Girlboss

It improved some as episodes went on,but still overly entitled to her way of life.

Casting was ok,as was cinematography too.

Nothing special or unique,just something to watch.. That's about it!

Adulthood is where dreams go to die, bankruptcy is where companies go to die. It's unfortunate that whilst this series fanatically praises Nasty Gal founder Sophia Amuroso (here, she is called Sophia Marlowe)as a business success, in life Amuroso has stepped down as CEO and the company is bankrupt.

Sass alone does not make success but fictional Sophia seems to get by simply on being a sassy millenial. She starts the series as a twenty-three year old shoplifting drifter, who is stuck in teenager mood (where she basically remains throughout the whole series)and ends up a girlboss (the kind of patronising term you might use on marketing a Barbie doll).

Though the first three or four episodes are unbearably smug, Britt Robertson does a good job as little-girl-lost Sophia, seller of vintage fashion. Ellie Reed is fine enough as Sophia's hanger-on/best buddy Annie.

It's not so much the acting that's the problem as the whole concept being flawed. It's free publicity for the Nasty Gal business and no amount of dramatic license will disguise the fact that this is a six and a half hour commercial.

The reality is sanitised in the show. For starters, there is whitewashing (Sophia Amuroso is of Greek, Italian and Portuguese descent). Secondly, in this version Sophia is still in contact with her dad, with a relationship no more strained than any young daughter. When we know that he can bail her out financially, her decision to shoplift is bratty rebellion rather than financial problems.

The material was pretty thin anyway so unsurprisingly it did not get a second season.

Seems that most of the reviews are bashing the character flaws of "Sophia", but nobody seems to be crediting the actress (Britt Robertson) for giving such a great performance that her portrayal of this character is capable of sparking such a reaction of contempt.

I admit, I really enjoyed another of her earlier shows: "Life Unexpected"

In both cases, Britt is fun to watch. As an actress, she finds the sweet spot between being lovable and having an old-school punk rocker attitude.. like some adorable cross between Patti Smith and Joan Jett.

PS: did they ever actually say who the story is (very loosely) based on?

update: apparently, the "inspiration" isn't very inspirational..

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/real-girlboss-rise-fall-nasty-gal- founder-sophia-amoruso/

So, the show is awesome but not without its flaws. Aside from hating the main character most of the time, this show is absolutely amazing and Britt Robertson can literally excel as every type of character imaginable. The show ends on a good note but it would've been nice to see how her empire grows. Watch it. Totally recommend.

I all fairness, this could have been a very good inspirational show. But it fails due to its connection to reality...

The big problem is that main character Sophia is a deeply troubled, "nasty" (this doesn't come from nowhere), and foremost very narcissistic character, which in my eyes makes her extremely unlikeable. This alone would not make the series bad, but it is the fact that obviously there isn't much psychological insight. (If you want to know how to do this: "My crazy ex-girlfriend" manages far better to present a questionable character then deconstructing her by means of real psychology, or a little more earnest Judd Apatow's "Love".). Instead, we get to see behavior that if it really inspired young girls would lead to hell on earth. If this girl were a young man, the whole series would be branded "glorifying a sociopathic entrepreneur".

Apart from that, I really liked everything else, the pacing, the music, the cinematography, so that's where some stars are earned. If you can abstract from the horrible personality of Sophia, you might enjoy it as one would enjoy watching "Scarface".

And as a side note: Reality caught up to the real "Sophia" - she went bankrupt due to her own hybris. So please don't try this at home.