Tag: Comedy

Two Films of Emma Seligman: “Shiva Baby” (2020) & “Bottoms” (2023)

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Shiva Baby (2020)

Debbie: I thought you were done experimenting.
Danielle: You think everyone that’s bi is experimenting. You don’t know anything. You have zero gaydar.
Debbie: Excuse me, kid! I lived through New York in the 80s! My gaydar is strong as a bull!

What are the “kids” doing these days, do y’all sometimes wonder? Well, some of them are subverting audience expectations and creating fresh/genre-defying work. This movie (which I saw on Max earlier in the pandemic) was adapted from writer/director Emma Seligman’s short film, Shiva Baby (2018), also starring her former NYU classmate/close friend Rachel Sennott (who was raised Catholic). “Shiva” is Hebrew and means “seven;” the film’s run time is 77 mins. Except for some producers, all essential crew here are women. Unfortunately for Sennott, she had a supporting role in the (hot mess) Max series The Idol. Then she swung back w/ the teen comedy Bottoms (streaming on Amazon Prime).

Danielle (Sennott) is a petite/curly-haired 23 y.o. student who also works as a “sugar baby”; this is unknown to her friends/family. In the 1st scene, she’s getting dressed in the (modern/spacious) NYC apt. of a cute/30-something man. Danielle needs to get her payment from this man (her client), BUT he grabs her for a hug and starts asking about her life. She is in a BIT of a rush, as she has a social obligation in her neighborhood (on Long Island)- a shiva for a deceased/older woman. In a podcast interview, Seligman (a bisexual/Jewish woman) commented that several classmates/friends had worked IRL as sugar babies in college; she tried it briefly herself.

Max: [to Danielle] You’re studying business?
Joel: [laughs] No, not business.
Debbie: No, no, she’s studying gender.
Danielle: The business of gender. It’s like gender business.
Joel: She does this fantastic program where you kind of design your own major. It’s a little complex when it comes to finding employment, but she’s doing terrifically.

Danielle’s mom, Debbie, is played by Polly Draper (who some mature viewers may recognize from thirtysomething); her dad is played by character actor Fred Melamed. Danielle’s ex-gf, Maya (Molly Gordon), soon arrives at this event; Maya is in law school (so held in high regard by their elders). When Max (Danny Defarrari), Kim (Diana Agron from Glee), and their baby arrive, many gather around them to admire the cute baby. Maya comments on Kim’s looks (blonde/conventionally attractive); she is also known as a successful businesswoman. From across the room, Danielle is shocked- Max is her “sugar daddy” (who we saw in the opener)! The tension (and humor) comes from the social situations which Danielle must navigate; ppl are curious re: her education, future career, and love life. The acting in the movie is quite good, incl. from the bit players.

[1] With its claustrophobic atmosphere, creepy soundtrack and uncomfortably relatable cringe, the picture basically feels like a panic attack on screen. In many ways, it actually tells its tales using tropes of the horror genre. 

[2] We need Emma Seligman to direct a thriller/horror movie…like tomorrow.

[3] She faithfully delivers just the sort of fun ethnic romp which, only a few short years ago, would have been the exclusive territory of a “name” writer or director.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews

Bottoms (2023)

Principal Meyers: [over intercom] Could the ugly, untalented gays please report to the principal’s office?

Two unpopular/queer HS seniors, RJ (Rachel Sennott) and Josie (Ayo Edebiri: seen in The Bear on Hulu), start a “fight club” to spend time w/ the “hot girls” they have crushes on before graduation. RJ and Josie have been friends for many yrs, though they have different personalities. Their friend Hazel (Ruby Cruz) is the 3rd wheel; she’s actually excited to learn self-defense/have a “safe space.” Some of you will recognize Kaia Gerber (looks V similar to her former supermodel mom- Cindy Crawford); she plays a cheerleader named Brittany (RJ’s crush). Havana Rose Liu plays Isabel (the most popular cheerleader); she’s Josie’s crush/gf to the star quarterback, Jeff (Nicholas Galitzine). A real NFL player, Marshawn Lynch, plays Mr. G (a history teacher); he does a good job for a non-actor. Lynch wanted to take on this role; he has a queer sister IRL.

Isabel [to Josie]: I really value when people use violence for me, it’s actually one of my love languages.

