What an absolutely delightful film to start not only a new year but new decade!! Filled with heart, joy, inspiration, and fun, if we see or learn nothing else from TROOP ZERO it’s that no one and nothing is insignificant, everyone has a voice, and no one is alone.
It’s been 31 years since “Troop Beverly Hills” hit theatres which begs the question, where have all the filmmakers been these past three decades before screenwriter Lucy Alibar and directors Bert & Bertie put their creative heads together to give us TROOP ZERO? Like TBH, TROOP ZERO brings together a diverse group of impressionable young girls – and one boy – who most deem to be a little “weird” or who are loners, “losers”, economically disadvantaged, or who maybe aren’t the most physically beautiful, and then take us on the girls’ journey as they bond and become true friends as Birdie Scouts with a collective mission to become part of the NASA “Golden Record” project. Alibar and Bert & Bertie not only celebrate young girls – and boys – and their individuality, but STEM and STEAM, making the film’s protagonist, Christmas Flint, a science geek who looks to the stars believing there is life elsewhere in the universe beyond her small town of Wiggly, Georgia. To borrow from Jodi Foster’s character in “Contact”, it’s a pretty big universe out there and it would be an awful waste of space if we were the only life forms around.
Facing challenges and obstacles put up by the regional Birdie Scout leader Miss Massey, as well as her own upper crust troop in Wiggly, Christmas sparkles and shines with optimism and determination, inspiring and encouraging other similarly disenfranchised girls to join her to form a Birdie Scout troop and head to the annual jamboree to compete for a chance to be a part of the “Golden Record.” Christmas desperately wants her voice to be on that Golden Record as it goes out into space and this is her only chance. But as all good Scouts know, there must always be a leader, and that requires some real wrangling by Christmas to convince her father’s legal assistant/paralegal/investigator Miss Rayleen to lead this troop. Miss Rayleen is not exactly what you’d call “kid-friendly”. She has a no-nonsense demeanor and puts up a wall of her true emotions, but it’s a wall that Christmas always manage to break through as she sees Rayleen almost as a surrogate mother since her mother passed. Rayleen knows what it’s like to be the “outsider” and be bullied as a black woman in a relatively all white town in the Deep South, missing out on her dream of law school because of money and discrimination, and knows all too well how each of these girls feels.
Facing off with Miss Massey over forming this new troop, we get a fast but thorough teaching of what is expected from Birdie Scouts – badges, cookie sales, friendship circles, and of course, $500 for the jamboree fee – as well as learning that the only troop number left available in the entire state of Georgia is Zero. Thus, TROOP ZERO is born. (Math folks out there should understand the underlying significance of the “zero” assignment.)
Scribe Lucy Alibar develops a solid story construct, focusing on the girls and the development of friendships, but not only the friendships only among the girls, but among the townspeople who come to rally around these once perceived “losers.” Dialogue is very believable for the mid-70’s and the deep South. Not only are there some priceless one-liner zingers, but also some terrific tongue in cheek humor that fits the characters and the story.
Each of the characters is very well written with depth, texture, individuality, and distinctive traits, the latter a strongsuit in the story development as TROOP ZERO works towards the jamboree. But it’s not just each of the Birdie Scouts which is well written and three-dimensional, so are the adults and other kids in town. Striking is that while Alibar and Bert & Bertie don’t shy away from the bullying and snubbing, they repeatedly counter that with themes of kindness and graciousness, something of which we could use a bit more of in the world today. And at its heart, the film never loses sight of the focus of the scouts working together to achieve something good and positive.
Written with just enough exposition to provide backstory on each character, Bert & Bertie then rely on their visual construct to define each character through situation and performance. Not too much backstory on Viola Davis’ Rayleen or Allison Janney’s Miss Massey, but we don’t need it. Their performances are defining and pitch-perfect. Davis is solid, strong, and makes Rayleen a woman the girls CAN look up to. And the character growth we see unfold in Miss Massey is only enhanced by Janney’s comedic timing, not to mention the fact that she is an absolute hoot in this role. Running parallel to the Birdies troop story is one involving Rayleen and Miss Massey which Davis and Janney play to the hilt. These two women are fabulous going tit-for-tat. A nice little turn by Mike Epps, too. He’s in a film that whole families, including young children, can see. No profanity or questionable character actions. As Christmas’ dad Dwayne, a lawyer who’s broke because he insists on helping his fellow townspeople with their legal woes even when they don’t have money to pay, Jim Gaffigan starts out the film as a rather-nerdy dad (the kind that might embarrass you in public), but he brings real substance to the role in the third act.
