We Are Lady Parts & Hacks: More Ladies, More Laughs

Heading into this weekend, do you find yourself pining for more lady comedies? Do you want to see a bunch of women getting up to a bunch of hilarity as they attempt to smash the patriarchy? Well, you're in luck because I have not one, but two recommendations of excellent female-centric comedies that recently debuted on HBO Max and Peacock. Apparently as we get more streaming services, we get more ladies behind and in front of the camera to tell us their wacky tales.

Hacks: This is a story of two funny women from different generations who team up to write jokes and trade barbs about their own brands of feminism. The splendid Jean Smart plays Deborah Vance, a famed comedienne who has been doing a stand-up show in Vegas for years but needs help refreshing her material. Enter Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder), a 25-year-old comedy writer who tweeted some terrible things and can't get a job anywhere in LA, so is forced to go to Vegas to see what Deborah wants. While Ava has zero interest in the job, she manages to capture Deborah's interest, despite a disastrous job interview, and then, the two are off to the races.

This show is at its best when it's focusing on the relationship between these women and when it's focusing on Deborah. There are a lot of clever observations about how Hollywood in general and the stand-up comedy world in particular treats women, and Deborah has been through it all during her decades-long career. She has dealt with the rampant sexism and the #MeToo era, and she has little patience for Ava's brand of confessional humor and need to share everything that is going on in her mind and her body at any given moment. When the show tries to show us how good these ladies are at comedy, it encounters the Studio 60 on Sunset Strip problem - it's really hard to write a show about comedians and make your audience believe that their comedy is actually funny. That's why 30 Rock was so much more successful - that was about a comedy show that wasn't actually good. Similarly, Hacks makes it clear why Deborah's material has gotten stale and needs updating, but the suggestion that Ava's "entitled millennial" shtick is novel and entertaining does not come off so well. 

And yet, the show makes for compelling viewing. Some of the storylines are inane, and some are deeply heartfelt, and there are some deep character studies into the psyches of these two women that underscore why they gravitate to each other. Jean Smart is at the top of her game on this show, so if nothing else, you need to watch it just so you can get on the Smart bandwagon and start demanding she be in more things. The first season consists of ten half-hour episodes so you can breeze right through it to get your comedy fill. Or, follow the HBO model and dole it out to yourself two episodes at a time over five weeks, to really keep that high going.

We Are Lady Parts: This is a British show, in collaboration with Channel 4, so it's not going to be your typical American fare. What it IS going to be, is some amazingness about a group of British-Muslim women in a punk band where they sing banging anthems like "Voldemort Under My Headscarf" and "Bashir with the Good Beard." Directed and written by Nida Manzoor, the first season is six episodes of distilled brilliance, tackling all manner of major social issues with wit, charm, and verve, whilst being hysterical and a mindblowingly good time. The episodes are only 25 minutes long so you can easily go through this entire show in an afternoon, but once you're done, you might just need to watch them all again.

The show follows five women (played by Anjana Vasan, Sarah Kameela Impey, Juliette Motamed, Faith Omole, and Lucie Shorthouse), who are all Muslim, but therein the similarities end. The greatest contribution this show probably makes to mainstream pop culture is that it showcases how there is no such thing as a Muslim woman. These characters are not a monolith - they are all individual people with their own distinct personalities, backgrounds, and approaches to their faith. Some of them cover their hair, other don't; one wears a niqab, while another is covered in tattoos and wears ripped jeans. They are all from different cultural backgrounds too, so you get to see the differences between an African Muslim, versus a South Asian one, versus an Arab one. But what does bind all these women together? Their strident feminism and love for punk rock. These ladies are jamming out in this band and fully embracing their joy, and while they have a lot of shit to deal with in their daily lives, when they get together for a performance, they leave it all on the mat.

