Critical Condition: Girlboss

Girlboss (Netflix, from Friday)

“Based on Sophia Amoruso’s memoir of the same, Netflix’s very salty new half-hour series chronicles the inception of the online retailer Nasty Gal, which has recently fallen on hard times. In 2016, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and Amoruso stepped down as CEO, and UK’s Boohoo acquired the site’s assets in February. But even before the company’s financial problems, it hadn’t received the best press with employees calling it a ‘toxic’ place to work. Regardless, Girlboss creator Kay Cannon (the screenwriter of Pitch Perfect) doesn’t let that stop her from milking Amoruso’s story for all of the entertainment that’s to be had.” — Entertainment Weekly.

“A West Coast blend of Sex and the City and How To Make It In America that’s only beginning to feel like it knows what it wants to be after all 13 half-hour episodes of the first season. An impressive lead performance by Britt Robertson, freed from what seems like chronic misuse, was enough to keep me watching through too many meandering episodes, but some viewers will surely demand more consistency and less erratic displays of imagination.” — The Hollywood Reporter.

“What the show lacks is any significant dramatic momentum, or barring that, anything to make this feel like more than just another nondescript coming-of-age saga — in this case, one teased out over 13 not-all-that-binge-worthy installments.Having appeared in numerous series and the movies The Space Between Us and Tomorrowland, Robertson is certainly worthy of a showcase. It’s just that there’s not that much heft in the situations or her character.” — CNN.

“There’s an interesting story there, but it’s not the story Girlboss has alighted on. The Netflix half-hour takes a light, hyperbolic tone with Amoruso’s s–tshow of a life — amused by her casual stealing, comfort with various levels of filth, and total disregard for the feelings of others. It assumes that Amoruso is someone we all know has spun this nastiness into solid gold success. But she isn’t, and we don’t, and as a result, Girlboss is a love letter to a paragon of success that doesn’t exist.” — Variety.

“Girlboss is about as binge-defiant a show as you’re likely to encounter. Just watching one episode of the overly precious, trying-too-hard comedy is a challenge … Britt Robertson stars as the wily young woman who translated her knowledge of vintage clothes, gained in part through shoplifting, into the online business Nasty Gal, which, for the record, went bankrupt. Robertson is talented, but the character is insufferable.” — San Francisco Chronicle.