Like Jenna Hamilton, Rae Earl is also a teenager who suffers from issues of popularity. But the similarities pretty much end there. The British (finally) "My Mad Fat Diary" is set in 1996. For those who grew up in that point in time, this is a very good starting point to connect to this show. Rae (Sharon Rooney) is an overweight 16 year old, with an eating disorder, who just got released of a mental institution. The show is narrated like it is being read from her personal diary, combined with drawings and snippets of it that pop up in the screen. This show is all about teenage angst intertwined with endless wit and heart. Like "Orange", this is not your run of the mill comedy, as some scenes are "laugh-out-loud", while others are purely dramatic. Unlike "Awkward", and in great British fashion, this teen comedy is a lot less PC (and PG). This girl is horny, and she's not afraid to talk about it. She is fat, and it will be an issue to discuss. The plot is based on the book "My Fat, Mad Teenage Diary" written by Rae Earl herself, which makes it all the more relatable. The Guardian wrote: "It's lovely honest and painful, real and very funny". And of the acting, the newspaper wrote: "Sharon Rooney's performance in the lead is natural, effortless and utterly believable; she should win something for it". I couldn't agree more.
Music lover, TV watcher, horror movies buff, writer, traveler, super groupie, a Whovian with a Journalism BA. Lives in Israel, but her heart resides in Brooklyn & her backpack smells like Berlin. Follow her on Twitter (@BelleBackstage) and/or Instagram (@bellebackstage). There's a cookie in it for you.
