It comes as no surprise that a lot of YA books are booming up into the Netflix hemisphere and releasing as a series or a movie. I think that it’s about time more representation to real people that are portrayed in these books are finally coming to the screen! My past self, known as ‘the fat one’ is seriously digging this movie! When I found out that Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy was going to become a movie, I think happy would have been an understatement!
Will I watch it again?
Absolutely! When it came to the character Dumplin, she knows she’s fat. She doesn’t really seem to care about what other people think about her until her own mother really begins to push diets, and wanting her to look more like one of the models in the pageant. That’s when the straw breaks the camels’s back… if you know what I mean. I also love that I can watch this so many times within a week, even though I loved the book, a book just takes much longer when you can swoon over these characters on the big screen! (Or little screen)
The Cast…
Honestly, what is there not to love about this cast? Every single one of them have been in other amazing movies and shows, it’s hard not to get distracted by the… acting. Yeah, the acting! But in all seriousness, this was great. The characters were connecting so much, you can see they truly have chemistry on screen and off! One thing I wasn’t a huge fan on was the fact that Bo, played by Luke Benward, and Willowdean (or Dumplin’), played by Danielle Macdonald, didn’t have much time shown together. They work with one another, and in the book there seems to be more time with them, however that’s not entirely what this is all about, so I can understand why their focus went more towards the other storylines but you never forget your first kiss!
Favourite Scenes…
It’s hard to say exactly what my favourite scene overall was, but I will admit there were many laughable moments. I think one of my favourite characters was with Hannah played by Bex Taylor-Klaus. They all are in the studio learning the dance number for the group to do, and they (Bex’s preferred pronoun) begins stomping around, it becomes hard not to stare and laugh! They just showcased everything that went against the pageant, and so called beauty, but Hannah stuck to it, and made it her own. They changed the game together, but the way Hannah stood out from the other characters was truly awesome!
I also loved the moment that Dumplin’ and Bo are hanging out at the back of his truck to watch the meteor shower together where she finally gets her kiss!! I can admit the moment was a little bit cringe-worthy, but I know I’ve felt what she’s felt before, and even as awkward as it is, she realized that there are way more things to worry about than back fat… In all honesty, I loved everything about Bo and Dumplin’ because it’s a blossoming romance. Something you might not see just looking at the two characters—which gets talked about—but you see that there are two people who like each other and want to be together, so they do!
I think one of my last favourite scenes would be the entire drag setting. It’s not something that gets portrayed often, but I loved it! You get to watch the performance, see how these characters put on an act out of their everyday lives, and truly don’t give a damn who is watching! They are unforgiving, and unapologetic. The fact that it was a tribute to Dolly Parton (Who is a MAJOR inspiration throughout the novel and film, and she even created music for the movie!) was so amazing! I don’t know too many of her songs, but the classics sure made their way in, and I was singing along on the couch with them!
Did You See That?!
In case you missed it, Julie Murphy, the author of Dumplin’ made her cameo in the movie with her husband and a few other characters and it made my book-loving self, get all happy inside! Of course I won’t spoil when it happens, but know when it does, that you can bet that it’s a great scene! Keep your eyes out if you haven’t watched it, and if you have… well watch it again just to make sure you didn’t miss it!
Overall…
This was a great movie! I think that all of the characters in the book were portrayed well, and I loved how you see so many DIVERSE characters from the book making it to the big screen, and boy did they show you! But what they also showed was a pure mix of emotion from compassion to loss and love. There was pain for Dumplin’ and I completely understand what it’s like to not want to let go of someone who meant so much, so of course tears were shed for me. I think that even when it’s noticeable how different the girls are in the pageant, you see connections forming. New friendships are made, statements to shock the audience are broadcasted, and of course a certain pageant mom finally understands the true meaning of just loving yourself and sometimes realizing that things don’t always work out the way you want them to.
I’ve been a fan of Julie Murphy since I began blogging, and even got to meet her in person twice in the city for a blogger event, and she truly is an amazing person. The fact that she herself wanted to see characters like her in books and movies portrayed right, she made sure it happened and that’s pretty bad-ass!
Whether it’s friendship or a romance. Getting over the loss of a loved one, or you’re just looking for something funny and entertaining to watch that may include a lot of Dolly references and music, this is the movie to watch! It’s funny when you’re a book blogger, people think that you may always hate the adaptations, but when the right people come together to make it work, you fall in love with both!
Now it’s time to go watch it again… and maybe practise wearing heels. Make sure to grab the popcorn!
