★★★
In rural 1977 Georgia, a misfit girl dreams of life in outer space. When a competition offers her a chance to be recorded on NASA's Golden Record, she recruits a makeshift troop of Birdie Scouts, forging friendships that last a lifetime.
Classification: PG
We've all looked up to the stars above, wishing upon crumbling meteorites in the atmosphere hoping the seemingly endless possibilities of space meant that our own existence had greater meaning. For Christmas Flint, the night sky and the potential of what's within was an escape so precious she puts everything on the line for her voice to be a part of that world above and finally speaks to the aliens she had dreamed of. Troop Zero is a sweet predictable tale which basically marries retro Mark Twain American south with trailer park Bad New Bears that sees young misfit Christmas Flint form a group of oddball Birdie scouts to win a chance to have her voice on NASA' golden record. The Golden Record sent into space by NASA in 1977, containing various samples of sounds and images representing Earth, when a Birdie Scout competition for the winning troop to be included on the record is announced Christmas has her father's long-suffering friend/employee Miss Rayleen help her form a troop of her own.
They are designated Troop Zero, an obvious reference to how Christmas's group of outcasts are exactly that, director Bert & Bertie and writer Lucy Alibar follow the underdog formula to perfection but with enough of their own eccentric flair to keep it interesting. It's an underdog film for oddballs and Troop Zero is heartwarming in its story of family and friendship persevering against adversity. The entire ensemble is a delight, led by McKenna Grace as Christmas and Viola Davis as Raylene, Grace giving her Tomboy quirky lovability and grounds the film's most emotional scenes with youthful innocence. The whole film is about how Christmas in her quest to become part of the stars and form a connection to her alien obsession forms new connections of Earth, with Miss Raylene, with her fellow Birdie Scouts and her father all becoming more sympathetic and understanding to Christmas' traumas. Viola Davis and Allison Janney, who plays rival troop mom Miss Massey play to their strengths, southern drawls and all but Alibar doesn't pit them against each other like other classic stories but uses their chemistry to explore female friendships further. While Christmas forms bonds with her Birdie Scouts including a school bully, half-blind child and a boy and it is a heartwarming kinship to witness being formed, Davis and Janney have a few powerful scenes where the complicated history between their characters come to life through the tiniest lines of dialogue. A genuine loving surprise is Jim Gaffigan as Christmas' loving father Ramsey "Bossman" Flint, a backwater Atticus Finch type whose kind nature as a local lawyer keeps him in financial troubles. His wife having passed away leading to Christmas' obsession with space and creating unspoken issues between the family but Gaffigan as Ramsey is terrific in how he and Davis' Raylene champion Christmas' hopes and dreams.
It's a film that focuses on sisterhood with amazing kindness and grace despite following very preditacble story beats; obstacles in qualifying to Birdie Scouts, bitchy rival troops, third act betrayal and the misfit nature of troop zero being mocked. The direction of the film echoes the vintage unorthodox styles of Wes Anderson, from the warm cinematography of Jim Whitaker to the troop uniforms, it's hard not to think of Moonrise Kingdom mixed with the 1989 comedy Troop Beverly Hills and a dash of Little Miss Sunshine. Bert & Bertie do enough to make this feel like their own mostly though these performances while there are references and similarities to other films (including a full-blown Reservoir Dogs homage) it's Grace, Davis, Janney, Gaffigan and the delightful ensemble of young actors that imbue this film with its heartwarming energy. Troop Zero can get weird but it's that truly strange nature that makes Christmas Flint so real and unique and in turn makes these expected moments unexpected. My jaw dropped at the big "emotional" climax and laughed out loud at how Bert & Bertie present the strength of Troop Zero's bond as they face mockery from a condescending crowd.
Familiar in so many ways but still with enough pep to make itself worth the ride, Troop Zero walks a very familiar path but to a tune they proudly make theirs. The film wears its heart, influences and scout badges proudly on their sash and makes no qualms about reinventing the classic nature of a coming of age story for a tomboy in the south. Terrific performances make this small little world feel larger than life and the surprisingly powerful finale forgives the obvious, dragged pacing of the second act. Lucy Alibar alongside Bert & Bertie don't reach for the stars as well as their protagonist but still deliver a stirring reminder of the love and wonder that can be found in the smallest and simplest of places.
Release Date: January 17th 2020
Available to stream on Amazon Prime
Trailer:
Written review copyright ©CoreyBullochReviews
Images and Synopsis from the Internet Movie Database
Comments