Danielle Solzman
Support the Girls is a surprisingly relevant film with an exceptionally strong performance from Regina Hall.
Lisa (Regina Hall) is the general manager of Double Whammies. Double Whammies labeled as a “sports bar with curves.” With the first glance of their skimpy uniforms, it’s only natural to assume that the sports bar is a stand-in for Hooters but it’s so much more. In spite of the clientele and everything, Lisa loves working there. She takes good care of the employees–as any person should–but her patience can only stretch so thin. Nobody can blame her for wanting to call it quits and find a new job. She has her idea of what Double Whammies should be while owner Cubby (James LeGros) differs. The differing views reach a point in which there’s no going back.
On the outside looking in, Double Whammies is among the last places that any self-respecting woman would want to work. The reality is that many of us have to work at jobs we don’t want in order to make a living. Knowing that Lisa will be there for you on your bad days makes getting though the shift slightly more bearable. If you like beer, boobs, and sports, Double Whammies is a place of enjoyment. Yet the employees are like a family. They take care of each other. To say that the sports bar is 10% strip club and 90% (insert restaurant here) wouldn’t be an unfair assessment. There’s a satirical bent to what writer/director Andrew Bujalski’s screenplay wants to say about the American culture in 2018.
When one looks at the acting performances, Regina Hall has grown so much as an actress. She’s no longer than young woman known for playing Brenda in the Scary Movie series. We saw as much in last year’s fun summer comedy, Girls Trip. Hall displays the authority needed for the character but with a hint of knowing how much she cares.
Haley Lu Richardson is so wonderful in the film as Maci. Ever since she broke out in The Edge of Seventeen, we’ve seen an array of different performances from the actress. In addition to Richardson, Shayna McHayle has a prominent performance as Danyelle. It’s very fitting that the final shot in the film is of Richardson, Hall, and McHayle.
The release of Support the Girls comes nearly a year into an important conversation about sexual harassment and abuse. Even if there’s not really a typical movie villain in the film, the film is still able to add to the conversation. There’s a scene in the film about body shaming and Lisa isn’t afraid to talk to this customer. Then there’s Lisa’s involvement with Shaina (Jana Kramer) and her abusive boyfriend. Lisa thinks that helping would be the right thing to do but it doesn’t always turn out this way.
Led by the stellar performances, Support the Girls may just be the comedy we need as summer gives way to fall.
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Andrew Bujalski
CAST: Regina Hall, Haley Lu Richardson, Shayna McHayle, James LeGros, Dylan Gelula, AJ Michalka, Brooklyn Decker, Jana Kramer, John Elvis and Lea DeLaria