Do you like (or like making fun of) teen movies? If so, then check out this wacky comedy/satire! You’ll have to keep an open mind here; it’s quite different from Shiva Baby. Edebiri (whose parents are immigrants from Jamaica and Nigeria) is also close friends/former classmates w/ Sennott and Seligman. While attending NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, they ALL discovered their preference for the comedy genre. They started to create their own work, rather than focusing on “classics” (which was common at Tisch). Edebiri (now 27 y.o.) has gotten many awards these past 2 yrs for The Bear. I’d file this under movies that I can appreciate, though it wasn’t specifically tailored to me. High school is a tough time for most ppl I’ve met; perhaps it’s natural to make fun of it!

[1] Every single person here seems to be having the time of their lives. It reminded me a bit of the energy in Barbie, only this one is — in the best possible sense — a lot more unhinged.

Its influences are many, as I said (one of its more “early 2000s” elements is the Avril Lavigne needle drop, which is up there with the Bonnie Tyler sequence as one of the most glorious and hilarious moments in the movie), but this is a film that does something truly special with its homages and love letters.

[2] It’s over-the-top satire, sure, I get that, and I even get what this movie tries to poke fun at, but I just found myself being unable to enjoy or even connect with this particular style of annoying teenage humour. I don’t know if this is a generational thing or a cultural thing… it could be both. All I know is that it just wasn’t for me.

[3] The film is done in quite a bizarre way. It’s set in the present but everyone dresses like the ’70s and there are no smart phones. Also, there are almost no adults in the film, and the few that there are are absolute monsters. If there’s a school assembly the students are just running it, for example. You get used to it after a while but I can’t remember another film like it in that sense.

The film is at its best when it is just trying to be wacky and funny. There’s a period in the middle where some conflict arises and the film gets bogged down briefly.

[4] This movie is an acquired taste. At first, I thought it was just silly. Then I thought it was extremely silly. Eventually I laughed my butt off. There is no scene that they don’t take over the top. Whether they are mocking teen movies or parodying David Fincher or using Marshawn Lynch to comment on feminism, the entire cast completely goes for it.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews

“The Holdovers” (2023) starring Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, & Dominic Sessa

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SPOILER ALERT: Don’t read this post if you haven’t seen, or don’t want to know, details from The Holdovers (now available for streaming).

Discomfort and Joy. -Tagline for the movie

At Barton Academy in a small town of New England, nobody likes the history teacher, Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti). The staff and students find his pomposity and rigidity exasperating. With nowhere to go over Christmas break of 1970, Paul remains to supervise a few boys unable to travel home. After a few days, only one student remains- Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa)- a V smart senior w/ a bad attitude. Joining these men is the school’s head cook, Mary Lamb (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), a Black woman whose son was recently killed in the Vietnam War. These three lonely people form an unlikely/family-like bond for 2 snowy wks.

Paul Hunham [remembering her son]: He was a great kid. I had him one semester. Very insightful.

Mary Lamb: Mm-hmm. He hated you. He said you were a real asshole.

Paul Hunham: Well, uh, like I said… sharp kid, insightful.

A star is born! And how lucky are we to discover his talent from this early stage? Sessa (then 17 y.o.) was encouraged by his theater teacher at Deerfield Academy (a private HS) to audition for this indie (directed by Alexander Payne). A team was scouting locations at several high schools; the casting agent also met w/ boys for possible roles. Sessa assumed that it wasn’t a big movie; after all, they were considering his school. As Giamatti noted, Sessa has the kind of face out of the ’70s; he is also tall, V slim, w/ naturally curly hair. The respected/veteran character actor (lead in Sideways, directed by Payne) commented that the newbie actor “reminded me of my own son.”

He was a pretty grounded, level-headed person. And I also think his generation is comfortable around cameras, which is a big sort of leg up they have. I felt an affection for him that mimicked the movie in a way. I came to really like him even more, and more, and more, as we went on. -Paul Giamatti (actor) when asked about working w/ his young/newcomer co-star Dominic Sessa

It’s a bit weird in some ways. Maybe it gets easier as you keep coming back. For me, I have no expectations about it. There’s something a little wrong with you if this feels normal! -Dominic Sessa (actor, age 21) when asked re: his opinion of award shows on the EE BAFTA red carpet

Authenticity is the word that 1st comes to mind here (the snow is real); the film looks and sounds like it was made in the ’70s. Issues of class, race, privilege, loneliness/disconnection, and grief are explored, though NOT in a heavy-handed manner. As we’d expect from an actor at Giamatti’s level, the acting is seamless (as he becomes the character). Giamatti said he attended an all-boys school IRL, though didn’t live in the dorms (as his family lived in town). Both he and Randolph (who has won many supporting actress awards this season) are graduates of Yale. Sessa (nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the EE BAFTAs) said that his co-stars were V helpful, as they’d had formal acting education and a LOT of experience.

