Beverly was searching for the songs on the mixtape but couldn’t find ‘The Wrong Song’ and lost hope after this. Anti, Ellen, and Nicky all do their part in trying to help find the song, but they still fail to do so. Instead, in an emotional conversation with her grandmother, we slowly unravel the truth and find ‘The Wrong Song.’ Not only this, but by confiding in her grandmother, we come to learn about Gail’s story.
Throughout Mixtape, Gail never really shared her story or experiences. She was always busy working and ensuring Beverly didn’t continue the cycle of teenage motherhood.
In the heartfelt conversation between Beverly and Gail, she confesses to Gail that she feels like she screwed up her mom’s life, like how her mother did hers. But that wasn’t true for Gail. Beverly just wanted to know if her mother liked the same things as her to know if she would like her as a person. Beverly knew she had to love her because she was her daughter, but being liked was important to her.
At this point, we see her emotions come out, and it’s difficult not to shed a tear.
Beverly lets Gail know that she appreciates everything she does for her but still feels like her grandmother truly doesn’t know her.
With that, she runs upstairs to her room, but before this, Ellen stops by and gives her a tape of a song they found.
At this point, Beverly is over it and is unwilling to open the tape. That wasn’t an option for Ellen and Nicky, though, because they started blasting the song through their radio and dancing by Beverly’s bedroom window to keep her spirits up.
This was one of the most beautiful scenes in the film, highlighting the importance of friendship because, during the film, none of the girls had friends in school but now have each other.
In the end, we finally learn that Gail faces her daughter’s death by talking about it with Beverly. She opens up to Beverly, allowing her to learn more about her mother, too. She tells her about her fears of motherhood, especially being a teenager, but reminds her that her mother made her life more colorful and filled it with laughter.
With that, she introduces Beverly to ‘The Wrong Song,’ the final song on the mixtape, and this scene will make viewers choke up. Gail reveals the cassette that Beverly’s parents composed upon finding out about their pregnancy, which includes a voice note from them. This scene helped Beverly answer questions about whether her parents would like her.
As for the New Year’s Eve celebration, Beverly asks Gail whether the world ends at midnight. I think that the important part here is when Gail lets her know that, no, the world isn’t ending at midnight just because it’s the year 2000, but the world is simply just beginning.
All in all, Mixtape proved itself to be a heartwarming tween dramedy that takes viewers on the search for loved ones through the medium of music and curating your perfect mixtape.
