"Mile End Kicks": Filled With Nostalgia, But Was Not Memorable

Released on Netflix this last July, Mile End Kicks catches the eyes of those who want to escape the disasters of 2026 and visit the era of peak Tumblr, unforgettable music hits, and iconic fashion trends—— of 2011. This coming-of-age film directed by Chandler Levack succeeds at portraying an accurate representation of what life was like in the early 2010’s. Between the old iPhones, skater skirts with tights, and tangled wired headphones, it is safe to say that she easily reached nostalgic standards with these components. As for the actual storyline, though it showcases many aspects of growth as a woman in your early 20’s, we were also met with themes of romance. Many watchers ended up loving the overall indie aesthetic of the film, but some opinions surfaced when it came to the plot and characters. 

The film follows a young woman, Grace Pine (Barbie Ferreira), who is introduced to us as a music critic with the ambition of becoming a more serious writer. When presented with the opportunity to write a novel about Alanis Morissette’s album, Jagged Little Pill, Grace impulsively decides to move to Montreal, Quebec, to pursue the experience and further her writing talents. When settled in Montreal, reality quickly struck for her as she was met with inexcusable deadlines for her novel that is nowhere near finished, and is struggling financially to pay her half for rent. While she is facing these obstacles, Grace meets a small, indie rock band, Bone Patrol, and starts to develop a crush on the lead singer, Chevy (Stanley Simons). The film starts to shift focus to Grace’s romantic interests towards Chevy and her new friendship with another band member, Archie (Devon Bostick). Motivated to get with the lead singer, she becomes the band’s publicist, which eventually lands her in troubled waters with her original writing opportunity for Jagged Little Pill. As well as her loyalty to her roommate, who also quickly became her friend, Madeleine (Juliette Gariépy) has shown her grace for being consistently late on rent and always inconsiderately eating her groceries. 

Trying to figure out her romantic situation with Chevy, Grace realizes, towards the end of the film, with the help of being told by Archie, that Chevy has been treating her horribly all this time, and eventually ends things with him. She also acknowledges that this wasn’t the only thing that needed to change—figuring out how to overcome her financial issues, gaining her roommate’s trust again, and becoming romantically involved with Archie became her priority. She ends up accomplishing all of these things and becomes very satisfied with her new life in Montreal after the chaos she has faced.  

Some watchers, unfortunately, found it a bit difficult to root for Grace’s actions and decisions during the film. The beginning of the film felt strong—she had the passion and potential to become a crucial writer, and made the confident choice to move to a new city to focus on that goal. After meeting the members of Bone Patrol, we start to witness her character fall into a spiral, and notice how quickly she starts to change her intentions. She went from pursuing a writing career to pursuing a relationship with Chevy, or as described by Madeleine, “the worst guy in Montreal”. Though it can be understandable, she’s in her early 20’s, being in a new city surrounded by new people, and simply got sidetracked. But it was more-so the unfair treatment she was giving the other characters in the film that made the audience question if she’s someone worth rooting for. Sharing an apartment with your friend but failing to contribute your half for rent, eating her groceries that you didn’t pay for, and missing her important DJ nights—these actions were hard to defend on Grace’s part. 

As for the anticipated love story of the film between Grace and Archie, we saw them grow a strong friendship throughout the film with little hints of romantic tension. But it was more towards the end of the film where the audience really got to observe how they would shine as a couple after she ended things with Chevy. If the plot hadn’t centered more around Grace and Chevy’s dynamic, there could’ve been a lot more room to showcase the actual chemistry between her and Archie, and it could’ve also resulted in the ending not feeling rushed when she actually chooses to pursue him romantically. But there are no complaints about the screentime we did get of the two, and the overwhelming accuracy of them being an awkward 2011 Pinterest couple. They always just made more sense together than apart. 

Overall, Mile End Kicks felt very light and easy to watch. Is it award-worthy? No, but if you want to travel back to the early 2010’s, then this film will definitely radiate that energy for you. The director, Chandler Levack, deserves all the credit for creating a truly accurate coming-of-age film and capturing all the growth and change that comes with it. The casting of Barbie Ferreira was excellent. She was one of the most well-known Tumblr girls of the 2011 era, and seeing her step outside her past role as Kat Hernandez in the popular TV show Euphoria was exciting to witness. As well as her co-star, Devon Bostick, who was Gen Z’s major heartthrob when he played Rodrick Heffley in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie series. Many were ecstatic to see this pairing, and both actors definitely succeeded in bringing all the nostalgia to our screens.