Okay, so this is a lackluster end to a December full of new Andrew Rannells content, but while I’m usually a “save the best for last” type, I don’t mind it in this case. Season 4 of Big Mouth rocked it (even though I’m holding back for episode reviews for the sake of chronology) and Rannells was a ton of fun in The Prom, so I’m glad I jumped on both of those as soon as they were available. Let’s knock out this review, then get back to Big Mouth’s season 2 episodes.
Once-beloved comedy actress Candy Black, who went reclusive after a highly-publicized fall from grace, is back in the news due to a court order sending her to rehab. In a last-ditch effort, Candy tracks down her former stand in Paula and convinces her to go to rehab in Candy’s place. Paula, who’s been out of work since Candy’s decline, agrees on the condition that Candy take on a movie role once Paula gets out of rehab and bring Paula along with her, but after her initial stint “playing” Candy, Paula is increasingly drawn to the inherent potential in performing Candy’s life.
This isn’t a particularly good movie. There are little things here and there that I like, and I can see why the project probably appealed to Drew Barrymore, who does double duty as both Candy and Paula, but it’s incredibly so-so. What I find interesting is that it’s not hugely funny. And I don’t mean that as a dig, like it’s a comedy that consistently fails in its humor – I mean there’s honestly less humor than I was expecting. While there are funny parts, and the introduction of Candy as a Melissa McCarthy-style physical comedian points toward broad raunchy comedies, the film is actually more interested in exploring the lives of the central characters than racking up laughs per minute. That takes a little getting used to, but I wouldn’t describe it as a knock against the film. It’s just a different direction than I anticipated. Still, there’s not a ton of “there” there, without much in the way of surprises or originality.
One thing I do appreciate is that Barrymore wears a few prosthetics to make Paula look subtly different than Candy. Whether or not the prosthetic work looks convincing is a little beside the point. I just like that this is an instance where Paula realistically looks like Candy without being a full-on doppelgänger. That’s what these types of “switching place” stories usually do, collectively suggesting that a surprising number of people have unrelated identical twins just walking around waiting to bump into them at the prime moment for comedic and/or dramatic hijinks. But here, you can buy that Paula bears a strong resemblance to Candy and could successfully impersonate her but not look exactly like her.
I enjoy Barrymore’s performance as the post-rock-bottom Candy a fair amount, though I’m not as big a fan of her Paula. Candy feels defined to me, like someone you would believe is a person, whereas Paula feels a bit more look a lightly-shaded sketch character. The film also features Michael Zegen (who I remember from Brooklyn) as the male lead and brief appearances from Michelle Buteau (who I first took notice of in Always Be My Maybe,) Richard Kind, Ellie Kemper, and Lena Dunham (side note: seeing Dunham made me wonder if she supplied Rannells’s “in” to get a part in the film.) Unfortunately, T.J. Miller is in the cast as well, playing a larger role as Candy’s agent. Seriously, the last three movies I’ve reviewed have all involved a guy with sexual harrassment/abuse allegations against them – does Hollywood not know other people?!
Rannells is part of the “brief appearance” contingent of the cast. He plays Nico, one of the people in rehab with Paula-as-Candy. He’s only in the movie for a few minutes and only has a few lines – one of them is decently funny, and there’s another that isn’t but he makes it so with his delivery.
In terms of the movies that Rannells has been in as well as his roles in them, I’d rate this between Bachelorette and Why Him? Very little to write home about here.
Recommend?
In General – Not particularly. I can see what the movie sets out to do, but the end result isn’t all that compelling.
Andrew Rannells – Naw. Not enough to be worth your while.
Warnings
Language, sexual content, violence, drinking/drug use, and thematic elements.
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