I loved Ramy's portrayal of Muslims in America, but wished I could get more insights into what life was like for the women on that show (the standalone episodes that did focus on his mom and sister were truly excellent but left me wanting more). Well now my prayers have been answered. We Are Lady Parts is an ode to Muslims, an ode to women, and a chance for a segment of society that is highly misunderstood to get the chance to shine in the spotlight. And putting aside the subject matter for a second, it's just a brilliant TV show, period. It's visually inventive, with some bonkers soliloquies and animations to heighten the silliness when characters are at their peak level of social embarrassment. And the music is funny, raw, and genuinely entertaining. So watch this show. You will be delighted, and you will also learn something. What could be better?

Cruella: Two Emmas for the Price of One

Well, after 14 long months, I finally set foot in a movie theater. And I kicked things off with Cruella. Emma Stone and Emma Thompson going head-to-head in an array of sumptuous costumes? What a perfect welcome back to the cinema.

There was a moment when I was watching Cruella that I realized some parallels could be drawn to Joker. After all, this is a villain's origin story that is very sympathetic to the villain. But let the comparisons end there. Because this movie is a gorgeous, fun feast for the senses. I did find myself desperately trying to remember anything about 101 Dalmatians, because there were clearly a lot of references being made to the original source material that went way over my head. But eventually I gave up the struggle and just enjoyed this movie on its own terms. 

Emma Stone stars as Cruella, who we all know as the woman who wanted to make a coat out of a bunch of Dalmatians. But in this film, we first meet the young girl, soon to be orphaned (I would say "spoiler alert" but this is a Disney movie after all - being orphaned at an early age is almost mandatory). Her name is actually Estella, but her mother calls her Cruella when her naughty streak comes out. After her mother dies, we see how the young Estella gets to London, meets two young thieves, and re-establishes herself as a grifter, all while harboring dreams of being a fashion designer. As luck would have it, she gets a big break working for Baroness von Hellman (Emma Thompson), who is essentially Miranda Priestly on steroids (unsurprising as the original script for this movie was written by Aline Brosh McKenna, who wrote The Devil Wears Prada).  And that burgeoning mentor-mentee relationship quickly morphs into something far darker.

The final screenplay by Dana Fox and Tony McNamara is chock-full of plot but not too convoluted. There are twists and turns but even if you're not paying attention, it's so jaw-droppingly beautiful that you won't be able to look away. Costume designer Jenny Beavan, who has already won two Oscars, goes all out, designing fashionable haute couture for the Baroness, and a more progressive punk rock aesthetic for Cruella. This movie is set in the 1970s and has a soundtrack to match, with every iconic anthem from that time period let loose on your eardrums. I can't imagine what the music budget was for this film, but I imagine Disney could afford it to further elevate this movie as a complete audiovisual assault on the senses.

In summary, Cruella is a fantastic summer treat. It's a live-action Disney movie so you know exactly what you're getting. Light and fizzy, nothing too traumatic, aesthetically firing on all cylinders with two incredible actresses guiding you along the way. It's a perfect way to return to the cinema if that is something you are contemplating, but even at home on Disney+ it would be an entertaining ride to satisfy your summer blockbuster cravings. Like lemonade on a hot day, it's sweet, tart, and refreshing. Drink up. 

90-Degree Watch: Inside, Plan B, Romeo and Juliet, Friends: The Reunion

If you live in NYC, it's going to be a weekend of endless sunshine and 90-degree weather. Some of us might be excited about this. Others might be less than enthused and wondering what on earth to do as they stay indoors and crank up the AC. For that latter group, oh do I have a host of recommendations.

Inside: This is a comedy special by Bo Burnham, who you might last remember from his incredible turn as Ryan in Promising Young Woman. But here, he has reverted to his stand-up comedy roots. Except this is a one-man special that he wrote, directed, shot, and edited all by himself in his house during the pandemic. I could easily spend an entire blog post raving about this show but it's only 87 minutes long and I need you to savor it all without knowing too much beforehand. I've told everyone I know to watch it. It is wildly inventive, colorful, hilarious, and harrowing. When people ask me to describe it, all I can do is gush and repeatedly say at increasing decibel levels, "Oh my God, it's SO GOOD!" 

