In 1977, NASA prepared to launch a phonographic album aboard the Voyager spacecraft known as the Golden Record. The purpose? To capture sounds and music from life on Earth and send them into space for any and all extraterrestrial life forms who might one day encounter them.
Now, that idea might have seemed silly to many folks. But it means everything to Christmas Flint.
A young, blond-haired misfit, Christmas constantly dreams about the potential for life elsewhere in space. During every free moment, her head is buried in a book, learning all she can about the universe. All she wants is to connect with whatever is outside of her small Georgia town. And connection with anyone has certainly been limited because of her mom’s death, her dad’s emotional distance and her lack of friends.
But things are about to change.
One day, a representative from NASA makes his way to Christmas’ hometown with the offer of a lifetime: a chance to be one of the voices sent to space on the Voyager’s Golden Record. The only problem is that this offer is only for the town’s local Girl Scout group, the Birdie Scouts.
The Birdie Scouts are everything that Christmas is not: “normal,” put-together and brimming with talent. But Christmas is determined, and technicalities will not stand in her way.
So, Christmas does the only thing she can; she finds a band of misfits like herself and forms a new kind of Birdie Scout troop so that they can all have a shot at getting on the Golden Record.
No matter how many times Christmas is ridiculed, bullied and made to feel as if she’s strange, she always responds with kindness and love. The young girl works hard to make others feel included and fights for her dreams, as well as the dreams of those around her. She is intelligent, kind and forgiving.
Joseph, a fellow Birdie Scout, is a loyal, kind friend who believes in Christmas and stands up for her, as well as the entire Birdie Scout troop. Similarly, a character named H— No Price and the other scouts stick up for one another when they’re ridiculed for their differences. Eventually, the kids learn to appreciate what makes them unique and to speak out against injustice and bullying. This happens in many forms. But once it happens when Christmas’ accidentally wets herself in public, which prompts the rest of the scouts to also wet themselves to help Christmas feel less awkward and embarrassed.
Even though they don’t always show it, the Birdie Scouts are taught many lessons along the way by Miss Rayleen and other scout leaders. They learn to lead with “grace and virtue,” to become “women of substance,” to live life with endurance, to be kind to one another, to pursue inner beauty and to find the areas in which they excel.
Miss Rayleen, although cynical and jaded at first, likewise learns to believe in herself and to believe in her scouts. Through the kids, Miss Rayleen learns to have hope and to pursue her dreams. Gradually, she remembers what it’s like to have passion and to work hard no matter what those around you might say or think.
Christmas tells her dad that she thinks he’s the best dad around: “solid gold.”
Christmas believes that life exists in space. She doesn’t always refer to that life source as “aliens,” but aliens are often mentioned. In a bigger sense, Christmas (along with her friends and family) learns to believe in something outside of herself. She and her friends also learn that there is power in unity.
Christmas also believes in something that she refers to (once) as “The Giant Caterpillar,” a being she believes has the power to send “peacemakers” to Earth. As Christmas studies the stars, she often asks them for “a sign” to ensure her that everything will work out in the end.
When her mom passed, Christmas was told by some that she turned into a star, while others said that her mother was in heaven. At one point, Christmas asks the “life force” in space to protect and take good care of her mom.
Anne-Claire, a young girl, is known for her belief in Jesus. She prays to God before she makes big decisions. When she’s afraid, she prays the 23rd Psalm. A woman tells a joke in which the Holy Spirit is the punchline. A group of religious Birdie Scouts perform a worship-like dance.
Miss Rayleen says “Jesus wept” aloud when Christmas and her friends get upset. She also tells the troops that they’re better off doing “Bible school” than competing.
In a moment of relief after being gripped by fear, Joseph exclaims earnestly, “My dear and holy God.” Miss Massey is called a “devil woman.” A man jokingly prays to God for protection for himself and the kids around him.
Christmas’ friend and neighbor, Joseph, is a flamboyant boy who feels he doesn’t fit in with those around him. Although his dad wants him to be athletic, Joseph prefers to be an amateur hairdresser and to hang out with Christmas. Girls in the town derogatorily refer to Joseph as “sparkly boy” and “girl/boy.” Elsewhere, Joseph is ridiculed as female even though he makes it clear, when asked, that he is “not a girl.”
H— No Price and her friend, Smash, are known as the town bullies: They hit other kids, push them down and steal their lunch boxes. A few neighborhood kids believe that Smash “ate her parents.”
Miss Rayleen tells her group of girls that although the law says she can’t hit them, she isn’t afraid to if they get out of line. A rude young woman smashes an egg into H— No Price’s face, and the kids break out into a fight.
We learn that Christmas’ mom died when she was young.
The phrase “motherf—” is heard but cut short. The s-word is used three times. “H—” is heard about 20 times. A number of those uses refer to the young girl who goes by the name of H— No Price. Other profanities include multiple utterances of “d–n,” “d–mit,” “crap” and “a–.”
A girl is called a “fool” and a “piece of trash” twice and is told to “shut [yo] face up.” A rude young woman is called a “snake from hell.”
Christmas’ father drinks a few beers, as do his friends. One friend is called out for being drunk. A principal pours liquor into her beverage multiple times. Adults smoke cigarettes.
If we learn anything during this film, it’s that kids and adults can be mean and vindictive.
Christmas is often made fun of and called a “bed-wetter.” Although she does indeed wet herself (in public), it’s an involuntary response to embarrassment and sadness. Similarly, Joseph is ridiculed for his ambiguous sexuality. H— No Price and Smash are both ridiculed because they’re different from other girls and don’t fit the “proper” mold. H— No Price initially believes that “good and beautiful things” aren’t for her. Each of these children believe that they’re not good enough at some point throughout the film.
Adults such as Miss Rayleen and Miss Massey share some rude comments, and Miss Massey attempts to make Miss Rayleen feel as if she’s “less than” because of her past choices.
Miss Rayleen shares that her heart was broken as a young girl by a boy who promised to take her out but went out with another girl instead. In a fit of rage, we learn that she vandalized the boy’s car and personal belongings. Miss Rayleen also admits that this denial, at such a young age, negatively shaped her self-image.
Christmas’ father, Ramsey Flint, doesn’t provide structure for his daughter; often his words of guidance are misleading or too mature. This is chalked up to the fact that he struggles with depression and purpose since losing his wife.
A young girl vomits when nervous, and another girl passes gas in public. A man steals a bunch of trophies.
At its core, Troop Zero (now streaming on Amazon Prime) is a story of hope and friendship that asks some deep questions about the meaning of life and the purpose of unity. It urges children and adults to believe in themselves, even when the world labels you an outcast. The film also emphasizes upbeat themes of self-love, kindness, respect and hard work.
But right alongside this dramedy’s inspirational moments are a lot of problematic issues.
We hear a surprising amount of harsh language. Joseph’s ambiguous sexuality is discussed quite a bit and could easily be a sticking point for families. Then there’s light drinking along with some unruly, rude kiddos that act in ways you won’t want your children emulating.
For a PG-rated flick about empowering children, this Amazon Prime original felt far more mature than its previews let on.
Kristin Smith joined the Plugged In team in 2017. Formerly a Spanish and English teacher, Kristin loves reading literature and eating authentic Mexican tacos. She and her husband, Eddy, love raising their children Judah and Selah. Kristin also has a deep affection for coffee, music, her dog (Cali) and cat (Aslan).
