4 Best Movies to Watch by Ilana Glazer

1. Broad City, 2019

	
Influenced by classic episodic sitcoms but blazing its own trail with a (generally) more progressive outlook, Broad City stands as a particularly noteworthy example of a show that fully allows its female protagonists to be as messy and gross and fully in charge of their own failures as they should like to be. Though its default setting is to be silly and deeply unserious, the show still works as a more honest portrayal of life as a twentysomething New Yorker. Both Abbi and Ilana love their city and their community, but even they know that "growing up" and trying to earn a living is made up of an increasingly absurd series of endless tasks. Which is what makes their unbreakable friendship through it all so comforting to watch.Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Abbi Jacobson, Ilana Glazer
Rating: TV-14

2. Babes, 2024

	
Babes tells the story of Eden (Ilana Glazer) and Dawn (Michelle Buteau), codependent best friends who are forced to reevaluate their relationship when Eden finally joins Dawn in becoming a mother. While Eden learns how to be more mature and independent, Dawn struggles to feel like herself again after two exhausting pregnancies. Burdened by these personal problems, they evaluate the boundaries of their friendship and ask themselves, what do they owe each other? It sounds like heavy stuff, but the script—co-written by Glazer and Josh Rabinowitz—has an uncanny ability to make even the most serious parts of the film feather-light. Glazer and Buteau are fiercely funny, charming, lovable, and relatable, and everything comes together seamlessly with Pamela Adlon, who makes her directorial debut with Babes, on the helm. Fans of Glazer’s Broad City and Buteau’s Survival of the Thickest will find much to laugh (and cry) at here.Genre: Comedy
Actor: Darren Criss, Hasan Minhaj, Holly Chou, Ilana Glazer, John Carroll Lynch, Katy Grenfell, Keith Lucas, Kenneth Lucas, Mario Polit, Michelle Buteau, Oliver Platt, Paul Borghese, Rosa Gilmore, Sandra Bernhard, Shola Adewusi, Stephan James, Susanna Guzman, Whoopi Goldberg
Director:  Pamela Adlon
Rating: R

What this Dr. Seuss adaptation might lack in originality, it makes up for by committing to the bit: visual gags aplenty, colorful art direction, and ridiculous situations ramping up into full set pieces. But beyond the show's playfulness is a story about families just trying to make things work and people who don't get along (with the second season even touching on anti-war themes)—which should all prove insightful enough for adults and for slightly older kids. And with simple animation that has clear effort put into it, Green Eggs and Ham's unfortunately short run never comes off as a cheap cash grab.

Genre: Action & Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Family, Kids

Actor: Adam Devine, Diane Keaton, Ilana Glazer, Jillian Bell, Keegan-Michael Key, Michael Douglas, Patricia Clarkson

4. The Afterparty, 2023

Dave Franco stars in this murder mystery as an obnoxious pop star who gets murdered during a 15-year high-school reunion afterparty. An unlikely detective (played by Tiffany Haddish) is dispatched to find out who among the party attendants committed the crime.

Featuring beloved comedians old and new, the series brings to the forefront a myriad of gimmicks and shticks that promises to keep you both entertained and at the edge of your seat. If you’re looking for a quick, lighthearted, no-brainer mystery, this will do the job perfectly.

Genre: Comedy, Crime, Mystery

Actor: Anna Konkle, Ben Schwartz, Dave Franco, Elizabeth Perkins, Genevieve Angelson, Ike Barinholtz, Ilana Glazer, Jack Whitehall, Jamie Demetriou, John Cho, Ken Jeong, Paul Walter Hauser, Poppy Liu, Sam Richardson, Tiffany Haddish, Vivian Wu, Zach Woods, Zoë Chao

Rating: TV-MA