe rhythmically to stop my heart from pounding loudly or my body from shaking like Bonham’s “Moby Dick” Solo. There were those who thought it was I who’d let out that déclassée and completely unnecessary cat call.
Yup. PTSD is alive and well. I wanted to attack, and seriously slap the snot out of that stupid woman. She’s lucky I was shaking so hard, my heart beating out of my chest, unable to think beyond the sky is falling.
A questionnaire I fill out before seeing my shrink starts out with: Do you believe you are a threat to yourself or others? In that exact moment, the only things that stopped me from slapping that woman for frightening me to the degree which overcame me, were the giant yellow bows on her grand-daughter’s seriously adorable ponytailed curls. She didn’t even apologize to those who came to her aid or those who ran or cowered, as I seemingly had, which pissed me off to no end.
You have GOT to see this movie. It’s a ball of truth on so many levels. Yeah, #me too, Dammit! Still.
The fact that many critics didn’t agree, is proof that there’s still more work to be done on these subjects. Of course it’s a mess. That’s par for the course. SMDH!
Directed by Mike Barker
Producers: Bruna Papandrea, Jeanne Snow, Erik Feig, Mila Kunis, Others.
Writer: Jessica Knoll
Cast: Mila Kunis
Finn Wittrock
Chiara Aurelia
Jennifer Beals
Scoot McNairy
Thomas Barbusca
Justine Lupe
Dalmar Abuzied
Alex Barone
Carson MacCormac
Connie Britton
Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 42/50. Audience gave it a 72%. IMDB gave it a 6.4/10.
I gave it a heck, yeah. ‘bout time!
I guess you had to live through multiple trauma to understand it.
Kudos to Jessica Knoll for getting that sometimes there are lives affected by not just one event, but a series, a cacophony, which if you could ever get it all out, would have people wondering how you’re able to put one foot in front of the other and keep on trucking, IMHO, I mean.
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