This show acutely captures the feeling of what the last year has felt like for those of us who have been stuck in our homes. There's the heightened insanity of everything that was going on - the social media explosions, the brand awareness campaigns, the endless FaceTime conversations, the absolute frenzy of trying to keep yourself occupied and then suddenly just wanting to give up on everything. The special mostly consists of brilliant songs that Burnham performs about a variety of topics. As a teaser, there's one where the chorus goes, "Is this heaven? Or a white woman's Instagram?" I mean, how can you resist? It's a simply genius piece of comedy that will leave you feeling vaguely unsettled as you remember just how excruciating things have been since March 2020. But also leaves you with the feeling of...now what? Excuse me, I think I need to go watch Inside again and soothe myself.

Plan B: This is a raucous teen comedy that reminded me a great deal of Booksmart. We have the ambitious straight-laced student, Sunny (Kuhoo Verma), who has gotten herself into a bit of a situation, and she teams up with her stoner friend, Lupe (Victoria Moroles), for a weekend of hi-jinks as they traverse the state of South Dakota in pursuit of a morning-after pill. In terms of the broad strokes, sure, this is a pretty standard teen movie. There's a party, things go wrong, then our duo must go on a quest to fix it. But oh what a duo. 

In case the actresses names' didn't give it away, we're talking about about two Indian and Latina teenagers. As you can imagine, I am always excited when I get to see an Indian teen on screen and this portrayal doesn't disappoint. It's not that she does something profoundly Indian or anything, but oh the joy of just seeing someone who looks like me getting up to the shenanigans that I've seen white kids get up to on screen for decades. And the movie is the directorial debut of Natalie Morales, an actress who always delivers when she's in front of the camera and clearly can also deliver behind it. I'll bang my drum again - women directors make amazing movies about women and girls! Shocking, but true. 

Plan B is yet another unique and satisfying entry into the teen comedy genre. It will still give you some R-rated insane surprises, but there's also so much heart, as well as a reflection on how we punish young women by chipping away at their access to reproductive healthcare. And as always, there's some great commentary on female friendship and how teenage girls can hide things from each other and have to warily navigate the waters of their burgeoning sexuality. But even if you're not interested in getting on my soapbox, you can enjoy this movie for the comedic pleasure it affords. TL;DR: Great performances, fun story, perfect weekend watch.

Romeo and Juliet: OK fine, comedy is not your thing, you need high Shakespearean drama? Well PBS has got you covered with a lush filmed adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. Originally planned to be a live play on the National Theater stage, director Simon Godwin was forced to change his plans as the pandemic shut down all live theatre in the UK. So instead, he filmed his actors on the stage, creating an eerie play-film hybrid that starts out with the cast in rehearsals and then slowly builds sets around them as the action progresses through the scenes that we all know so well but still feel so fresh in every new Shakespeare adaptation.

The most novel thing about this adaptation is the casting of Josh O'Connor and Jessie Buckley as the star-crossed lovers. They are full-grown adults, rather than the tiny teenagers we are used to seeing in the most famous filmed adaptations of this play. I know Romeo and Juliet is heralded as being an iconic romance, but let's be real, the Juliet in the play is only 13, everything about the reality of the situation is icky. But watching O'Connor and Buckley play out this doomed romance lends it so much more gravitas. They deliver beautiful, swoony performances, and as the sets and blocking reflect that all of this is still taking place on a stage, you get to experience this both as a movie and as a play. It's a worthy nod to the power of both theater and film and a reminder that while they did a great job of salvaging this piece of art, we did lose so much from not being able to watch it live on stage.

Friends: The Reunion: Alright, you're either in or you're out, you know who you are. If you're a Friends fan, you've probably already watched the Reunion, so you can keep reading to see what I have to say about it. If you're not a Friends fan, stop reading. There's nothing for you here. 

Friends shaped a large part of my childhood. When I started watching it, I was a 12-year-old in Bahrain and had no idea that two years later, I would actually be living in Manhattan, alongside the Friends (yeah I didn't realize they filmed in LA, it was a huge disappointment). The series finale aired when I was sixteen, right when I was taking my final exams in high school, and I remember my mother being very worried that I was going to fail my Maths exam the next day because I was so heartbroken. But I did not flunk, and my Friends love remained forever.

