Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Actor: Adrienne Shelly, Bill Sage, Christopher Cooke, David Healy, Edie Falco, Gary Sauer, Jeff Howard, Julia McNeal, Katherine Mayfield, Kelly Reichardt, Mark Chandler Bailey, Matt Malloy, Mike Brady, Paul Schulze, Robert John Burke, Tom Thon
Director: Hal Hartley
It's ironic that Pete Davidson is the least interesting part of Bupkis, an autobiographical series about the ins and outs of Davidson's life. The half-hour comedy takes on the same raunchy, stoner, and self-deprecating humor Davidson is known for, so if you've seen some of his stand-up specials, SNL segments, and the film The King of Staten Island (a much better outing, in this writer's opinion), you'll know what to expect in Bupkis: a lot of Davidson revisiting his childhood trauma and poking fun at himself for being the internet's reluctant star.
That's all fine and funny enough, but what really makes Bupkis much better than your standard sitcom is the people around Davidson. If you can appreciate anything about Davidson, it's his appreciation for the people most others would usually forget after fame. Hometown locals, childhood friends, extended families—they're all here and they all shine much brighter than the series' star. Brilliantly, Joe Pesci plays Davidson's grandfather, Edie Falco his mother, and Bobby Cannavale his uncle. They're fully fleshed and superbly acted, bringing much-needed tenderness and humbleness to the picture. It's a pleasant surprise to see them in a series that is teetering on the verge of self-indulgence. So with Bupkis, you can come out of curiosity, but you will stay for the supporting characters, who truly live up to their role and hold this show up with mighty skill.
Genre: Comedy
Actor: Edie Falco, Joe Pesci, Pete Davidson
An interesting premise quickly sputters out in Fool’s Paradise, writer-star Charlie Day’s misfire of a directorial debut. Day plays a down-and-out Charlie Chaplin-esque mute who happens to be a dead ringer for a difficult method actor (also Day) who’s stalling production on a Billy the Kid remake — and so he’s brought in by the movie’s producer (Ray Liotta) to star instead.
The rest of Fool’s Paradise follows in this vein, as things just happen to Latte Pronto (as he comes to be named). There’s wry satirical potential in this set-up: a lot can be revealed about someone (in this case, the self-serving stars, agents, and directors of Hollywood) by what they project onto a blank slate like Latte. The problem, however, is twofold: Fool’s Paradise doesn’t have anything especially sharp to say about the biz — and, in the absence of clever or indeed funny writing, the film’s weak center is exposed. Day’s wordless performance is understated to a fatal degree; presumably designed to highlight the ridiculousness of the Hollywood players he’s surrounded by, it only shows up the weakness of the material and the unfocusedness of some of the key supporting performances. Maybe the movie would’ve fared better had some of its other characters been silent instead.
Genre: Comedy
Actor: Adrien Brody, Aixa Maldonado, Alanna Ubach, Allison Paige, Andre Hyland, Andrew Leeds, Andrew Santino, Artemis Pebdani, Austin Zajur, Benito Martinez, Brett Wagner, Charles Grisham, Charlie Day, Christine Horn, Common, David Hornsby, Dean Norris, Drew Droege, Edie Falco, Eliza Coleman, Eric VanArsdale, George Lopez, Glenn Howerton, Harry Yi, Helen Geller, Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Jeremy Chu, Jillian Bell, Jimmi Simpson, John Ales, John Malkovich, Julia Cho, June Carryl, Justin Jedlica, Kate Beckinsale, Katherine McNamara, Ken Jeong, Lance Barber, Leandra Terrazzano, Leonora Pitts, Lindsay Musil, Lisa Schwartz, Luvh Rakhe, Lyndon Smith, Marilyn Giacomazzi, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Moses Storm, Peter MacKenzie, Ray Liotta, Ricky Wang, Robert Belushi, Romel de Silva, Roy Jenkins, Scott Allen Perry, Scott Pitts, Shane Paul McGhie, Steve Coulter, Steve DeCastro, Talia Tabin, Thomas Vu, Tom Beyer
Director: Charlie Day