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Join UsStar Cast: Awkwafina, Sandra Oh, Will Ferrell, Holland Taylor, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jessica Yu
What’s Good: The tone is the perfect mixture between laid-back and wholesome, making each of the sequences a pleasure to watch. This is one of those movies to watch and just have a nice time.
What’s Bad: The raunchy comedy bits might be a bit too much for some people. The second act is also a bit of a mess, as it wanders a bit too much in circles.
Loo Break: Except for one sequence during the middle of the film that pays off later, the second act is the perfect place to take a break.
Watch or Not?: If you are in need of something to watch, and you don’t want to commit fully, this is for you.
Language: English (with subtitles).
Available On: Hulu
Runtime: 99 Minutes.
User Rating:
Quiz Lady is a film directed by Jessica Yu and written by Jen D’Angelo. It tells the story of Anne, a young woman who is incredibly good at a famous quiz show. When her chaotic sister comes back into her life, Anne is forced to go out of her shell and take a trip to finally participate in a quiz show before it is too late.
Quiz Lady Movie Review: Script Analysis
Quiz Lady is one of those strange projects that Netflix just leaves in the middle of the road. There was a time when the streaming giant was saving projects left and right from other studios in order to strengthen its own content library. However, in the case of Quiz Lady, it is 20th Century Studios who ended up saving the project and finally releasing it to audiences on Hulu on November 3, 2023.
The film comes at the perfect time to cleanse the palate of audiences after experiencing the month of October, which this year delivered a huge quantity of horror films. Sadly, most of those films didn’t manage to meet expectations, but Quiz Lady has been able to sell itself as a very simple and classical comedy, a genre that has been disappearing more and more each year – especially when it comes to their presence in cinemas. Quiz Lady was presented at the Toronto International Film Festival but has found its final resting at Hulu, which very soon will become Disney’s property in its entirety.
Jen D’Angelo’s script takes the characters of Anne and her sister Jenny through a road trip that will make them grow closer as sisters. This is the classical tale of two people who don’t really like each other, finding that they have more in common than differences. This is mostly true, especially between siblings, because in their development age, they shared the same upbringing and values. Quiz Lady takes this classical setup and plays it straight. The movie isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel when it comes to its storytelling.
Actually, you could say that we have seen this movie many times before. However, it is also true that the addition of Awkwafina and Sandra Oh as the movie’s main actors really takes what could have been a boring middle-of-the-road film into something that is truly enjoyable. In the end, the story is executed well enough that it will probably make you smile for long periods of time and also will make you cry. The movie has a strong emotional core, and while it is a bit cliché, it ends up working for that same reason. Those members of the audience who have siblings will also find themselves represented in the film.
Quiz Lady Movie Review: Star Performance
The movie mainly focuses on its two protagonists to deliver every single story beat. Jason Schwartzman and Will Ferrell have what could be considered extended cameos, and they do a great job, but they are not precisely the most involved characters in the story. This is the Awkwafina and Sandro Oh’s. The pair appears in every single scene, and the movie focuses just on their story. This laser-focused approach maintains the audience’s attention and makes the characters feel way more developed than they actually are.
While Awkwafina is doing a superb job as always, her role is that of the straight man, she is used for bouncing jokes on, as her character is serious to a fault and just too shy to shine. Meanwhile, Sandra Oh proves that her success as an actor doesn’t come from nowhere. The actress taps into her sense of chaos and delivers a very funny performance as Jenny, a woman with failed dreams who still believes that she can succeed in life, even if she doesn’t really put the effort to change her life. With this and her return as Debbie in Invincible, Sandra Oh is having one hell of a week.
Quiz Lady Movie Review: Direction, Music
Quiz Lady is not going to be one of those movies that really stand out because of its visuals, sense of direction, or score. The movie does the right amount of stylization to make it seem like they are putting in the effort. Most of the movie is shot in the classic American comedy standard, with sets that are just too over-lit, and it relies solely on the script to make the jokes. The frame is mostly static and there is no sense of fun going through the visuals, except for one psychedelic sequence near the end of the first act.
The score does the same. It is filled with generic, inspiring music but not much else. However, there are a couple of needle drops here and there that are unexpected; hearing Radiohead’s Karma Police in a movie like this is not something you can predict.
Quiz Lady Movie Review: The Last Word
Quiz Lady is a fun and heartwarming comedy that knows how to go into the absurd without getting lost in it. Awkwafina and Sandra Oh are a delight to watch, and they are really the heart of the movie. Some of the jokes are hit or miss, but that is normal when talking about a comedy. It might not stand out as one of the best comedies ever, but it is good for what it is, and it doesn’t overstay its welcome.
Quiz Lady Trailer
Quiz Lady releases on 03 November, 2023.
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