All this is to say that the Friends reunion is a hearty piece of nostalgia for those of us who care. It features a re-enactment of the famous trivia scene when Monica and Rachel lost their apartment to Chandler and Joey. There are some random cameos, and then some appearances from more beloved folk (yay Maggie Wheeler!). But most importantly, this is a chance to see the six Friends in a room together again, reminiscing, re-enacting scenes, sharing stories and gossip, and constantly tearing up or laughing as they remember the good old days. And yes, they featured some of the famous scenes from the ten seasons, and yes I laughed my ass off when I watched the blooper reel of the "Pivot!" scene. Because come on. How could you not? I know a lot of people were all about the Schwimmer & Aniston "revelations" but whatever. To me, this was a chance to reunite with a show that sparked my lifelong love affair with TV and gave me joy that continues to this day. I'll Be There For You, indeed. 

Mare of Easttown: Broadchurch Comes to Pennsylvania

My initial plan was to wait until all of Mare of Easttown had aired and then binge it all. Then I started seeing so much good buzz about it that I caved by Episode 3 and got caught up. Which meant that I then got to experience the joy of a genuine watercooler show - granted no one is gathering around a watercooler these days, but every Monday, I would call up my colleague and go "hey, have you watched Mare yet, what's your latest theory on who the murderer is?!" It was a glorious time.

Of course, the first thing this show brings to mind is the British show Broadchurch, which premiered in 2013 and became a global sensation. Like that show, Mare of Easttown is about a female detective in a small town who has to investigate a murder. In Broadchurch, the detective was played by the incomparable Olivia Colman. In Easttown, Mare is played by the incomparable Kate Winslet. With that casting alone, you know you can't go wrong, but the cast doesn't stop there, including the wonderful Julianne Nicholson as her best friend Lori, and Jean Smart as her irascible mother, Helen. David Denman, who I had not seen since The Office, shows up as Mare's ex-husband, Frank, who lives right next door, and Angourie Rice plays their daughter, Siobhan. Guy Pearce shows up as a potentially too-good-to-be-true love interest, while at work she is partnered with Detective Colin Zabel (played by the charming Evan Peters) to help her crack a missing person's case that has been going nowhere for a year and may be linked to this recent murder of a young teenage girl.

I can't go into more detail about the murder and potential suspects because this is a seven-episode limited series and you need to experience each delicious morsel for yourself. Written by Brad Ingelsby and directed by Craig Zobel, this is exactly the kind of storytelling we need more of these days. Every episode is perfectly paced, brimming with potential clues and red herrings, and ending with a dramatic cliffhanger that lets you theorize to high heaven for a week until the next one airs. And the performances are brilliant. Mare is dealing with a great deal of personal trauma, but she is also an excellent detective, so you have to watch her deal with that angsty work-life balance and try to sort out her personal affairs at the same time that she's in pursuit of a killer. The show is also set in a suburb of Philadelphia, so you will instantly notice the distinctive accent which most people never attempt in Hollywood. If you have any Philly friends, they have either already told you about this show or you need to alert them to its existence so they can finally hear some people who talk like them. Which is of course hilarious as a lot of the cast members aren't even American but are nailing that accent like all fine British and Australian actors must.

There's not much more to say here. Mare of Easttown is well-nigh perfect and has my heartiest recommendation. The actual mystery is sublimely plotted and while you may not figure out who the murderer was, you won't feel cheated when you do find out because there were plenty of clues along the way. There are SO MANY red herrings and there was even a moment in the final episode when I was starting to get disappointed before realizing the show had one last fake-out up its sleeve. And the actors are simply a joy. Kate Winslet is impeccable from start to finish, playing this incredibly stoic woman who doesn't say much, but gives away a world of emotion with the look in her eyes or her tightly pursed lips. She knows everyone in this town, and her interactions with the various people who fall on the wrong side of the law can range from comic to heartbreaking. The supporting cast has some real contenders for Emmy season, and by the end, you'll be so satisfied with this show, but so dissatisfied that there isn't more to watch. That's the trouble with great television - it always leaves you wanting more. But if you haven't watched any of this show yet, you have seven splendid hours ahead of you. Go forth!