Randolph (who loves to research her roles) modeled Mary’s look on her aunts and grandmother. She studied the Boston accent historically accurate for a woman of Mary’s generation/background. Mary is the character who grounds the story; she has the lived experience of someone outside the privileged bubble of these (mostly white) students and teachers. We learn that her son joined the military hoping that it’d help pay for college, BUT he didn’t even make it past age 20! One of the holdovers is rude/disrespectful to Mary, BUT Angus and Paul don’t let him get away w/ it. Though she is plagued by grief, she still has to do her job of feeding the school community. Notice that her son is the only one killed in this current war, as otherwise “Barton men don’t go to Vietnam” (Paul and Angus discuss after they leave the local diner).

Paul Hunham: I guess I thought I could make a difference. I mean, I used to think I could prepare them for the world even a little. Provide standards and grounding like Dr. Greene always drilled into us. But, uh, the world doesn’t make sense anymore. I mean, it’s on fire. The rich don’t give a shit. Poor kids are cannon fodder. Integrity is a punch line. Trust is just a name on a bank.

Paul Giamatti is our real-life Brad Pitt. We can’t all be Brad Pitt, and I mean that in the most positive way. Paul is a man of a certain age that men can relate to. That’s why I think Paul is our real-life Brad Pitt- [he’s] a champion of reality. What is real? An everyday man. -Da’Vine Joy Randolph (actress) in Variety magazine

I have to admit that this film made me cry (yup, even more than Past Lives and American Fiction). It’s a unique blend of drama and comedy w/ well-developed characters. The themes in this movie are universal, though we get a slice of life story. At the center of the story is empathy, as Payne and the lead actors all noted. I esp. enjoyed the 2 scenes where Paul and Angus convince others they’re family– father-son (at the hospital) and uncle-nephew (in Boston upon running into a Barton alumnus). The revelation re: Angus’ father was a BIT of a shock; when they meet, Sessa is transformed into a vulnerable boy desperate for approval!

“American Fiction” (2023) starring Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross, Erika Alexander, Leslie Uggams, & Sterling K. Brown

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SPOILER ALERT: Don’t read this post if you haven’t seen, or don’t want to know, details from the movie American Fiction (now playing in theaters).

Cord Jefferson’s hilarious directorial debut confronts our culture’s obsession with reducing people to outrageous stereotypes. Jeffrey Wright stars as Monk, a frustrated novelist who’s fed up with the establishment profiting from “Black” entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes. To prove his point, Monk uses a pen name to write his own outlandish “Black” book–that propels him into the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain. -Synopsis (MGM/Orion Pictures)

I heard about this indie via TIFF coverage (on pods and YT); it’s based on a novel titled Erasure by Percival Everett. I was V interested to see it after learning that the screenwriter/director grew up in Tucson, AZ (as I did). Cord Jefferson (42 y.o.) worked as a journo for about 8 yrs. before getting into TV; he wrote for Master of None, The Good Place, and Watchmen. This movie (made for less than $10M) was in limited release in DEC 2023; I saw it in mid-JAN 2024 (at AFI) w/ a large/diverse audience. Unlike most (mainstream) films, the main cast is in middle-age (40 and up)- how refreshing! American Fiction is BOTH a comedy and a drama; the literary/publishing story is played for laughs, while the domestic/family story MAY make you cry. This is a must-see film for ppl who want something emotional, funny, and thoughtful!

Agnes Ellison: Geniuses are loners because they can’t connect with the rest of us.

I walked on the set and I felt like we all belonged. When you work with fabulous people, it raises the bar, because you have to meet it. -Leslie Uggams, actress (CBS Sunday Morning, 2/4/24)

Monk (Wright- who was born/raised in DC) isn’t always a likeable protagonist; he’s a BIT of a snobby prof who is distant from his family and frustrated w/ his level of success. Monk has the kind of wit that could push others away; he also has a reliance on alcohol. His younger sister, Lisa (Tracee Ellis Ross), is a Boston-based OBGYN (like their father); she looks after their 80 y.o. widowed mom, Agnes (Leslie Uggams). As a teen, Uggams appeared on a variety show; she had a prominent role in the original Roots miniseries. It’s quite a shock when Lisa (suddenly) dies of a heart attack in the 1st act! Monk’s younger brother, Clifford (Sterling K. Brown), is a Tucson-based plastic surgeon who is embracing his (new) life as a gay man. Brown is often seen shirtless (or w/ shirt unbuttoned) to show off his FAB abs! Cliff calls Monk out on his attitude/behaviors, as perhaps ONLY a sibling can do.

Coraline: [to Monk] Not being able to relate to people isn’t a badge of honor.

