One of the great joys of covering the Sundance Film Festival is discovering a movie you missed has found a distributor. This is the case with Roadside Attractions’ *Cookie Queens*, directed by Alyssa Nahmias and executive produced by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex.
What initially seems like a lighthearted documentary about Girl Scout cookies evolves into a deeper exploration of childhood ambition, parental encouragement, and American capitalism, all wrapped in colorful packaging. Nahmias follows four girls with sales goals that range from modest to astonishing.
Olive, a confident 12-year-old from Charlotte, has sold a record 8,745 boxes and already understands the importance of upselling. She handles customers and local television appearances with the poise of someone twice her age. Olive dreams of becoming a Supreme Court justice, and after watching her engage with a crowd, I wouldn’t bet against her.
However, her success raises one of the film’s most intriguing questions: how much of this drive belongs to the child, and how much to the parents, who may enjoy the competition even more? Olive openly wonders whether her mother and father are more invested than she is. Nahmias wisely allows that tension to linger without turning the parents into villains.
Eight-year-old Shannon Elizabeth hopes to sell enough cookies to cover the costs of summer camp, while Nikki works alongside her older sisters toward winning a trophy and a European trip. Their determination is admirable, but “Cookie Queens” also reveals the financial pressure families face when thousands of boxes are ordered before they are sold. The entire arrangement sometimes feels less like a childhood fundraiser and more like an introductory course in corporate risk.
The documentary’s most endearing presence is five-year-old Ara. She struggles to pull her wagon, performs on an electric keyboard to attract customers, and takes every rejection seriously. Because Ara has diabetes, she cannot sample the product she sells. After meeting a customer with the same condition, she returns homemade sugar-free cookies and, like any astute entrepreneur, charges him six dollars.
Nahmias’ storytelling occasionally feels scattered, particularly when the film veers into the girls’ other activities without fully exploring the broader Girl Scout experience. More troop meetings and fewer abrupt transitions would have created a fuller picture.
Nevertheless, “Cookie Queens” succeeds because Nahmias recognizes that these girls are more than just adorable salespeople. They are competitive, thoughtful, funny, and already learning that success comes with its pressures. The film celebrates their confidence while asking enough difficult questions to prevent the sweetness from becoming artificial.
Final Grade: B+
“Cookie Queens” opens in theaters today.
