Moxie – book vs movie – or both!

I first read Moxie close to when it came out – I think it was early 2018. I can’t remember if I picked it up at YALC or just in Waterstones, but I remember thinking it looked good even if it wasn’t my usual sort of book. I don’t read a lot of contemporary, and this was possibly one of my first forays into what is now my favourite sort of contemporary – books with social commentary.

What is Moxie?

Moxie is unashamedly feminist, but also takes a look at high school culture in small towns with a football obsession, and at how some men behave. I enjoyed it and remember coming out of it feeling empowered and like I need to do more.  I am always striving to be a better feminist and this really brought out that side of me.

Three years later, and we have a Netflix movie! Yay! I’ve been excited about this since it was announced because I thought it would translate well to the screen. I definitely feel like I was right, when I watched it (a couple of weeks ago now, around when it came out), I ended up feeling similarly to when I finished the book.  But it also left me with a burning desire to reread the book (“oh no!” I hear my TBR shouting). So this weekend, I have done just that.

This is not a review – you can read my (sadly short – I wrote the post when new to reviewing!) thoughts on the book here. What I wanted to do was look at how the movie compared to the book.

So firstly, I really did watch the movie and think it was quite faithful.  Having just reread the book, it’s actually nowhere near as close as I thought, but I do feel like they got the vibe just right. So if you’ve not read the book or watched the movie – you may want to beware! There will be spoilers ahead!

Comparing the more minor plot elements

There are some things missing in the movie that really don’t matter – like Viv’s grandparents. I’m sad they’re not there, but you can’t put everything into a movie, so they make sense to not make the cut.

There are some new things that I love – the movie feels updated, for example, and it’s also more diverse. The first point is an interesting one, as the book came out in June 2017, but would have likely been written over the couple of years preceding that.  So 3-5 years, it doesn’t sound that long. But I did honestly find it noticeable. The movie keeps a lot of things that are needed but may not really be as prevalent now – like the late-night copy shop, but we also get more social media and a generally more modern feel.  I can’t quite describe it.  

The added diversity was excellent too – I didn’t notice it too much until the reread.  And the book has diversity, it’s just more subtle.  The movie manages to lean into a couple of the subtle things about race that come up in a movie in which boys rate women.  The comment about a black girl always winning best butt is the one I remember best.  That being said, there are a couple of things in the book on race that are also lost as a result – the moxie issue that discusses prioritising one beauty ideal (white and thin), for example. My only question was around how the line blurred a little between Claudia and Lucy – this didn’t really feel necessary?

There’s also a very accelerated timeline in the movie, which is sad in some ways, but honestly necessary to the pace of the movie.  It just wouldn’t be possible to drag it out like you can in a book. On rereading, the book felt slow in comparison because there is SO MUCH TIME between issues.  The rage is more at a gentle simmer rather than at full burn.

One change I don’t like is that the principal is no longer Mitchell Wilson’s father – this is an aspect I thought lent the book a nice angle.  I can sort of see why removing it allows the movie to focus more on feminism and less about favouritism and “the promise of a young athlete”, and also removes the comments at the end about how awful he was as a principal. But the aspects of Emma and Claudia trying to complain about his son could really have been done so well.

Feminist Rage

Let’s talk about that underlying rage that Viv feels, and the aspects of feminism we see.  In the book, it is much quieter, and I loved that the movie stepped it up.  But we do lose the aspect of other girls doing something under the name Moxie, and I love that element in the book.  The movie has a lot of discussion about if a group can do something and actually forms a group, but it doesn’t have anyone really doing something major without Viv being somewhat involved.  She gets more control in the movie.  I am also wary of the higher level of rage that the movie displays – Viv is SO angry.  This transfers over to her mum without any of the nicer parts we get in the book.  We also see a much higher level of property damage. While I don’t in any way think that the movie is encouraging this, I am always wary of people thinking that is how to get heard. However, that rage also feels more realistic.  While in some ways the sexism is dialled down compared to the book, the Moxie answer is dialled up, and that felt true to how I feel reading about it, or watching it.  Calling out these actions is really important.

Due to the natures of movies being more concise, we do sadly get less of the sexist behaviour from the boys.  Gone are the “make me a sandwich” comments, the gross tees, and the bump and grab game.  That last in particular is a real shame as the fear the girls have could have had a real impact on screen. But the march madness brackets got expanded to categories, which gave some great opportunities for discussion of the different types of sexism that were going on. I also loved the addition of campaigning for Keira to win the athlete’s prize.

However, I liked that Emma’s almost rape went from being recent and an almost encounter, to historical and actual rape. I also liked that they made Mitchell her ex.  There needs to be more media shining a light on how rape is still possible while in a relationship.  My only complaint was that we didn’t get enough commentary on that! It ended up feeling more powerful, and helped the ending feel more conclusive than in the book.

Viv’s relationships

Viv’s reaction to her mum’s boyfriend is more nuanced in the book, and also comes to a more sensitive end.  However, I love that in the movie we get more of John (though him being played by Clark Gregg doesn’t hurt on that!) and that it feels a little more satisfying. In the book, Viv is only grudgingly giving him a chance. In the movie, she’s angrier but also we get to see her spend time with him and realise that she’s possibly taking out her feminist anger (and fear about things changing with her mum, I’m sure) on him.

Viv’s mum being cooler in the movie is a nice touch – she is more in touch with her “misspent youth” and less ashamed of it. I think Viv’s connection with it makes more sense that way.

I also sort of prefer the relationship between Viv and Seth in the movie.  I’m not sure why they made them old friends instead of Seth being a newcomer to town, but I feel some of the frustrations for them both are clearer in the movie.

Claudia knowing about moxie in the movie is an interesting addition, and I can’t decide if it’s needed or not. I like the complexity it adds, but in the book, she plays the key part of something who doesn’t believe they can change anything, and this is a nice foil to Viv and Lucy’s determination.  Her reaction to Lucy is better in the books too – she’s way friendlier.

Overall thoughts

Honestly, both are excellent, and they are still pretty close despite all the things I’m discussing here. This post is very much done out of love. I highly recommend reading the book and watching the movie. And then joining the Moxie girls in fighting back!

Buy Moxie from Waterstones (this is an affiliate link).

If you liked Moxie then you may like

Slay by Brittney Morris – tackling attitudes around girl gamers and gaslighting, I really enjoyed Slay.

Foul is Fair by Hannah Capin – inspired by Shakespeare, this is a gloriously vicious tale of a girl getting her own back after sexual assault.

Break the Fall by Jennifer Iacopelli – a gymnastics book!!!! It also looks at sexual assault within that world as well as what happens when you come forward to report it.

You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson – a F/F book that looks at societal norms, homophobia and racism.

The Exact Opposite of Okay by Laura Stevens – a hilarious book that somehow has a great take on the very serious topics of releasing nudes and gaslighting.

Piglettes by Clementine Beauvais – this is honestly just pure joy in book form. Three French girls hit back at being branded piglettes by the boys in their school, and end up cycling to the capital!