A trailer has finally landed for one of Sundance 2017’s biggest hits, “Patti Cake$.” The spot kicks off by giving the drama’s protagonist an amazing introduction: “Bow down, the Queen is in the building,” we’re told. It sounds like the kind of thing an announcer says before Beyoncé takes the stage at Madison Square Garden. But we’re actually laying eyes on Patricia Dombrowski (Danielle Macdonald), an aspiring New Jersey-based white rapper who gets bullied on the street about her weight. And Patricia isn’t even on a stage. She’s walking down the aisle of a grocery store — but she’s doing it with the same bravado as someone performing for thousands, which suggests that she might have the confidence and charisma to actually make it to the top.
Patricia is known to friends as Killa-P, but she goes by Patti Cake$ as a performer. The trailer shows that launching a career isn’t going to be easy for Patti Cake$ — she doesn’t even have the support of her own mother. “You don’t have a musical bone in your body and you sure as hell can’t sing,” her mom says. But Patti Cake$ isn’t giving up. “You’ve got this. You’re a boss bitch,” she tells herself during a pep talk in front of a mirror.
Macdonald’s previous credits include “American Horror Story,” “2 Broke Girls,” and “Toolies.”
“Patti Cake$” made its world premiere at Sundance in January, where it received numerous standing ovations and excellent reviews — plus caused a bidding war. Fox Searchlight came out victorious, and shelled out $10.5 million for worldwide rights to the film, one of the biggest deals of the fest.
Written and directed by Geremy Jasper, “Patti Cake$” hits theaters August 18.
