'Mile End Kicks' Review: Barbie Ferreira Rocks in Chandler Levack’s Delightful and Reflective Coming-of-age Music Dramedy
There's a new wave of Canadian darlings making fantastic stuff these days: D.W. Waterson, Emma Seligman, and Ally Pankiw, just to name a few frie– I mean, filmmakers. However, there is also Chandler Levack, who began as a music journalist. Her long-awaited follow-up to the charming and funny I Like Movies is an ode to her past life, wrapped up in a delightful and reflective coming-of-age comedy about a Toronto-based music critic venturing to Montreal for the summer in 2011. It’s a Canadian's The Summer I Turned Pretty, but for the Almost Famous crowd.
Image copyright (©) courtesy of TIFF
MPA Rating: NR
Runtime: 1 Hour and 45 Minutes
Language: English, French
Production Companies: Banner House Productions, IPR.VC, New Visions, Rhombus Media, Société de Développement des Entreprises Culturelles (SODEC), Téléfilm Canada, XYZfilms, Zapruder Films
Distributor: Sumerian Pictures
Director: Chandler Levack
Writer: Chandler Levack
Cast: Barbie Ferreira, Devon Bostick, Stanley Simons, Juliette Gariepy, Robert Naylor, Isaiah Lehtinen
U.S Release Date: TBD
22-year-old Grace (Barbie Ferreira) is an obsessive music critic who has lived at home her whole life, friendless, and is sexually exploited at her job by her scummy boss (Jay Baruchel). In the summer of 2011, she moved from her parents' shack in Toronto to Montreal to pursue her aspirations as a music book writer after her pitch to write a 33 1/3 book about Alanis Morissette was accepted. All of that is upended when she meets her DJ roommate Madeleine's (Juliette Gariépy) boyfriend's band, Bone Patrol. She befriends the charming and dorky guitarist, Archie (Devon Bostick), but is instantly smitten with their enigmatic lead vocalist, Chevy (Stanley Simons). With her handy-dandy notes app, Grace makes it her goal to get laid, find love, and maybe even publish her book.
Chandler Levack hilariously nails the plight of an early 20-something
With Mile End Kicks, Levack brings in a Y2K design. It's like a nesting doll of eras, as a 2025 movie set in 2011 that has a '90s/’00s feel. The film is an ode to the new indie rock scene, booming with bands like TOPS (which provided two original songs) entering the fray. This film evokes a sensation similar to that of adult-based films/TV shows of the late ‘90s and early aughts, such as Mallrats, Can't Hardly Wait, Slums of Beverly Hills, and even Daria. Levack's sharp, cringe humor and wit, mixed with honest early 20-something hubris many can relate to, are complemented by DP Jeremy Cox's rhythmic indie hipster aesthetic in Montreal's locations, especially the sleazy parties Grace attends. Much of the humor captures the same tone as R-rated comedies, entering a frenzy of slackerism and raunchiness, rooted in a sincere, female-centric attitude. The humor primarily stems from Grace's messy misadventures as she integrates herself into Bone Patrol, whom she believes are cool but are actually losers, especially her crush Chevy, while unbeknownst to her, she's the coolest person in the room.
Levack nails the plight of being an early 20-something person too big for their britches and learning about new dynamics. Grace is by every means the quintessential portrait of a coddled only-child who never moved out of the house and, when she does, gets a rude awakening about the world.
Many of the things that nearly made me want to rip my hair out in frustration towards Grace are only a testament to how adept Levack is in character building. Those who are or were once Grace's age can identify with her in some way. Anecdotally, I saw much of myself in Grace when I moved out on my own for the first time at 23 with high aspirations – thinking I’d become a YouTuber – before reality settled in. It also shows a painful truth about what women go through at work: how exploitation affects their sense of self-worth and self-esteem, and Levack portrays it with grounded sincerity.
Then there are the other elements of the early-20-something experience: the selfish nature, the absence of self-awareness, the failure to consider consequences, the loneliness, and the unrelenting sexual desire for people who don't care if we live or die. Sometimes you wince at how right Levack gets it and holds the mirror up to us. While there is a gap between the viewer and Grace, as well as the overly familiar coming-of-age story, Levack's steady tone more than makes up for these minor flaws. Mile End Kicks showcases the rude awakening and growing pains of thinking you're ready for the world when you have a lot of growing up to do.
Mile End Kicks features another amazing Barbie Ferreira lead performance
Barbie Ferreira once again proves that she is a star powerhouse. She embodies all the anxieties, dorkiness, and coming to self-actualization of Grace and the age she represents with a resounding charm and impeccable sense of humor. Following in the footsteps of Unpregnant and Bob Trevino Likes It, Ferreira's self-assured and nuanced portrayal of this type of arrested development character demonstrates once more her remarkable versatility as a performer, which is best utilized when collaborating with female directors. I truly hope Ferreira and Levack continue to work together on future projects.
Speaking of charm, Devon Bostick as Archie is utterly delightful. First off, he sports a guitar and is in a band; welcome back, Rodrick Heffley. But he plays that dorky, charming romantic interest so well, sharing great banter with Ferreira and displaying vulnerability and comedic humility. The latter, in particular, because Archie has a backstory that adds to his sworn chastity, which always made me laugh when it was mentioned.
Final Statement
Featuring another rockin' Barbie Ferreira leading performance, Mile End Kicks is a funny coming-of-age comedy that solidifies Chandler Levack as one of Canada's most talented voices of today.
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