Here's the way Sundance tends to break down. The first few days everybody is rushing off to the world premieres and high-profile projects with recognizable stars. It's a madhouse. But by the end of the weekend when the party seekers have bailed, the conversation shifts to the movies that took people by surprise, and have a shot at becoming a mainstream sensation. Then it's a crazy rush to pack in to the final screenings of that film. This year that movie was the crowd-pleasing hip-hop drama Patti Cake$, and before it hits Cannes this week the first trailer has arrived.
The film stars Danielle MacDonald, who may not be a recognizable name yet, but you may have noticed her in The East, and her first major lead role in Every Secret Thing. She plays Patricia Dombrowski aka Killa P, a New Jersey native with lethal rhymes she hopes to use to break out of her meager surroundings and achieve her dream of being a rapper.
I had the chance to see this at Filmfest DC just a few weeks ago and it's everything it has been hyped up to be. While MacDonald is sure to become a star off of this one, her supporting cast is great with Cathy Moriarty as her grandmother who joins Killa P's rap group, Siddharth Dhananjay as P's hype man, The Get Down's Mamoudou Athie as the eccentric DJ Basterd, and Bridget Everett as P's mom who has seen her own dreams crushed.
Directed by Geremy Jasper, Patti Cake$ opens August 18th.
