Where I Watched It: Hulu

English Audio Description?: Yes

Cast: Awkwafina, Sandra Oh, Will Ferrell, Holland Taylor, Jason Schwartzman, and Paul Reubens.

Written By: Jen D’Angelo

Directed By: Jessica Yu

There’s something about Awkwafina that still makes it hard for me to not see her as comic relief. One of those obvious reasons is that I haven’t found The farewell with audio description. So color me shocked to see that she’s playing it straight here, while Sandra Oh gets to play the aloof one. I did not see that coming.

The movie centers around two sisters. One is obsessed with a jeopardy style show (Awkwafina), and the other (Oh) is a party girl and a real wild child. In their adult lives, one has their life together, and the other might be unhoused. But, they end up back together when they find out their mother ran away from her assisted living facility with a man. She left some debt behind, and neither of these two are financially stable. However, one has the potential to finally live out her dreams on the best trivia show of all time. She might have to beat the current champ (Jason Schwartzman) who is on a historic winning streak.

Lots to say here. Kudos to Sandra Oh for going all in on this role. I still think of Christina Yang from Grey’s anatomy, and that terrific performance, and this is the complete opposite. It reminded me more of her role in Sideways. Also, it did not go unnoticed by me that Will Ferrell is playing a very Alex Trebek type host of a TV show, and he was well-known for his Trebek impersonation on Saturday Night Live. But, what’s really nice is to see Awkwafina doing a nice job in the role that’s not Nora From Queens. For someone who was asked to perform the worst song in a Disney movie ever earlier this year, this is a step up, and it starts to build more on her as a more serious actress. This is still a comedy, it’s just she lets Oh have most of the jokes.

I was pleasantly surprised by this. I thought it was charming, funny, and the cast all did well. The surprise of having a brief Paul Reubens moment was so heartening considering this might be his last on screen performance. My biggest complaint is that they don’t handle Holland Taylor’s character well enough for anything they use her for to make sense. She’s crabby from the beginning, and her abrasive nature perpetuates through her scenes. The idea that Awkwafina would ever lean on her makes no sense. The film never gave us a reason. Even though she’s supposed to be a last ditch effort, she seemed more at odds with Taylor than considering her a prospect.

The audio description does a nice job. It’s not a terribly hard film, but the nuances come in the forms described by some of the characters, like how Ferrell’s tie collection grows because he’s worn a new tie for each show. Oh also has some physical comedy, and that works out well in the description.

It’s a film that Disney/Fox decided to send straight to Hulu, and all things considered, it is better than a lot of films that were given the theatrical push. sometimes, a straight to streaming film can be a nice distraction. You’re definitely not in jeopardy of having a bad time.

Final Grade: B+