I was just thinking about kissing him [Wright] everyday. He’d be at the craft services table and I’d mosey up and say: “our scene is coming up,” and he’d go [rolls eyes] “oh boy.” I was like “oh get ready, dude.” -Erika Alexander, actress (CBS Sunday Morning, 2/4/24)

This film reveals that life (incl. the potential for romance) doesn’t end at age 40! At the beach house, Monk connects w/ a neighbor/defense lawyer, Coraline (Erika Alexander); viewers my age may know her from the hit comedy series Living Single (which starred Queen Latifah). Coraline is a V smart/confident woman; she asks Monk on a date first! The Ellison family’s long-time cook, Lorraine (Myra Lucretia Clark), is considered part if the family. Lorraine gets a sweet love story w/ a local cop, Maynard (Raymond Anthony Thomas).

Why aren’t Black professors depicted in books and films as frequently as Black drug addicts, or Black rappers, or Black slaves? Why is it that white people with the power to greenlight films, books, and TV shows have such a limited view of what Black lives should look like? -Cord Jefferson, writer/director

Sintara Golden (Issa Rae) is a young literary star; she writes (urban) books that Monk disdains. His literary agent, Arthur (John Ortiz), sends out Monk’s (joke) book to a big publishing house that rejected his (serious) book. Monk decides to take the $500K deal for his book after learning how expensive senior/assisted-living housing can be. Agnes is in the early stage of Alzheimer’s disease; she will need constant care and attention.

“Moonstruck” (1987) starring Cher, Nicolas Cage, Olympia Dukakis, & Danny Aiello

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Ronny Cammareri: I’m in love with you.

Loretta Castorini: [slaps him twice] Snap out of it!

No sooner does Italian-American widowed bookkeeper, Loretta Castorini (Cher), accept a marriage proposal from her dull bf, Johnny Cammareri (Danny Aiello), she finds herself falling for his younger/hot-headed brother, Ronny (Nicolas Cage- at only 23 y.o.) She tries to resist, BUT Ronny (who lost a hand in an accident) still blames on his brother; he has no scruples about pursuing Loretta while Johnny is in Italy. Loretta (whose conventional life is shaken up) falls deeply in love; she also learns that she’s NOT the only one in her family w/ a secret romance. There is tension in their (spacious Brooklyn) house btwn Loretta’s father/plumber, Cosmo (Vincent Gardino), and homemaker mother, Rose (Olympia Dukakis).

Ronny Cammareri: Loretta, I love you. Not like they told you love is, and I didn’t know this either, but love don’t make things nice – it ruins everything. It breaks your heart. It makes things a mess. We aren’t here to make things perfect. The snowflakes are perfect. The stars are perfect. Not us. Not us! We are here to ruin ourselves and to break our hearts and love the wrong people and die. The storybooks are bullshit. Now I want you to come upstairs with me and get in my bed!

They don’t make movies like this anymore! You can watch it w/ your family (w/o cringing), the older characters are developed, and there is terrific dialogue. Though it is grounded in a specific NYC neighborhood and family, there is a soaring romance at the center. John Patrick Shanley said he was “starving” and “struggling to pay rent” (in NYC) when he wrote the screenplay. He’d worked mainly as a playwright before, BUT it didn’t bring in much money. Moonstruck (based on Shanley’s real-life experience of growing up w/ Italian-American friends/neighbors) is one of the few rom coms that earned a Best Picture Oscar. Its director, Norman Jewison (who passed away last week at age 97), noted how rare that was (in a 2006 doc about the film). Jewison worked on a LOT of great movies in his (long/successful) career, incl. In the Heat of the Night (1967), Fiddler on the Roof (1971), A Soldier’s Story (1984), and The Hurricane (1999).

Cher won Best Actress, Dukakis won Best Supporting Actress, and Shanley won Best Original Screenplay- wow! The studio didn’t think Cage was right, BUT Cher stood up for him, even saying she’d quit if he wasn’t hired. Julie Bovasso (who also plays Loretta’s aunt Rita Cappomaggi) helped some actors w/ their (Italian/Brooklyn) accents. This was Aiello’s 1st time working in comedy. The cast had considerable time to rehearse; this is rare for Hollywood movies nowadays. My fave scene is the one where Rose goes out to dinner and makes an unexpected connection w/ a prof, Perry (John Mahoney) who usually dates younger women. Of course, we discover that Rose wouldn’t get involved w/ him; she is too grounded in her values and still loves her husband.

Spoiler-Free Reviews of Four 2023 Series

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Happy New Year to my FAB readers!

