Barbie Ferreira’s Grace Becomes PR in 'Mile End Kicks'
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- Grace is a 22‑year‑old music critic in Toronto who writes for the indie rock magazine Merge Weekly and posted 400 articles in the past year.
- Grace pitched and secured a 33 1/3 book contract on Alanis Morissette’s “Jagged Little Pill” and spent the summer writing it in Montreal.
- Grace rented a Craigslist room in Montreal where her roommates, DJ Madeleine (Juliette Gariépy) and drummer Hugo (Robert Naylor), introduced her to the city’s indie‑rock scene.
- Grace attended a Bone Patrol show, flirting with guitarist Archie (Devon Bostick) and lead singer Chevy (Stanley Simons), who is portrayed as “the worst guy in Montreal”.
- Grace has a sexual relationship with her editor Jeff (Jay Baruchel), who calls her into “meetings” that become office sex, illustrating her “cool girl” dilemma.
- Mile End Kicks is criticized for a loosely told story that overlooks the tension of a critic turning publicist and the “cool girl” syndrome, resulting in a lackadaisical and overstated tone.
Why it matters: Audiences seeking a sharp, authentic indie‑rock coming‑of‑age story lose out, as the film’s flimsy plot and missed exploration of a critic‑to‑publicist shift dilute its cultural relevance, limiting its appeal beyond niche fans and may hinder the director Chandler Levack’s reputation for delivering resonant, genre‑savvy narratives.
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