A series skewering Hollywood and a good old-fashion tear-jerker of a film — two projects that could not be more different, except that they are worth your time — top our roundup this week.
“The Studio”: It’s no secret Hollywood loves to shower love on itself. That’s why there have countless films and even a couple of series constructed around the agony and the ecstasy of moviemaking. Few have skewered La-La land with such zeal as this 10-episode Apple TV+ series from creator/writer/star Seth Rogen, executive producer/co-creator Evan Goldberg and co-creators Peter Huyck, Alex Gregory, and Frida Perez.
“The Studio” tosses big-studio moviemaking onto the red hot barbie and grills the heck out of it. Rogen is well cast as flustered Matt Remick, a bungling new CEO for the ailing Continental Studios. Matt is out of his league and his next pratfall is always just around the corner. He mucks up active shooting sets, infuriating even extra-patient filmmaker Sarah Polley, gets the side-eye from Charlize Theron for crashing her party and ticks off Martin Scorsese and Ron Howard. Ron Howard!
Yes, “The Studio” is packed with big-name cameos but they aren’t there merely for show. OK, maybe some are. Yet each celeb appearance — even Dave Franco and Zoe Saldana’s perfect cameos – never overwhelms the series’ purpose to let Matt and his harried band of studio colleagues get all tangled up in trying to get their jobs done and pull off a blockbuster that could save the studio’s butt — and theirs in the process.
“The Studio” breezes along through 20-minute-plus episodes but isn’t an empty-headed lark and does make some zinging points about an industry in dire crisis. It does that while goofily charting the many offenses and defenses of Matt and his unforgettable compadres. The wild bunch around him consists of some of the best comedians working in the biz — Catherine O’Hara as Matt’s predecessor, Ike Barinholtz as his slick pal, Kathryn Hahn as an outspoken marketing director, Chase Sui Wonders, a relative newcomer as Matt’s elevated assistant and Bryan Cranston as Matt’s hot-headed boss — whose presence strengthens Rogen’s flummoxed performance and provides “The Studio” with its antic, hyperactive energy. Here’s hoping “The Studio” does become a hit so that Hollywood does comes naturally and milk its success for all it’s worth and make it a franchise. Oh, the irony. Details: 3½ stars; first two episodes available now, with one new episode released weekly through May 21.
Bob Trevino Likes It”: There’s a surplus of emotion and vulnerability in director/screenwriter Tracie Laymon’s feature debut that will make you cry at least once. In truth, this lovely tale inspired by Laymon’s own fulfilling encounter with someone special on, of all, places Facebook made me cry three times. OK, OK, four. Maybe I’m just a softie, but I fell hard for both of its main characters — the effervescent but always acquiescing and often forlorn Lily (Barbie Ferreira) and the lonely married workaholic Bob (John Leguizamo). The two connect on Facebook when Lily mistakes Leguizamo’s character for another Bob (French Stewart), her awful narcissistic dad who only wants her around to be his wing person when he’s wooing the blonde-haired (only) ladies. The non-related Bob accepts Lily’s friend request and soon the two begin to hang out, joke with each other, share stories and inevitably realize that a chosen family can be far more caring and loving than the biological one you’ve been given. That might not be a particularly revelatory message, but the film is filled with compassion and empathy and a reminder that life is indeed all too short. “Bob Trevino” and its two leads all but reach out of the screen and give you a big hug. And, oh, how we all need that right now. Details: 3½ stars, opens March 28 in area theaters.
“Ludwig”: Two of our favorite pastimes — figuring out puzzles and cozying up to watch murder mysteries — fold crisply together in “Ludwig,” an irresistible BritBox series. It gifts armchair detectives with one of the most original and eccentric sleuths in awhile: puzzler setter and accidental detective John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor (David Mitchell).
The socially awkward loner reluctantly assumes the identity of far more outgoing twin brother James’ after he gone suddenly missing and left behind cipher-like clues for his wife and their son to pick through. Problem is John’s is such an introvert he can’t even drive a car, let alone park it. But his persistent sister-in-law Lucy (Anna Maxwell-Martin) persuades him to show up at “the office” in the guise of his brother and filch a notebook and scope out his desk. Before John knows it, James’ colleagues shepherd him over to an active crime scene where he proceeds to put his puzzle-solving to work and figure out who the murderer is in a matter of minutes. Now his “new” job has just begun.
Each of “Ludwig’s” six episodes solve a crime, while more pieces of the puzzle of where James went and why he’s vanished emerge. “Ludwing” never loses its pip nor its charm and a large reason why it works rests on Mitchell’s tensed-up shoulders and the show’s creators. He’s no cookie-cutter ace detective; rather he is a welcome addition to the pantheon of fictional detectives.