Don’t forget to follow (by subscribing to the RSS feed), IF you haven’t done so before. 

What shows do y’all recommend from this past yr?

Take care,

EMMA

Beef (Neflix) starring Steven Yeun & Ali Wong

A road rage incident in SoCal entwines the lives of a struggling motel owner, Danny Cho (Yeun), and a wealthy art gallery owner, Amy Lau (Wong). This unique/thought-provoking series (renewed for S2) was created by Lee Sung Jin, a Korean-American young man who worked his way up in Hollywood. We get a look into the lives of characters who are NOT often seen in (mainstream) series/movies. There are several supporting players who get their own scenes to shine; they aren’t any “model minority” stereotypes. The role of religion (Christianity- in this case) is delved into; it is treated in a sensitive/nuanced manner. There are hilarious moments, as well as serious ones (I don’t want to give anything away)). IF you’re an immigrant or 1st gen in the US, you’ll be esp. able to relate to this show! I was V impressed by Yeun (who is now 40); I’ve seen him in a few (supporting) roles in recent yrs.

Full Circle (MAX) starring Zazie Beetz, Claire Danes, Jim Gaffigan, Timothy Olyphant, & CCH Pounder

This is a limited series (6 eps) dir. by Steven Soderbergh; he also operates the camera (as is his method). The show was inspired by Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 film High and Low, which in turn was based on the novel King’s Ransom by Evan Hunter (pen name of Ed McBain), part of McBain’s 87th Precinct series. However, this is NOT a typical police show; it’s a mix of crime/mystery/social drama. Danes and Olyphant play a wealthy Manhattan couple w/ secrets which come back to affect them after their teen son is kidnapped. Beetz is getting a LOT of roles lately; here she plays a postal inspector who is battling emotional issues. As her boss, Gaffigan gets to do a (rare) dramatic/Everyman role. Pounder plays a powerful/soft-spoken crime leader w/in the Guyanese community of Queens. There are several (young/newcomer) actors who are part of the ensemble; they all do a good job. We get to see neighborhoods of Queens which are NOT often shown in the media. I didn’t know much re: Guyana (a small country in South America where English is spoken) until the semester I worked at an afterschool program in Ozone Park, Queens. As we gather from this series, Guyana’s population is diverse; ethnic groups originated from India, Africa, Europe, China, and incl. indigenous peoples.

The Last of Us (MAX) starring Pedro Pascal & Bella Ramsay

This is probably one of the most talked about series of 2023; it’s based on a V popular video game! Pascal became one of the most searched celebs online (“internet’s boyfriend”). He and Ramsay (British; non-binary) BOTH worked on Game of Thrones. Here is a brief synopsis: 20 yrs after modern civilization is been destroyed, Joel (Pascal), a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie (Ramsay), a 14 y.o. girl, out of a quarantine zone. It becomes a brutal/heartbreaking journey, as they cross the US, depending on ea. other for survival. I was a BIT skeptical of this show, BUT I enjoyed it V much! There are some gruesome elements, incl. blood, fighting, other types of violence (could bother sensitive viewers). We meet a variety of characters; some appear for one ep, others have a wider arc.

Shadow and Bone: Season 2 (Netflix) starring Jessie Mei Li, Ben Barnes, Archie Renaux, Freddy Carter, Amita Suman, & Kit Young

In most fantasy, darkness is metaphorical; it’s just a way of talking about evil: darkness falls across the land, a dark age is coming, etc. I wanted to take something figurative and make it literal. So the question became: what if darkness was a place? What if the monsters lurking there were real and more horrible than anything you’d ever imagined beneath your bed or behind the closet door? What if you had to fight them on their own territory, blind and helpless in the dark? These ideas eventually became the Shadow Fold. -Leigh Bardugo, author

I know what some of y’all are thinking: I’m TOO old for this show! LOL… I’d have to agree, after seeing the hot mess that was S2. Like some other Netflix shows, there are a LOT of cute/diverse/young characters, BUT w/ little development. Some eps are slow, while others go by SO fast, the viewer is left confused. As for S1, I found it interesting (incl. the unique production design and SFX). I was curious b/c SO many (Twitter) gal pals were discussing it. Of course, some are fans of British actor Ben Barnes (Gen. Kirigan); I suggest seeing S1 of Westworld instead (where he also plays a baddie). As for the (main) romance, I didn’t see much chemistry btwn Alina (Mei Li) and Mal (Renaux); I’d have preferred to see more of another couple (who barely got screen time in S2). Young (Jesper) has a LOT of charisma and screen presence; I think he’ll be the breakout among The Crows. I haven’t read the books, though found them at my local Little Free Library.