“Cookie Queens” (2026) is a documentary that unfolds during Girl Scouts Cookie season, which takes place over seven weeks from January through April 2024, a date which is not stated in the film, and follows four girls as they set their goals and try to achieve them. It may be the most stressful movie currently in theaters once it is revealed that the parents are on the hook for the cost of the inventory if they are not sold. If you are looking for a movie that offers context for the practice or to learn more about the organization, walk on by. It is more about each girl’s experience, how their family supports them and their place in the troop, which is not a huge part of the film. It is director Alysa Nahmias’ third solo directing feature and second writing feature.
Nahmias’ cast of characters are diverse, but there is some uniformity. Each girl lives in a house with sufficient space to store the cookies, has two parents involved in the process though one parent may be more involved, and is close enough to communities that have sufficient disposable income to buy cookies. More importantly, they are presentable enough that they are welcome into spaces without being rejected or risk getting in trouble.
The most experienced seller is twelve-year old Olive G. from Charlotte, North Carolina. She could have the most privilege, but she is keenly aware of societal disparities such as the amount that she earns for the organization and the amount that she receives in return, i.e. the profit. In scenes with her dad, who films her social media posts, she is constantly analyzing the effectiveness of her messaging. With her mother, she interrogates her motivation, her drive and her ambition. She starts to realize that she is exhausting herself, but she also enjoys the process. It is a balance that a lot of strivers struggle with: how far can you go versus how to take care of yourself and get what you really want. A quick glance online revealed that despite her etiquette class and conventional image of community, she is the most controversial for being depicted as joining protests. Olive’s best friend, Celia K., sounds more mature and analytical than any of the featured girls and had amazing insight in her friend being more than her accomplishments. Of all the girls, Olive seems to have a well-rounded life with family, friends and work.
Newly minted Brownie Shannon Elizabeth S. of El Paso, Texas is focused on selling so she can afford to go to camp. Meanwhile her parents are stressed because the family home is on the line if they do not make it work. “Cookie Queens” becomes a horror movie at this point because Shannon Elizabeth is living without a care in the world, getting a new fun pink hat and demanding her allowance while her parents are validly rocking themselves in the fetal position in a corner. If the documentary gets frustrating, it does not reflect when their momentum changes from crisis to relief. References to culture and long hair imply that this family is indigenous. Their plight reveals that selling is a strategic, logistical game, and it is not easy, but without showing how the tide changes.
Selling is a family affair for nine-year-old Nikki B. from Chino, California. Nikki wants to be just like her older siblings, Naya and Nala, but they are over being in the organization. Nikki gradually realizes that even though her sisters hold the selling record, she has the advantage because she is smaller and cuter, i.e. fits the image of what a Girl Scout looks like, not a teenager. Their mom is invested in the whole process, and her personal history reveals how they got into this cycle. It feels more like a business than fun, but as a matter of pride and practicality, not anxiety.
The youngest participant is five-year-old Ara E. from San Diego. She is too young to understand when potential customers are blowing her off, which is great because she is undeterred, but bad because it means that her dad must get her to move on without breaking her spirit. Her dad is eligible for a nomination as best dad in a movie as he teaches her concepts without squashing her fun. Ara goes on an unexpected journey where she discovers an unmet demand and starts to develop it based on an affliction that she shares with another customer. For Ara, she is competing with herself and trying to make herself physically stronger. She also offers an example of true diversity regarding the downside of her extracurricular activity.
Editors Jeanne Applegate, Fátima de los Santos and Kim Roberts basically form the story and themes with the vast amount of raw footage available and archived television news clips. The overarching story becomes the process of how this experience will help them evolve into who these girls are becoming and their fears about becoming teenagers. If Girl Scouts are idealized, teenagers are not and often demonized. The girls share their fears about becoming older as if it would automatically make them wear fewer articles of clothing or become irritable. No room is made for the older girls to express their desires, including whether they still want to participate in this rat race, but gradually the older sisters allow Nikki to join in their reindeer games after bonding during another selling season so growing up has some benefits.
What about boys? “Cookie Queens” would definitely pass the Bechdel test because boys are only relegated to one story and not romantically. Olive and Celia’s etiquette class teaches them how to interact with boys. During a dance with Ryan R., Olive’s leadership skills are on full display, and Ryan R. shows promise for admiring her accomplishments and encouraging her to discuss them. Will there be a documentary to focus on his growing years and will there be a turning point when he finds such an interaction off putting instead of an honor? Let’s hope that he retains that energy over the years.
“Cookie Queens” is colorful and adorable as the girls learn to be hustlers, ahem entrepreneurs, but if you prefer context such as a history of Girl Scouts, why they entered the cookie biz and how the cookie business evolved, then it will take a long time to recalibrate and get into the documentary that you have instead of the one that you hoped for. It took me a couple of tries to get into it and see the value because it was a bit shocking to realize the financial and time pressure on the entire family. Why not just buy the thing that you want instead of potentially going into debt to do it? If you ever work in an office, it will make you reflect differently on how fraught those sales really were for your colleague. Anyone who worked at a minimum wage job could not rely on their coworkers to pick up the slack.
If you love watching kids engaging in adult but relatively appropriate activities, then you will love “Cookie Queens,” but it is the kind of movie that may raise more questions than it answers and make moviegoers wonder about the ethics of this activity. Also your attitude towards observational documentaries will determine how much you enjoy the journey, but there is definitely more room left to get into the nitty gritty of the organization.
