Dollface review: Superficial feminism is cringeworthy with clueless female leads who have no idea how to be, or why they are, friends
Hulu's 'Dollface' that dropped all 10 episodes of its first season November 1 sets out to be about a woman who wants to reconnect with her female friends and the bunch then trying (the operative word being "trying") to self-actualize and figure out what this new fangled "feminism" is all about.
Episode 9, 'Feminist', riffs on that girlhood classic 'The Wizard of Oz' in a surreal dream Jules has. Stella Cole (Shay Mitchell) is the Scarecrow who wants a brain. Since she isn't accepted at business school, she is worried she will only be the gorgeous party girl all her life because she is too "stupid" to be a feminist.
Madison Maxwell (Brenda Song) is the Tin Man with a broken heart. She wonders if it is feminist to be emotionally devasted over a guy. Izzy (Esther Povitsky), the Scared Lion, wonders if she's a bad feminist because she doesn't have the courage to be on her own.
Jules (Kat Dennings), as Dorothy, wears Madison's uncomfortable red shoes (that Madison accidentally left behind at her married boyfriend's house) to protect her from her boss Celeste. She wonders if she is being a bad feminist for lying to her boss Celeste, a woman being cheated on, to protect her friend, Madison, another woman, from being labeled the "Other Woman."
The riff is clever, but the feminist concerns make you cringe. The episode typifies what you can expect from the series -- clever lines with no purpose. Jordan Weiss, 26, who created the show, has said: "I think it’s always best when you’re writing characters that are so inspired by yourself in your own life."
“What started out as semi-autobiographical has really become based on all of the actors and the other producers. I think it’s a relatable story,” she added. If this is true, then there are a bunch of very privileged women in Los Angeles in their 20s, gorgeous and long-legged, who have been insulated (anesthetized?) with brunches, wellness retreats and clubbing.
Women who were too busy smearing La Mer on their faces and sliding into becoming "the plus ones" -- a tag that came with access to power and protection, thanks to their men. Women who don't know about the first three waves of feminism and missed the fourth one entirely.
It is like they stepped out of the club in 2019 into the harsh light of One Billion Rising, heard the march of slutwalks and the cries of #MeToos, and were utterly clueless about what it all was supposed to mean to them.
It is no coincidence Jules' boss, Celeste, is a wannabe-Gweneth Paltrow who runs a Goop-like company called "Woom". There is the "Cat Lady" (Beth Grant) who supposedly guides them towards their #feminstgoals and #girlsquad goals but it's a bit like the blind leading the blind (or is it the cat leading the Kat).
Spending time with women in this series is reduced to a "s***storm of feelings, opinions, judging and drama" as Jules puts it. It's like these girls have no idea how to be friends or even why they should be. It is more that they have to now because girl squads and feminism is the new sexy. It is like having the new "it" bag.
Is all this too harsh an indictment? Maybe. 'Dollface' doesn't pretend to be serious with its magic realism and surreal zig-zagging. There is some pretty sharp writing too when it comes to snarky dialogue, especially when the girls are sniping at each other.
In short, it is a perfectly good weekend binge. But it's like a pizza, best eaten standing at the fridge door to quell the immediate pangs of hunger, before you head out to that fancy dinner place to sup on a wit like Nadia Kamil, 29, a funny feminist in her 20s. Yes, those two things can co-exist and it doesn't have to turn into a pink, frothy goop of vapidity that is 'Dollface'.