Long Weekend Watch: Bad Trip, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, We Broke Up

I watched many random things this month. So now that a long weekend is upon us, I figure I should offer up some caveated recommendations and you can take your pick like a virtual tombola. Step right up, step right up, perhaps something will tickle your fancy!

Bad Trip: The easiest way to describe this movie is that it is a more uplifting Borat. Eric Andre stars as Chris, a Florida man (that's always a dicey descriptor) who decides to take a road trip to New York so he can be with the woman of his dreams. His friend Bud (Lil Rel Howery) comes along for the ride, but things go awry as they've taken Bud's sister's car. Unfortunately, his sister, Trina (Tiffany Haddish) is a violent criminal who just broke out of jail, so she is chasing them down to have her vengeance. 

All of that is the fictional plot of this movie. But it is being filmed with hidden cameras with unwitting real-life people encountering these actors and their shenanigans, and the results are startlingly heartwarming. Unlike Borat, where the goal is to capture people saying racist, sexist garbage and generally making you feel terrible about humanity, this movie is being predominantly filmed in Black spaces. Remember how in the Borat sequel, the standout was Jeanise Jones, a compassionate Black woman who tried to help his daughter instead of running away from these obvious lunatics? This movie is filled with lovely people like that who try to actually help these men despite some insane circumstances. Some of them go above and beyond in what would be extremely dangerous situations, and perhaps not surprisingly, no one ever seems to resort to calling the police. 

This is not a movie for the faint-of-heart; the humor is extremely crass, and you will sometimes be subjected to unwanted nudity. But it has this warm gooey center and is only 84 minutes long, so is well worth a watch, particularly for the end credits. It's dumb, silly, kinda uplifting, and perfect for a lazy summer weekend.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: The latest Marvel-Disney+ collaboration, this is a straightforward series about how Sam Wilson/Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) team up in the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame. The action sequences are extraordinary and cinematic, but that's about all I could say for this show. I watched it week-to-week and was hard-pressed to remember any details from the convoluted plot that bounced around from Europe to Asia to New York and featured a gang of terrorists that had gotten a hold of the super soldier serum and were bent on wreaking havoc. In the meantime, a man called John Walker (Wyatt Russell) is appointed by the US Government as the new Captain America, which obviously causes some tensions with Sam and Bucky that escalate in fine fashion.

The show had some wonderful social commentary about what exactly it means for Sam to be a Black superhero in today's America and the history of Black super soldiers that were used for experimentation while Steve Rogers got to be revered as a national hero. There was also a lot of commentary about refugees and how we ought to treat global problems with diplomacy rather than force, which is also very pertinent to our current day and age. But overall, this show felt a bit too ham-handed to me. I love the actors, I enjoyed the action set pieces, but I never knew what was going on at any given moment, and I would have liked a bit more innovation and weirdness a la WandaVision, rather than the earnest melodrama. But the series is only six episodes long, so if you're a Marvel fan and you need to while away the hours, this is definitely a contender for your weekend. 

We Broke Up: This movie stars two of my favorite sitcom actors - William Jackson Harper (who played Chidi in The Good Place) and Aya Cash (who played Gretchen in You're The Worst). Here they play Doug and Lori, a couple that have been dating for ten years, but have suddenly realized they want different things out of life and break up. Unfortunately, they break up the day before they are supposed to head to Lori's sister's wedding, so they decide to attend as a couple and not ruin the weekend. Naturally, some hi-jinks ensue.

