It stars Beanie Feldstein, Paddy Considine, Sarah Solemani, Alfie Allen, Frank Dillane, Laurie Kynaston, Arinzé Kene, Tadhg Murphy, Ziggy Heath, Bobby Schofield, Chris O'Dowd, Joanna Scanlan, and Emma Thompson.

How to Build a Girl had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 7 September 2019 and won the FIPRESCI Special Presentations award.

In the 1990s, 16-year-old Johanna Morrigan lives on a council estate in Wolverhampton with her aspiring rock star father Pat, exhausted mother Angie, brothers Krissi and Lupin, and two infant twins.

Johanna dreams of escaping her life to become a writer, and finds comfort in speaking with the portraits of her idols covering her bedroom wall.

She quits school, leading her parents and Krissi to confront her over her increasingly delinquent behaviour, but she cruelly reminds them that her money is supporting the family.

Unleashing a tirade against their smugness and negativity, she quits and returns home to find John has called about her article, ending their friendship.

Distraught, Johanna drinks and cuts her wrist with a drawing compass, but is knocked unconscious when her "Arsehole" award falls on her head.

In November 2014, it was announced Alison Owen and Debra Hayward had acquired rights to the novel of the same by Caitlin Moran, who also wrote the script for the film.

[6] In July 2018, Paddy Considine, Sarah Solemani, Laurie Kynaston, Joanna Scanlan, Arinze Kene, Frank Dillane, Tadhg Murphy and Ziggy Heath joined the cast of the film.

Daniel Battsek, Ollie Madden, Sue Bruce-Smith, Tim Headington, Lisa Buman, Zygi Kamasa, Emma Berkofsky and Caitlin Moran will executive produce the film under their Film4 Productions and Tango Entertainment banners, respectively.

The site's critical consensus reads: "Led by Beanie Feldstein's charming performance, How to Build a Girl puts a disarmingly earnest spin on the familiar coming-of-age comedy formula.