It’s not only hard out here for a pimp, it’s also tough for a young struggling would-be rapper named Patti (Danielle MacDonald). She’s the primary breadwinner in her household which includes her grandmother whose respiratory system is ravaged by decades of smoking and her mother who also has dreams of singing stardom. Between working a series of low-end jobs, Patti does everything she can to advance her career. And she’s not alone in her visions of fame; there’s Hareesh (Siddharth Dhananjay), an East Indian pharmacy tech who’s just as fascinated with rap as she is.

So you have a chubby blonde girl and her Indian sidekick in hot pursuit of becoming part of rap royalty. They can write and rhyme but their team becomes complete when they come across a black kid, Anti-Christ (Mamoudou Athie) who has a functional recording studio in the remote shack where he lives. They create a demo tape which gives them a product to promote.

Patti Cake$ is a production that has a lot to overcome to make it work. And it does overcome. Patti Cake$ is a See it!

It starts with the film’s writer/director, Geremy Jasper. Patti’s lyrics had to be solid, credible rhymes - with rhythm. They are. There’s a saying: write what you know. Geremy is a video music director. He knows and understands this genre. Next, Danielle MacDonald, a native of Australia, had to master the craft. She does. Her rapping is smooth, natural, and authentic. Her ability and familiarity with rap reflect the universal appeal of black America’s music. Rebel Wilson of the Pitch Perfect film series, who is also Australian, said her favorite song growing up was Jump! by Kris Kross, which reached No. 1 in the land down under. And you should “Believe dat”.

The film features the necessary debate as to Patti’s right to rap. While working as a server at a private party hosted by a rap legend, she bursts into a performance as he sits alone waiting for his guests to arrive. He is thoroughly unimpressed and accuses her of abducting a culture that is not hers. She also gets fired.

Another part of Patti Cake$’s successful recipe is the quirky but perfect performances of costars, Siddharth Dhananjay and Mamoudou Athie. However, Athie’s character keeps very expensive recording equipment in his shack where it could easily be stolen. Coupled with the fact that much equipment requires at least a 440 electrical system, unlikely wiring for that hovel, makes that part of the storyline dubious at best.

This film gets an “A” for cast diversity. The cast reflects both the working class white community Patti lives in and the rap world which has a primarily black following with a substantial number of fans of other races.

Ultimately, Patti Cake$ works because it combines an interesting story, strong acting and absolutely, necessary credibility from a white girl effectively performing what is considered a black art form.

Patti Cake$ is 108 minutes and rated R for strong language throughout, crude sexual references, some drug use and a brief nude image. And it gets our highest rating, See It!

Alice (Dakota Johnson) meets Josh (Nicholas Braun) in her freshman year of college. After four years of what Josh views as a relationship with a future, Alice says she needs a break to find herself. Josh is heartbroken but has no other choice than to accept her decision.

Alice moves to New York City where she shares an apartment with her sister and takes a job as a paralegal. On Alice's first day on her job she meets Robin (Rebel Wilson) who is all about the excesses of single life in New York: the clubs, the men and booze. They become friends. They hit the singles scene. Alice also meets Tom, the owner of a neighborhood bar. He makes it clear that's he's strictly a friends with benefits type of guy. They have a fling. Alice then decides she's been free long enough. She calls Josh who has also moved to New York. They meet. She tells him she's ready to return to what they had in college. But now it's her turn to be heartbroken; Josh has moved on and is no longer interested.

How to Be Single is set in New York. Shot in 47 days. You can't help but compare it to Sex in the City. The focus is mainly on a single young professional woman. But if you have been single in New York City, you will identify with this film. This is a complicated place to date and this movies captures the conflicts and the misunderstandings that come with seeking a partner in a highly diverse and complex town.

Dakota Johnson (daughter of Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson) is solid in the leading role. She is a flawed but basically decent human being. This story only works if viewers identify with her and her plight. And they do.

This movie is also supported by a strong supporting cast: Leslie Mann, Nicholas Braun, and Damon Wayans Jr., among others. The only character lacking credibility is Rebel Wilson's Robin. She's out of control: promiscuous, drinking, partying. She's a parody. And not believable in any way.

How to Be Single reflects a trend in movies of gradually moving towards more sexually active characters. During the height of the AIDS epidemic, viewers recoiled at images of uninhibited carnal behavior as dangerous and foolhardy.

How to Be Single and other films and TV series tend to overly glamorize life in the Big Apple. Everyone lives in a gorgeous and usually very large apartment, wear designer outfits and have loads of time to just hang out.

As to our diversity rating, this movie gets a C+. In New York City, two out of every three people are nonwhite. But you would never know it from films like this one, and TV shows like Seinfeld, Friends, and Sex in the City.

In Alice's circle of friends and acquaintances, there is one person of color, Paul, played by Damon Wayans Jr. He and Alice meet at a college alumni event and later connect romantically.

David is a successful, very polished professional, as well as, a devoted father. His wife died a couple of years earlier and he still struggles with the loss. This type of positive image of a black man, intelligent with emotional depth, is rare and is commendable that the casting director selected him for this role.

So what's the verdict on How to Be Single? All-in-all it's worth a trip to the theater because it's the kind of film that you'll think and talk about after it's over. And it gets a See It rating.

It's a 1 hour and 50 minutes. It's rated R for sexual content and language.