This movie is...fine. I was initially very excited when I saw that it also starred Peri Gilpin as Lori's mother and Larisa Oleynik as the wedding planner. Unfortunately, those ladies didn't stick around for very long and what followed was a mildly entertaining movie that was a little bit funny, then a whole lot sad, and eventually petered out with a bit of a whimper. It's only 81 minutes long so it's not a huge time investment, and if you love these actors, you could give it a try. But otherwise, be prepared for a dramedy that says what it is on the tin and doesn't innovate too much beyond that.

Netflix Binge: The Woman in the Window & The Mitchells vs. the Machines

Netflix offers up a lot of content to keep those bingewatches going. But quantity does not always equal quality. This month, I watched two movies that were sold to Netflix after being delayed by the pandemic. One was great, and the other was...so bad that it was kinda great. So let's see which one you might be in the mood for when it's time for your next lazy day on the couch.

The Mitchells vs. the Machines: Yes this is an animated movie, but don't fear, it's filled with an absurdist humor that works for every age group. And frankly, the voice cast alone is fully worth a watch/listen. Written and directed by Mike Rianda and Jeff Rowe, this is a movie about a dysfunctional family that is forced to come together and put aside their troubled family dynamics during a global crisis. What's the crisis? Robots have taken over the world and are preparing to destroy the entire race. The Mitchells are the only people who can stop them. 

Is that high stakes? Sure. Is there much hilarity and insanity? You bet. Despite all that overarching action and the desperate mission to save humanity, this is a sweet and wonderful family movie that really hones in on the idea of what it means to find your "people" in the world and feel completely misunderstood by your family. Our heroine is Katie Mitchell (voiced by Abbi Jacobson), an aspiring filmmaker who cannot wait to leave her family in Michigan and get to film school in California. Her father (Danny McBride) never says the right thing and is wildly unsupportive of her creative ambitions, while her mother (the magnificent Maya Rudolph) is wildly supportive but still doesn't really "get" this daughter of hers. Katie loves her little brother Aaron (voiced by the co-director himself, Mike Rianda), who is obsessed with dinosaurs, so their bond is over being nerds, but their interests wildly differ. 

Of course, when a Zuckerberg-esque tech billionaire launches robots that are meant to help humans but then immediately turn on him and all of humanity, Katie and her family have to band together to save the world. I won't go into any further detail, but let's just say there are a lot of jokes about tech billionaires and the dangers of artificial intelligence and how we are all doomed. The action set pieces should immediately entertain all millennials, particularly one sequence with some dive-bombing Furbys, a.k.a the most terrifying thing ever portrayed on screen. And most importantly, the one and only Olivia Colman is the voice of the AI system, and oh lord is she brilliant. Honestly, you have not lived until you've seen a screaming mobile phone voiced by Olivia Colman have a temper tantrum. 

The animation is extraordinary and weird, and the whole thing has a climactic musical number that is utterly bizarre and fabulous. This is a silly, exuberant, joyful film about finding your place in the world, repairing relationships with your family, and figuring out what's important in life. All while battling some very demented robots. What's not to love? 

The Woman in the Window: This movie is based on the novel by AJ Finn. I read the novel last April and it was an absolute page-turner and a welcome distraction in the midst of everything else that was going on in 2020. The movie was supposed to come out in October 2019, but had to undergo re-shoots after some negative test screenings, and was delayed to May 2020. Obviously that ended up being a bust, so it finally premiered this month on Netflix and hoo boy. If this is what they thought was fit to release, I can't imagine what they left on the cutting room floor.

The film is meant to be a psychological thriller about a woman named Anna Fox (Amy Adams) who is agoraphobic and confined to her Harlem brownstone. Unable to leave her house, she spends her days watching Hitchcock movies (natch) and watching what her neighbors get up to across the street (an obvious nod to Rear Window). When the Russell family moves in across the street, she befriends Jane Russell (Julianne Moore) and her son, Ethan (Fred Hechinger), but Mr. Russell (Gary Oldman) doesn't seem too keen on being neighborly. And then, Anna thinks she sees a murder, and things quickly spiral.

