Support The Girls (15.)
Directed by Andrew Bujalski.
Starring Regina Hall, Shayna McHayle, Haley Lu Richardson, AJ Michalka, Dylan Gelula and James Le Gros. 93 mins.
Lisa (Hall) is in many ways the beloved boss David Brent always believed himself to be. She is the manager at Double Whammy, a “sports bar with curves,” where all the waitresses wear low cut tops and skimpy shorts to serve boxing fans Big Arse beers. It's a titty bar that considers itself mainstream and family friendly. All the waitresses think she is the best boss ever: fair, supportive and strong. But none of that will help her on a day which will assault her not with double but triple and quadruple whammies.
This is a gentle slice of life comedy about another brutal day at the coalface of the service industry. Here everybody is about a click away from hysterics. It has some big laughs, endearing characters and engaging performances. It is a warm exploration of female sisterhood and a chilling Marxist analysis of the hideous exploitation forced on workers by late-era capitalism. It is noticeable that waitress that is most eager to flaunt her sexuality is the one that says that she is funding her business studies. I'm not sure the film is even feminist: might not all of their sisterly support just be a way of trying to sustain their self-respect in the face of being wildly exploited?
Directed by Andrew Bujalski.
Starring Regina Hall, Shayna McHayle, Haley Lu Richardson, AJ Michalka, Dylan Gelula and James Le Gros. 93 mins.
Lisa (Hall) is in many ways the beloved boss David Brent always believed himself to be. She is the manager at Double Whammy, a “sports bar with curves,” where all the waitresses wear low cut tops and skimpy shorts to serve boxing fans Big Arse beers. It's a titty bar that considers itself mainstream and family friendly. All the waitresses think she is the best boss ever: fair, supportive and strong. But none of that will help her on a day which will assault her not with double but triple and quadruple whammies.
This is a gentle slice of life comedy about another brutal day at the coalface of the service industry. Here everybody is about a click away from hysterics. It has some big laughs, endearing characters and engaging performances. It is a warm exploration of female sisterhood and a chilling Marxist analysis of the hideous exploitation forced on workers by late-era capitalism. It is noticeable that waitress that is most eager to flaunt her sexuality is the one that says that she is funding her business studies. I'm not sure the film is even feminist: might not all of their sisterly support just be a way of trying to sustain their self-respect in the face of being wildly exploited?
