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.