Marvel’s criteria for hiring directors differs from other blockbuster studios in that they don’t require filmmakers to have big-budget experience. This is because Kevin Feige understands that indie directors can be taught to use greenscreens, but blockbuster directors can’t be taught to develop well-rounded characters or tell emotionally engaging stories. The directors that Marvel hires for its movies and streaming shows usually have a couple of great low-budget movies under their belt before they join the MCU. Taika Waititi directed Boy before Thor: Ragnarok; Ryan Coogler directed Fruitvale Station before Black Panther; Chloé Zhao directed Nomadland before Eternals; and Destin Daniel Cretton directed Short Term 12 before Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings.
Set in a rural Georgia town in 1977, Troop Zero revolves around a ragtag group of elementary-school outcasts who form their own Birdie Scout troop after being rejected from the existing ones. Mckenna Grace, who recently gave a fantastic performance in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, stars as Christmas Flint, a fiercely independent but socially awkward outsider struggling to fit in (in other words, a universally relatable protagonist). Christmas connects with her late mother through a shared fascination with the possibility of extra-terrestrial life and the belief that her mom is living with aliens. Since the winners of an upcoming Birdie Scout talent show will have their voices included on the Voyager Golden Record – which Christmas believes will be heard by aliens – she’s determined to lead Troop Zero to victory.
On the surface, Troop Zero and Hawkeye might not seem very similar. One is about kids practicing for a talent show in rural Georgia and the other is about a tracksuit-clad crime ring trying to kill a pair of archers on the streets of New York. But some of Troop Zero’s strengths are prevalent in Hawkeye. For starters, Hawkeye’s central father-daughter dynamic of Clint encouraging Kate to follow her dreams while trying to save her from getting hurt has parallels with Troop Zero’s own father-daughter dynamic, played beautifully by standup comic Jim Gaffigan opposite Grace. Unlike Kate Bishop, Christmas has two mentor figures. Her dad’s secretary Miss Rayleen, played brilliantly as always by Viola Davis, saves Troop Zero from being shut down by becoming its troop mother. Troop Zero’s villain, Miss Massey – played with pitch-perfect coldness by Allison Janney – is an even more ruthless, sadistic, and hateable bad guy than the Kingpin.
Another strength that can be seen across Bert & Bertie’s work is their use of music to evoke emotion. While Iron Man 3 had taken place around Christmas (just like every other Shane Black movie), Hawkeye was the MCU’s first true Christmas story. Bert & Bertie’s soundtrack choices evoked the warmth and nostalgia surrounding the yuletide season with a mixture of Christmas carols like “Jingle Bells” and “O Christmas Tree” and holiday hits like “Father Christmas” by the Kinks, “A Marshmallow World” by Brenda Lee, and “Sweet Gingerbread Man” by Sammy Davis, Jr. Hawkeye’s festive soundtrack was a big part of its infectious Christmas spirit.
Troop Zero similarly uses familiar pop hits to get an emotional response from the audience. Rob Lord provides a great original score and there are licensed tracks by such legendary artists as Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, and Diana Ross, but the movie’s most memorable musical moments involve David Bowie’s greatest hits. “Rebel Rebel” is used to capture Troop Zero’s rebelliousness, “Starman” is used to capture Christmas’ relationship with outer space (and, by extension, her relationship with her mom), and the climactic interpretive dance is set to “Space Oddity.”
The duo is currently working on their next film, Queen Bitch & The High Horse, about the largest municipal fraud in U.S. history. New Republic Pictures is co-producing the movie with Dirty Films, Cate Blanchett’s production company. This will surely be another gem from the directors with plenty of heart, humor, and emotional resonance. In the meantime, check out their existing work. Troop Zero is streaming on Prime Video and Bert & Bertie’s Hawkeye episodes are worth a rewatch on Disney+.