This is an extraordinary cast (Brian Tyree Henry, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Anthony Mackie all show up as well), being directed by Joe Wright, with a screenplay adapted by Tracy Letts. These are all fantastic elements but somehow the sum is so much lesser than its parts. I already knew the various twists of the story, so I started out by enjoying the decisions the director had made with certain shots or focusing on certain story beats as I knew that they would all come back in the grand finale. But gradually I found myself waiting for this movie to end. Every actor seemed to be dialed to 11 and it became clear that the homages to Hitchcock were becoming an out-and-out parody. 

And then the movie ended. And that climax in the final fifteen minutes was HYSTERICAL. It's not meant to be--you're supposed to be terrified--but oh, I giggled like a loon. It felt like the filmmakers had collectively given up and decided that the thing could no longer be saved. There are frenzied and disjointed cuts, Amy Adams has to do about twenty insane things, and it is SO BAD that I immediately told people to watch it because it felt destined to become some sort of camp classic. So yeah. This is a terrible movie. But consider watching it just for those final moments when everything coalesces into one gloriously awful whole. Or otherwise, spare yourself and just read the novel to enjoy its twists and turns with the safety of your own imagination. Either way, you're gonna have some fun. 

Girls5eva: Spectacularly Dumb

I binged all of Girls5eva’s eight episodes over the weekend and realized that Peacock is rapidly becoming my go-to source for new sitcom fun times. While this show is not quite the same caliber as the Saved by the Bell reboot or Rutherford Falls, it is still an unhinged, glorious Kimmy Schmidt-esque tour-de-farce (yes, that spelling was intended), and you should watch it for the song lyrics alone.

This show tells the story of four middle-aged women who were in a girl band in their twenties but now live very ordinary lives. Dawn (Sara Bareilles) is married, has a cute son (destined to become a New York Lonely Boy, a real gem of a song featured in Episode 3) and works in her brother’s restaurant. Summer (Busy Phillips) is the supremely ditzy one, who married a guy from a boy band, and is now just a stay-at-home pop star who tries to make money off her brand. Gloria (Paula Pell) is a dentist and a divorcee (she and her wife were the first lesbian couple to divorce after fighting for the right to get married). And Wikie (Renee Elise Goldsberry) is the only one who’s still a star. She had the pipes and diva chops and appears to be an influencer on social media, always flying around in fabulous outfits to give performances around the world. She was the reason the band broke up in the first place as she wanted to pursue a solo career. But, things are not as they seem...

After one of their old songs gets sampled in a rap record, the ladies are inspired to cash in on that nostalgia and reunite as Girls5eva. At first it’s for a one-off performance, but they are in such desperate need of a change in their lives that they decide to see how they could actually spin this into a full-blown reunion. Also, if you’ve been paying attention, yes, their band name is Girls5eva because there were five women in the band, but one of them, Ashley (Ashley Park) died in a tragic infinity pool accident. Which means Park has the slightly thankless acting role of showing up only in flashbacks or grainy footage of the band’s old music videos. Since this show debuted on AAPI Heritage Month, that’s not a great boost for Asian representation in media but oh well (and this show is just crazy enough for that to potentially change in Season 2). 

This is a show about nostalgia and the 90s and the general insanity of the MTV generation. We get snippets of the music videos and songs that these women released in their heyday and oh lord are they spectacularly terrible. I loved listening to them because the lyrics (which are mostly written by the show's creator, Meredith Scardino) were so fantastic. It reminded me of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, albeit with slightly less production value on the music side. But if you’ve ever enjoyed the fake songs on 30 Rock or Kimmy Schmidt, you’ll be delighted with what you get here, courtesy of Tina Fey’s composer husband, Jeff Richmond (both Fey and Richmond serve as Executive Producers on this show and Fey does pop up in a wackadoodle cameo at one point). 

Girls5eva isn’t high art. But it’s four straight hours of a bunch of ladies being dumb and over-the-top and your brain can simply relax and enjoy itself. You will giggle, you may even guffaw, and at the end, you will have no regrets about whiling away an afternoon with this show. Isn’t that the best outcome you can hope for?