3 Best Movies to Watch by Cheri Oteri

Staff & contributors
Will and Harper’s premise is simple: two friends journey from one end of the States to another and, amid pit stops and bar hops, sunsets and beers, they talk about life, from its biggest concepts down to its tiniest details. The only difference in this case is that Will and Harper are navigating their friendship as well as the roads; since Harper has only recently transitioned (formerly, she was the comedy screenwriter Andrew Steele), she and Will feel the need to settle more than a few questions. When did this all start? What kept Harper from coming out? Will the friendship still be the same? Does Harper still like bad beer? Will, for his part, is earnest and curious, and though he fumbles along the way—at one point, he inadvertently exposes Harper to a transphobic crowd—he’s quick to recognize his mistakes, learn from them, and recenter our attention to Harper, who is the real star of this film. We learn about her childhood and how she grappled with identity throughout her life. We even visit her home in Iowa and get to know her family. The film keeps it light by smartly relying on their naturally funny tandem and the beautiful American country backdrop. It’s been said that to know the real American pulse, you’d have to go to the Midwest, and that’s exactly what they do. It’s not always pretty, but there are bubbles of joy there that present hope not just to Harper but to the many transpeople out there waiting to know if it’s finally time to head out (it is).

Genre: Comedy, Documentary

Actor: Cheri Oteri, Chris Kattan, Colin Jost, Fred Armisen, Harper Steele, Kenan Thompson, Kristen Wiig, Lorne Michaels, Molly Shannon, Paula Pell, Seth Meyers, Tim Meadows, Tina Fey, Will Ferrell, Will Forte

Director: Josh Greenbaum

Rating: R

If you’ve never watched the series prior to this, it still has a lot going for it. For one, its exposition is straightforward like a children’s play, telling you who the main cast is, and quickly treating you to musical numbers that are a welcome surprise every time they pop up. The main predicament is hilarious when it first hits, but I’m willing to die on the hill that they could’ve kept the bit going a little longer. Some segments do drag and make the whole thing feel like a long TV episode, and some plot setups can feel a bit hollow, but it’s a pretty relatable and trippy children's story, regardless.

Genre: Animation, Comedy, Family, Music, TV Movie

Actor: Andy Daly, Anna Akana, Artemis Pebdani, Bob Joles, Cheri Oteri, Chris Houghton, Colton Dunn, Jack McBrayer, Joe Lo Truglio, Lorraine Toussaint, Marieve Herington, Raven-Symoné, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Zeno Robinson

Director: Anna O'Brian

Rating: PG

In a time where the Metaverse feels more and more a looming presence, hoping to crown our complex realities with its utopian promise, it's only natural to expect a film set precisely there. Director L.E. Staiman took a chance with Love Virtually, but his attempt to make a zany, absurdist rom-com (riffing off the title of your aunt's annual Christmas rewatch) simply fails. The premise sees a few couples on the brink of breaking up reconnect with the help of VR headsets, challenging each other's commitment, or cheating with each other (without knowing it of course). A rather funny gambit gets sucked into a vortex of dullness when the characters speak, their dialogues irksome to the point of second-hand embarrassment. Instead of exploring the possibilities of VR relations through an ironic lens, the film seems to not even care enough to look for the genuine comedic potential of the Metaverse as a concept-turned-space. Even the three separate references to Timothée Chalamet don't make a difference to how surprisingly retrograde and somehow banal all of this feels.

Genre: Comedy, Romance

Actor: Adam Ray, Cheri Oteri, Danielle Krivak, Henry Dittman, Nikki Alexis Howard, Paige Mobley, Paul F. Tompkins, Peter Gilroy, Ryan O'Flanagan, Stephen Tobolowsky, Tom Virtue, Vincent Washington

Director: L.E. Staiman