But front and center are the young actors of TROOP ZERO. And what a talented bunch! Charlie Shotwell, whom I first took note of in “Captain Fantastic”, is a real charmer as Joseph, the lone male Birdie Scout but the one with a flair for fashion and hair. Johanna Colon is one to watch given her spin on Smash. And a wonderful touch is that Smash has an engineering skillset! Similarly, Milan Ray as Hell-No Price is feisty and fun. Bella Higginbotham is also a break-out with her one-eyed holy roller embodiment of Anne-Claire. Put all of them on your radar. But this is Mckenna Grace’s film and as Christmas, she carries it with a stubborn and defiant, yet insecure voice that touches the heart. There is a positivity, optimism, and earnestness one rarely sees in an actor of this age and you are drawn to it. Thank’s to Mckenna, your heart aches for Christmas when bullied, attacked, or laughed at, especially when she takes the high road and tries to laugh it off. The chemistry among the kids is so strong, believable, and palpable, just as is the growing friendship and camaraderie we see take shape. This relationship development is very keenly paced by Bert & Bertie and editor Catherine Haight so it all feels natural and organic. And dare I mention the energy these kids each brings to their respective character? Every one of them feels like they are going to blast off at any moment.
Scene stealer of the film though is Ash Thapliyal as NASA engineer Persad. Fabulously hilarious as he dances to Bowie’s “Space Oddity”.
Designed with the character of Christmas doing a voice-over narrative also serves the story well and keeps a joyful tone from start to finish. Little details, like naming the town Wiggly (as in Piggly Wiggly) or placing snailiens throughout the sets, and of course, having David Bowie as a musical influencer throughout, subconsciously adds another layer to the film. But a driving force of TROOP ZERO is constructing this story not only with core elements of kindness and inclusiveness but around science and the Voyager mission with the Golden Record as this is Christmas’ motivation. It feeds so well into the STEM and STEAM programs in schools today and encouraging girls to get involved in the sciences. A nice visual touch comes during the end titles when Bert & Bertie showcase the JPL footage of the Voyager and the making of the Golden Record.
It’s obvious that Alibar along with directors Bert & Bertie were influenced a bit by “Troop Beverly Hills” with the basic premise of a bunch of outside “loser” girls coming together and facing challenges and sabotage from other scouts and their leader, but also with some of the visuals, one of which is not only beautiful but a nice nod to TBH. Camera pulls out into an extremely wide aerial shot amidst a star-studded night sky while on the ground we see the Birdie Jamboree Talent Tent – it’s the yellow and white stripe of Giorgio’s of Beverly Hills. Some practical and expected situation “steals” from TBH with the badges, cookie sales, talent show, etc., but TROOP ZERO elevates it all through fun montages and some beautiful lensing from cinematographer James Whitaker. And speaking of the Birdie Scouts talent show, what a fabulous showcase for production designer Laura Fox and costume designer Caroline Eselin as the entire design is a nod to the imagination and creativity of kids and pre-teens of the day. It’s important to note that TROOP ZERO lets kids be kids and have fun and shows us that at every turn.
James Whitaker’s lensing is light both visually and tonally. Shot on location with Louisiana subbing for Georgia, Whitaker understands not only the light of the region, but the impact of humidity in the air on that natural light. He avoids shadows while capturing some lovely sun flares and evening skies. Gorgeous is a night camping scene with only the stars and the light of a campfire illuminating the joy and cohesive friendships of our Birdies. Framing is balanced. A few dutched shots, but those are reserved for scout hijinks. Most of the shots are mid-shots or medium wide to include all of the kids. Very few close-ups. Even the scenes of just Christmas on her porch with all of her antennas or laying under the stars are not ECU or extremely tight, but are a mid-frame, reminding us that there is more out there than just one person. The world is bigger. The universe is bigger. We are not alone. Very nice visual metaphor throughout the film.
Another winner is Rob Lord’s score which is also kept tonally light and refreshing. But then we have to look at the needle drops. Can’t go wrong with Bowie, Aretha and other 60’s/early 70’s gems. Period perfect, story perfect, and fun!
Filled with heart, joy, inspiration, and fun, TROOP ZERO shows us all that life can be a Birdie jamboree for everyone.
Directed by Bert & Bertie
Written by Lucy Alibar
Cast: Mckenna Grace, Viola Davis, Allison Janney, Jim Gaffigan, Mike Epps, Charlie Shotwell, Johanna Colon, Milan Ray, Bella Higginbotham
by debbie elias, 1/8/2020
