Review: How to Build a Girl
Friday, May 8, 2020 at 11:19PM by Chris Feil
Beanie Feldstein has spent her time sharing the screen in coming-of-age comedies, whether in a tandem spotlight in Booksmart or stealing scenes in smaller doses in Lady Bird. With Coky Giedroyc’s early-90s-rock infused How to Build a Girl, she gets her own showcase. While the actress makes good on her potential to carry her own vehicle, the film itself offers more modest results.
From Caitlin Moran’s popular and semi-autobiographical novel, Feldstein stars as Johanna Morrigan, a teenage music obsessive and writer with dreams outsized to her family’s low income. After an embarrassing public attempt at sharing her writing, she adopts a brash exterior as Dolly Wilde to pursue a journalism career and sexual liberation. As she is confronted by the ingrained sexism of a male dominated industry, Johanna develops Dolly’s voice into caustic extreme to establish herself, reaping success through persona. But the self-reinvention that was once an escape from her perceived weaknesses quickly becomes a wedge between her passion and her true self..
If much of these story beats sound very familiar to audiences, then they will be happy to discover that so are its many delights. With a banging soundtrack that doesn’t rely too much on the obvious cues (save for one expertly unfurled Jeff Buckley track), How to Build a Girl wins by its occasional whimsical flourish and in having an outspoken female protagonist to enliven this very male subgenre. The film may follow in the footsteps of the likes of Sing Street, but as Johanna exposes the sexism within the industry of music journalism, the film freshens the music coming-of-age narrative. Though it leans hard into formula and offers little in the way of deviation, Build still satisfies with a high dose of grungy sweetness and the unflappable charisma of Beanie Feldstein.
But perhaps Build is less attuned to the assemblage of personhood than it promises, reducing her character arc to the things that happen to her rather than how they affect her. Especially once she loses sight of herself, Johanna is defined by circumstance rather than interiority. The film can't quite escape the feeling of wearing its charms much in the way Johanna performatively costumes herself - but it doesn’t deepen its understanding of her as she learns the limitations of affectation. We leave Johanna much as we met her, albeit with some valuable experience.
However, that doesn’t mean the performance falters in trying to illuminate our heroine. With Feldstein at the reins, Johanna is wisely shaded with degrees of authenticity for when she is and isn’t being herself. Her comedic gifts are once again on full display, but it’s the actress’s deft balance she strikes between Johanna’s naiveté and self-conviction that elevates the film into something memorable. She remains one of the more exciting performers of the moment to watch evolve into a full-fledged star.
With supporting work from Paddy Considine as (of course) Johanna’s father, Alfie Allen as a Buckley-esque rocker, and a one-scene-and-done Emma Thompson, How to Build a Girl charms fully, but doesn’t register much deeper than that. B-
How to Build a Girl is now available on VOD.
Reader Comments (8)
The open secret is Beanie has been pushing to play Cass Elliot in a biopic entitled “Don’t Call Me Mama Anymore” but can’t get the right creative team to get it happening. She’s been very open at parties and events that it’s her ticket to Oscar gold so I’m sure she’s kicking herself she couldn’t get it done and out in a year of hesitant releasing and an open field.
Beanie is awesome and so full of life and energy. She was also great in Neighbors 2...
WHERE AM I?!!!!!! I'M ON PAINKILLERS MOTHERFUCKER!!! KAPPA NU!!!!!!!!!
Really enjoyed the book and was not let down by the adaptation here - such fun. Yes, it's a little speedy and I see how after a point it's more about actions than emotions or interiority - but I think it's worth it to see a teenage girl with such agency on screen. Even when she's responding to her environment, her choices feel uniquely her own, irrepressible and always about where she wants to go next. (Or maybe I was able to mentally fill in some gaps more since I've read the books.) I had a blast.
Also, Anon P.R. - "open secret"? Why are you talking like it's some scandal that an actor would want to develop a project? Good for her.
The older she gets the more I see the resemblance to Jonah. I was shocked when I learned they were siblings at first.
She's playing Monica Lewinsky in American Crime Story this fall, so she'll likely receive a round of nominations for tv work soon enough.
I knew from the reviews at TIFF last year that this wasn't fantastic, but I'm planning to rent it for Beanie anyway... I'm a fan. I'm sorry that Emma Thompson, another of my favorites, is only in one scene, though! (Good for the studio for releasing this at an affordable price, and not $19.99 per rental.)
I was very excited for this film before seeing at TIFF19, but I thought it fell really flat. It has a Cameron Crowe-esque quality to it, but without caring that much about music or about personal growth. It wasn't nearly as witty or cognizant of the teenaged girl ethos as Booksmart. It wasn't as sweet as Sing Street (which it also reminded me of)... A swing and a miss for me.
Did not care for this one *at all*. A whole round of yikes. Beanie is all wrong with that accent first and foremost among its faults.