Some movies invite comparisons.  Recently, I saw Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret in the theater.  In my review, I noted some interesting moments, but overall frustration with an unfulfilled premise stemming from the title.  The character it refers to, Margaret Simon (Abby Ryder Fortson), carries on asking God things but never giving Him time to respond.  Yes, Hollywood has some strange ideas about the Almighty, but who is this Catholic to say they are the wrong ones?  I leave the final say on such matters to God and His ordained representative, Pope Francis.  What is remarkable to me is how a film like Mixtape (2021) about the same age group, and with discreet parallel references, can be so much more satisfying to watch.  The latter should have been the one released in theaters (assuming they were open at this point in 2021), and the former should have stayed a book.

The principal person in Mixtape is middle schooler Beverly Moody (Gemma Brooke Allen).  She is being raised by a single parent, though in her case it is her grandmother Gail (Julie Bowen).  This is because both of Beverly’s parents died in a car crash when she was two-years-old.  Gail works for the post office, and it is evident that she is working hard to keep her granddaughter “good.”  Put differently, Gail wants Beverly to remain smiling, an A student on her way to college, and, most importantly, not like her daughter.  Gail’s daughter, Beverly’s mom, got pregnant at fifteen, and there is some suggestion that part of the reason in Gail’s eyes is because of the rock n’ roll scene in which she ran.  This means there are few discussions with Beverly about her mom.  Gail is also a doomsday prepper.  Because the film is set in 1999, there is the looming threat of Y2K.  Following another day of being bullied at school (by a boy in a wheelchair no less), Beverly comes home to continue sorting their basement as part of getting ready for the potential end of the world.  While doing so, she comes across the eponymous cassette, along with a Walkman.  Unfortunately, the aging device eats the tape.  If you are old enough to have dealt with this issue, was that not the worst?  Regardless, it sparks Beverly desire to track down the songs listed on the case’s inside cover as she believes it to be a window into getting to know her mom.  Beverly’s first move is to go to a record store in town called Anti-Matter.  It is run by a person named Edward (Nick Thune), but his real name is not revealed until the very end.  In the meantime, he goes by “Anti,” as in he is anti-pretty much everything.  This especially includes middle school girls asking for a single song to be put on an antiquated system like a cassette tape when he only sells vinyl records, and the occasional compact disc (CD).  Despite his latent stubbornness, he does it anyway.  For Beverly, hearing the music opens a whole new world for her, made all the more special by Anti’s insistence that a mixtape is like a special message to the listener.  Beverly hopes this leads her to some insight about her mom.  More immediately, it gives her the confidence to start making friends.  The first is Ellen (Audrey Hsieh), an Asian girl who recently moved in a couple doors down from her.  Part of the reason for Beverly approaching Ellen is because Beverly hopes Ellen is Japanese.  One of the songs has a Japanese part to it, and she wants to know what is being said.  While Ellen is from Taiwan and therefore cannot translate, she is able to use her computer to help Beverly find some of the other tracks.  Not all of them are easy to find, though, and this is where Nicky Jones (Olga Petsa) comes to be of assistance.  Not that Nicky is eager to do so.  She already has that do-not-mess-with-me, too cool for school, rock n’ roll vibe.  Beverly earns Nicky’s trust by reciting the lyrics to one of the songs on the mixtape, which also happens to be by Nicky’s favorite band.  Thus, the three form a bond in helping Beverly to obtain all the music from the cassette.  One of the tunes is by a local band that had split up, and whose lead guitarist/vocalist is playing a gig nearby.  Further, from the box of stuff Gail gives Beverly of her daughter’s belongings, Beverly learns that this same musician knew her mother.  Thus, with a little boost from Ellen and Nicky, Beverly is able to pressure Nick into taking them to the concert.  After the show, Beverly approaches the rocker who is initially dismissive of the little girl.  When he does look at the picture she has brought, he says that her mom made a mistake by getting pregnant.  Even with Anti making the musician apologize, this is not something anyone wants to hear.  Thus, when they get home, Beverly cannot get over the feeling that she ruined not only her mother’s life, but her grandma’s as well.  Beverly also grows distant from her friends, and then pops the tire of the wheelchair of the boy that had been bullying her.  This leads to her being suspended from school, and giving up on her quest to listen to the whole tape.  The people who do not give up are Ellen and Nicky, who play the last song for Beverly outside her window to cheer her up.  The cheer is completed, though, when Gail brings Beverly a recording of her mom.  After telling Beverly much of what she had been wanting to know, Gail pushes play on the recorder.  It is a song, the one from the mixtape that they had not been able to identify.  We close with grandma and granddaughter listening to their lost loved one.

There is little mention of God in Mixtape, but I stand by my assessment of it being more satisfying than Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.  Each of these movies are about a journey of discovery, but with Mixtape, there is more of a discernible point.  Beverly wants to know about her mom.  The search for knowledge is at the heart of Faith.  One of the ways we get to know God is by turning inward.  While Beverly enlists the help of friends, it is still an intensely personal path she walks.  This is where a relationship with God starts, and it must be an open an honest one.  It is impossible to lie to God, and even if you try, you are only lying to yourself.  That will get you nowhere, either with God or with your own personal growth.  To this end, there is a telling sequence in the movie.  Beverly, Ellen, and Nicky are trying to figure out the mystery song on the tape.  The only tangible clue they have is a location on the edge of town.  It is largely abandoned cemetery with a number of steps leading up to a swing overlooking the coast.  The area has a reputation for being haunted, but Ellen tells them that the spirits will not take them if they speak the truth about themselves.  Thus, as they ascend the hill, they say aloud a number of facts about themselves.  Granted, Ellen says that this practice actually belongs to a different faith tradition.  At the same time, I find it to be a wonderful way to approach God.  The girls do it to protect themselves.  In the same way, in our own steps, if we show ourselves wholly to God, nothing evil can befall us.

With Mixtape, chalk up another win for Netflix’s “Feel Good Movies” category.  One of these days, I will have to move on to something else, I suppose.  For the moment, I am enjoying what I am seeing.  If they are formulaic, and there are some elements of this here, then at least it is a good one.  I recommend it whole-heartedly, and for any audience.