"I got my ass handed to me on that show!" weeps aspiring school reformer Virginia (Uzo Aduba) after a media minion of the political/educational establishment publicly ridicules her and her motives. In response, Virginia's new no-nonsense tough-love friend Shondae (Amirah Vann) glances at Virginia's posterior and declares "Well, there's still plenty left."
Moments of unexpected humor such as this (another is when Congressman Cliff Williams (Matthew Modine) states that his "pants are tactical, they blind the opponent") -- along with the phenomenal acting and obvious overall devotion and artistry of the entire production -- makes one realize that this is not only a great (and inspirational) true story, but a great movie as well.
In fact, despite the almost complete opposition of skin color between Appalachia and Washington D.C., I think this is one of the best movies since 2010's "Winter's Bone" -- a movie which also dealt with how the policies of the government can actually make things worse, not better, when the politicians (and those whose well-paying jobs depend on them) are left to their own devices, concerned only about what is best for themselves and not the people they are supposed to represent.
"Winter's Bone" showed how treating drug addiction and production as a crime deserving of a draconian prison sentence similar to that for murder, instead of as a medical/psychological and financial problem, actually can result in murder.
And "Miss Virginia" illustrates how the solution to the poor quality and unsafe conditions of public schools is NOT (as the establishment repeatedly claims) to simply give them more money (Virginia discovers early on that the public schools are already getting twice as much per pupil as private schools), but by having the government give each pupil's money to whatever school the pupil chooses to attend. For (as should be obvious in a free country but, thanks to the establishment, isn't) having schools compete for students both increases the quality and lowers the costs.
And even though the "DC Education Incentive Act" that Virginia and Congressman Williams attempt to get passed -- over the severe obstacles that the establishment (as well as drug kingpins who want an endless supply of uneducated pushers to replace those who are killed or imprisoned) keeps putting in their way -- will only supply scholarships to 1700 kids a year (enabling each of them to attend the private school of their choice), they know it would be a tremendous, life-saving start.
For as the song that closes the movie says, "the future started yesterday, and we're already late." One can only hope that even though "Miss Virginia", like "Winter's Bone", is only getting a limited theatrical release, the Academy will shine upon Uzo Aduba and other cast members the same way they did in 2010 on a then-unknown by the name of Jennifer Lawrence.
Moments of unexpected humor such as this (another is when Congressman Cliff Williams (Matthew Modine) states that his "pants are tactical, they blind the opponent") -- along with the phenomenal acting and obvious overall devotion and artistry of the entire production -- makes one realize that this is not only a great (and inspirational) true story, but a great movie as well.
In fact, despite the almost complete opposition of skin color between Appalachia and Washington D.C., I think this is one of the best movies since 2010's "Winter's Bone" -- a movie which also dealt with how the policies of the government can actually make things worse, not better, when the politicians (and those whose well-paying jobs depend on them) are left to their own devices, concerned only about what is best for themselves and not the people they are supposed to represent.
"Winter's Bone" showed how treating drug addiction and production as a crime deserving of a draconian prison sentence similar to that for murder, instead of as a medical/psychological and financial problem, actually can result in murder.
And "Miss Virginia" illustrates how the solution to the poor quality and unsafe conditions of public schools is NOT (as the establishment repeatedly claims) to simply give them more money (Virginia discovers early on that the public schools are already getting twice as much per pupil as private schools), but by having the government give each pupil's money to whatever school the pupil chooses to attend. For (as should be obvious in a free country but, thanks to the establishment, isn't) having schools compete for students both increases the quality and lowers the costs.
And even though the "DC Education Incentive Act" that Virginia and Congressman Williams attempt to get passed -- over the severe obstacles that the establishment (as well as drug kingpins who want an endless supply of uneducated pushers to replace those who are killed or imprisoned) keeps putting in their way -- will only supply scholarships to 1700 kids a year (enabling each of them to attend the private school of their choice), they know it would be a tremendous, life-saving start.
For as the song that closes the movie says, "the future started yesterday, and we're already late." One can only hope that even though "Miss Virginia", like "Winter's Bone", is only getting a limited theatrical release, the Academy will shine upon Uzo Aduba and other cast members the same way they did in 2010 on a then-unknown by the name of Jennifer Lawrence.