PATTI CAKE$
A working- class New Jersey teen ( newcomer Danielle Macdonald) chases her dream of rap stardom in this vibrant coming- of- age tale, which Fox Searchlight Pictures acquired for $ 9.5 million. “Patti Cake$ is one of those movies where the formula is tried- and- true, but it’s brought off with so much enthusiasm by its actors and has the whole musical element that people are just sent out of it on a high,” Buchanan says. Now “it’s up to Fox Searchlight to get people in the door for it, because once they do, it’s going to find an audience. It’s the definition of a crowd- pleaser.”