Dumplin' (2018)

Willowdean ('Dumplin'), the plus-size teenage daughter of a former beauty queen, signs up for her mom's Miss Teen Bluebonnet pageant as a protest that escalates when other contestants follow her footsteps, revolutionizing the pageant and their small Texas town.

Director:

Anne Fletcher

Writers:

Kristin Hahn (screenplay by), Julie Murphy (based on the novel by)

Stars:

Danielle Macdonald, Jennifer Aniston, Odeya Rush

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Danielle Macdonald	...	Willowdean
Jennifer Aniston	...	Rosie
Odeya Rush	...	Ellen
Maddie Baillio	...	Millie
Bex Taylor-Klaus	...	Hannah
Luke Benward	...	Bo
Georgie Flores	...	Callie
Dove Cameron	...	Bekah
Harold Perrineau	...	Lee
Kathy Najimy	...	Millie's Mom
Joshua Allan Eads	...	Candee Disch (as Ginger Minj)
Hilliary Begley	...	Lucy
Sam Pancake	...	Dale
Dan Finnerty	...	Eugene Reed
Molly McNearney	...	Delia Shepherd

Storyline

Willowdean ('Dumplin'), the plus-size teenage daughter of a former beauty queen, signs up for her mom's Miss Teen Bluebonnet pageant as a protest that escalates when other contestants follow her footsteps, revolutionizing the pageant and their small Texas town.

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Plot Keywords:

small town | dolly parton | title directed by female | beauty pageant | plus size | 

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Taglines:

Find out who you are and do it on purpose.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Danielle Macdonald and Jennifer Aniston recorded the song "Push and Pull" with Dolly Parton for the movie. Aniston said she got really emotional after they finished singing the song because "it was a childhood dream come true."

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Goofs

At 24:54, while Willowdean is reading Lucy's pageant application form, the application date, Lucy's age and Lucy's date of birth are visible. The date of birth that is shown is 5/5/79, which is incorrect. It should have been 5/5/77, assuming that Lucy was 16 years old in 1993.

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Quotes

Millie: There's nothing in the rules that says that big girls need no apply.

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Connections

Featured in The 76th Annual Golden Globe Awards 2019 (2019)

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Soundtracks

9 to 5
Written by Dolly Parton
Performed by Dolly Parton
Courtesy of RCA Records Label Nashville
By arrangement with Sony Music Entertainment

User Reviews

Well meaning but poorly done

I like Dolly Parton music, I liked Muriel's Wedding (Ugly Duckling story) I liked Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (Drag Queen story) I like Jennifer Aniston. I don't like this film. I don't think they made the main character likeable enough, her chubby friend Millicent was way more charismatic. It's one thing if you make the lead big, but then you need to write her in a more charming, sympathetic way if you have a young handsome guy throwing himself at her. She was just boring and depressing, and it made little sense why Bo at the diner would go out of his way to pursue her. Jennifer Aniston was more likeable and she was the villain. The actors were fine, but the script just wasn't good enough. It contained all of the above listed elements, but they weren't brought together in a believable, coherent manner.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Instagram

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 December 2018 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dumplin'

Filming Locations:

Atlanta, Georgia

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$399,198

Company Credits

Production Co:

50 Degrees Entertainment, COTA Films, Echo Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1