Amazon Comedy Drama Is A Tear-Jerking Hidden Gem For The Entire Family

Troop Zero was the first film my kids and I saw McKenna Grace in, and we instantly fell in love with her spirit, her wit, and her spunk. This movie is about the misfits in the world who never seem to get a fair shake and who are constantly tossed aside for what’s prettier, tidier, and more “presentable.”

And while the film doesn’t wrap everything up in a sweet bow in the end, giving these kids the happily-ever-after they don’t even dream about themselves, it does teach important lessons about friends, family, and loyalty. 

Troop Zero opens up on a young girl, Christmas Flint, in a rural community of Wiggly, Georgia.

Her mother has passed, her father, Ramsey (Jim Gaffigan), is a local lawyer who takes chickens and liquor (among other things) in exchange for his services, and her father’s paralegal is a hardened, chain smoking woman, Rayleen (Viola Davis), eager to escape the town and all of its bad blood.

Christmas dreams of visiting outer space, and she talks to the sky often, where she believes her mother resides, waiting for her. 

When Christmas discovers that the local Birdie Scout youth group will have the opportunity to have their voices recorded and transmitted into outer space by NASA, she’s determined to join. Unfortunately, the Birdie Scout leader, Mrs. Massey (Allison Janney), tells her the troop is full.

Refusing to be denied, Christmas decides to form her own troop, and asks Rayleen to be the leader. Of course, in typical Viola Davis fashion, Rayleen refuses, insisting she doesn’t even like children. But she’s compelled by the pleas of Christmas and the reasoning of Ramsey. 

Ever the mean and nasty witch, Mrs. Massey assigns Christmas’ troop the number zero, as a sort of snide remark on how well she expects the troop to perform. Now, Christmas must gather a group of kids willing to join Troop Zero, win badges, and perform in a pageant that will determine whether they’re voices will go into space.

She starts with her neighbor, Joseph (Charlie Shotwell), who has a keen eye for fashion and detests all things rough and tumble. They pick up a fighting duo of girls, Hell-No and Smash, and a devoutly religious girl, Anne-Claire. 

The girls and their leader go through some wild and crazy scenes trying to bake a cake, pick up a wilderness badge, and accomplish their tasks.

They also prepare for the pageant, a stage performance of David Bowie’s Space Oddity. You’ll have to watch Troop Zero to see how it all comes together, but suffice to say it does so beautifully.

The chemistry between the characters is fabulous, especially between Allison Janney and Viola Davis, whose characters have grown up together on different sides of most issues and must navigate an age-old rivalry. 

GFR SCORE

The love between father and daughter is also a delightful one, as Ramsey clearly has no idea what he’s doing, but he does it with all his heart. McKenna Grace, of course, is the star of this show, and it is no wonder she shot to fame in the Ghostbusters franchise and beyond as she grew up. My kids and I love her so much, and it all began here, a movie worthy of at least 5 stars out of 5. Stream Troop Zero with your family the next chance you get, and I just dare you not to cry.