Details: 3½ stars; first two episodes already available on BritBox; followed by one episode every Thursday through April 17.
“The Penguin Lessons”: Cranky, self-centered teacher Tom Michell (Steve Coogan) undergoes a moral awakening when he gets saddled with a beached, oil-soaked penguin while on a tropical vacation. But he only learns to love his new feathered friend after he’s back on the job teaching English at a private school in 1970s Buenos Aires. It’s a time of upheaval and fear, but none of that initially enters the psychic domain of this narcissistic teacher till that cute bird waddles into his life. Michell’s evolution in becoming a better person due to his new chum is the main focus of director Peter Cattaneo’s feel-good take on a true story, and it’s the interactions between Coogan and the adorable penguin that win you over.. More problematic are some of its historical touches – a subplot involving a university worker’s (Alfonsina Carrocio) kidnapping gets resolved incredulously (it wasn’t in Michell’s memoir) while Jonathan Pryce is entirely wasted in a small role as the stringent head of the university. Still, if you’re looking for a heart warmer, this one is up to that task and might even cement a lump in your throat. Details: 2½ stars; opens March 28 in theaters.
“The Residence”: Quirky bird-loving detective Cordelia Cupp (Uzo Aduba, having a grand time) snoops all over the Oval Office and its residence trying to sleuth out who slew White House chief usher A.B. Wynter (Giancarlo Esposito) in Netflix’s diverting comedy-mystery from Shondaland. More amusing than downright funny, creator Paul William Davies’ whodunit assembles a massive cast of suspects all of whom have leaky alibis and possible motives into the slaying of Wynter during a state dinner that was attended by numerous guests, Australian dignitaries and even pop singer Kylie Minogue (generating good laughs) – a last-minute entertainment replacement. Each episode focuses, for the most part, on a particular suspect – a fiery executive chef (Mary Wiseman), a boozin’ White House butler (Edwina Findley) and more, and Cupp’s investigation extends to the first family – the president (Paul Fitzgerald), his shifty hubby (Barrett Foa), his crackpot mom (Jane Curtin) and his unhinged brother (Jason Lee). All recount their whereabouts and suspicions about others to Cordelia and FBI special agent Edwin Park (Randall Park) – who isn’t a fan of Cordelia’s approach. Those interrogations are intermixed with a governmental hearing (featuring Al Franken as a Washington state senator) Why is that happening? That’s another mystery yet to solve. Shonda Rhimes revisits the fictional grounds of the White House (her “Scandal” series was set there and in D.C.) and it’s a welcome reunion. “The Residence” never achieves the same frothy fun that Rian Johnson’s “Knives Out” series so effortlessly does except for its last Christie-perfect episode, but it’s still quite a bit of fun. If cozy mysteries featuring a kooky but likable ace detective are your cup of tea, you’ll thoroughly enjoy Cupp and company. Details: 3 stars; available now on Netflix.
“Long Bright River”: The human factor often gets forsaken for the twists and shocks in mysteries and thrillers. Peacock’s eight-part adaptation of Liz Moore’s top-notch novel (president Obama sure loved it) prioritizes its well-drawn characters over its surprising revelations. It’s all the better for it. The fact that Moore serves as writer and executive producer shows an abiding respect for the source material. While this streaming version could have been told in less than eight hour-length episodes, showrunner Nikki Toscano’s compelling take gets everything else right – the gritty details of being an opioid addict and trying to survive on the wrong side of Philadelphia’s streets, the realistic flaws inherent in all its characters and their sometimes bad actions – that it’s more deliberate pace doesn’t matter. Amanda Seyfried gives another layered performance as Philly cop Mickey Fitzpatrick, a resilient single mom with familial secrets.. When Kacey (Ashleigh Cummings), someone she has a very close connection with, vanishes from the streets, Mickey grows desperate and fears she could be the latest victim in a string of slayings that target unhoused female addicts. With the help of sidelined cop Truman (Nicholas Pinnock), Mickey goes beyond what the badge permits to find her and to, hopefully, unmask the killer. From that synopsis, it sounds like “Long Bright River” would be a cut-and-dry thriller. It isn’t. In addition to the official and unofficial investigation, Moore digs into Mickey’s dysfunctional family back history that provides context for why Mickey reacts so forcefully. A number of red herrings get tossed in, but “Long Bright River” is at its best when addressing how those in power prey all too often on those who are most disadvantaged. Details: 3 stars; all episodes available now on Peacock.
Contact Randy Myers at soitsrandy@gmail.com.