Ready for another adaptation to love? Julie Murphy’s young adult novel Dumplin‘ is about to join Netflix’s Original movies with Jennifer Aniston starring.
Based on the New York Times best-selling novel by Julie Murphy, the movie is set in small-town Texas, teenage Willowdean Dickson (Danielle Macdonald) grew up loving two things: her free-spirited Aunt Lucy (Hilliary Begley) and country superstar Dolly Parton. After her aunt dies, Will struggles to feel comfortable in her own skin — a problem made all the more difficult by her mother, Rosie (Jennifer Aniston), an ex-beauty queen who now runs the local pageant and shares little in common with her daughter.
Hoping to shake things up and rattle her mother, Will enters the Miss Teen Bluebonnet pageant. To her surprise, however, other girls follow suit and work together to show everyone that beauty comes from within. Will’s journey of self-discovery leads her well out of her comfort zone, into everything from high heels to a drag bar full of Dolly Parton impersonators. While her aunt may be gone, she finds a new mentor in Lucy’s friend Lee (Harold Perrineau), a drag queen who helps prepare her for the stage. (Also on hand is Lee’s wisecracking cohort, Candee Disch, played by Ginger Minj).
Meanwhile, Rosie has her own struggles: She’s still mourning the loss of her sister, and her tense relationship with her daughter seems beyond repair. Ultimately, Rosie needs to free herself from worrying what others think and accept her daughter for who she is. With a support system that includes her girlfriends, drag friends and Dolly Parton as her spirit guide, Willowdean learns that maybe she’s not so alone after all, and, to quote one of her favorite Dolly-isms, “If you want the rainbow, you have to put up with the rain.”
Dumplin’ is directed by Anne Fletcher (The Proposal, 27 Dresses) with a screenplay by Kristin Hahn. The soundtrack features several reworked versions of Dolly Parton classics, along with new material co-written by Parton and Linda Perry.
Danielle Macdonald (Patti Cake$) plays Willowdean and her mother, Rosie, is being played by the talented Jennifer Aniston (Iron Giant, Marley and Me, We’re the Millers). Bo will be played by Luke Benward (Dear John and Life of the Party). The gang of girls are Ellen (Odeya Rush, Lady Bird), Bekah (Dove Cameron, Descendants 1 and 2 and Hairspray Live!), Hannah (Bex Taylor-Klaus, Hell Fest), and Millie (Maddie Brown, Hairspray Live!).
Dumplin‘ hits Netflix internationally on December 7th.
