ScreenFish

where faith and film are intertwined

comedy

Wednesday at AFIFest 2020

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My cat has enjoyed AFIFest 2020 Presented by Audi a great deal this year. She rarely has a chance to spend a whole afternoon on my lap when I actually have to go to movies. I doubt she realizes the qualities of movies she’s sleeping through. She’s missing out on some very good stuff.

The documentary Collective, by German-Romanian filmmaker Alexander Nanau, arrived at AFIFest with a load of festival awards. It takes place in the aftermath of a tragic 2015 nightclub fire that claimed 27 lives. The corruption that that fire exposed led to the fall of the government, and a new temporary government of technocrats. Yet, another 37 victims of the fire died over the next four months, mostly from infections. All the while the Minister of Health claimed the hospitals were among the best in Europe. When journalists discovered that the disinfectants being sold to hospitals were blatantly diluted, a new scandal erupted. This film takes us inside the controversy, the investigation, and the attempts at the new Minister of Health to create a better medical system.

The key quote I found in the film: “The way a state functions can crush people some of the time.” This is one of many films I’ve seen this year that portray the need of an independent and trustworthy press for democracy to function. Collective not only speaks to that need, but is clear that the power of government can be overwhelming. This film is Romania official submission for Best International Feature Film Oscar consideration.

In Ekwa Msangi’s Farewell Amor, an Angolan immigrant in New York is reunited with his family after seventeen years apart. Walter came to America following the Angolan Civil War, his wife Esther and daughter Sylvia went to Tanzania. It has taken all this time for Walter to get permission for them to join him. Meanwhile, their lives have gone in different directions. Esther has become quite religious. Walter has made a life for himself—with another woman. Sylvia, in high school, has her own dreams. There are chapters in the film that give us the perspective of each of these characters. It is interesting how dancing keeps coming into play within the film. The characters find identity, both separately and as family, in dancing. At times that dancing may be a source of conflict, but it can also be the beginning of healing.

You may wonder if there are ever any comedies at festivals. Yes, in fact I took one in yesterday with My Donkey, My Lover & I by Caroline Vignal. Antoinette, French fifth grade teacher, is having an affair with Vladimir, the father of one of her students. When he cancels a romantic getaway to take a hiking trip with his wife and daughter, Antoinette decides she will do the same hiking adventure and surprise him. Totally unfamiliar with hiking, she hires a donkey for the journey. Naturally, it becomes a comedy of errors as Antoinette must deal not only with Patrick the donkey, but with her total lack of hiking ability. When she does manage to run into Vladimir and his family, the awkwardness and revelations become a bit more than she expected. The trip turns out to be a way for Antoinette to come to better understand herself and opens up new possibilities for her.

Scare Me – But with Humor

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“You look like a fella who might be interested in scary stories.”

Mary Shelley’s Gothic/proto-SciFi novel Frankenstein grew out of a contest between her, her future husband Percy Bysshe Shelley and their friend Lord Byron. The competition was to see who could write the best horror story. (I wonder if there is any record of the two men’s attempts.) Josh Ruben’s premier feature film Scare Me is the same concept. Two writers (plus a couple minor characters) try to see who can scare the other. The result is a hybrid between comedy and horror.

Fred (Ruben), a wannabe horror writer, has rented a cabin in the woods so he can write his werewolf story. The only real problem is that he’s not really a writer and nothing goes onto the page. Out on a jog, he meets Fannie (Aya Cash) who is staying in a cabin nearby. It turns out Fannie is a bestselling horror author. She’s not much interested in Fred—she’s there to work. But when the power goes out that night, Fannie goes over to Fred’s cabin and they decide to tell each other scary stories.

Fred is obviously at a disadvantage. His werewolf story does nothing to change or advance that trope. He only has the bare bones of the story, even though Fannie prompts him for details. When Fannie tells her story, she creates a dark world into which Fred is drawn as he listens. Then they begin a tale about a troll that lives in the air vents of an office building. They bounce back and forth in the telling and acting out this story. When pizza delivery man Carlo (Chris Redd) shows up with dinner, he too joins in this celebration of being scared by words. In the end, Fred is confronted by the biggest horror, that he may not be any good as a writer, and his life is a failure.

For most horror stories we have come to rely on special effects, moody music, gore, and sudden surprises that make us jump in our seats. But here the horror is almost exclusively done with words. At times we visualize just a bit of the story, and there are occasional shadows on a wall or ceiling that reflects something in the story being told, but that just allows us to get better into the words.

Because it walks a line between horror and comedy, it never gets overly scary or over-the-top funny. But for those who like something a little different in their horror, Scare Me might fit the bill for a dark night in an empty house with wind, thunder and lightning outside.

Scare Me is available on Shudder streaming service.

First One In – Grown Up Mean Girls

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In press notes for First One In, writer/director Gina Obrien talks about the “millions of women who gather to hit balls at each other” on tennis courts each day. They may not be very good. But they share this bond. First One In bats that concept around with just about as much power as those mediocre players.

Madi Cooke (Kat Foster) has had her life ruined. She has been branded an eco-terrorist for killing a cute, near-extinct animal while on a Survivor-like reality show. People protest outside her home. She loses her job because of the publicity. She can’t even get an Uber if she’s recognized. After a new hairdo, she applies to work as a real estate agent for Bobbi Mason (Georgia King). Georgia is obsessed with tennis. She only hires Barbie-doll looking agents who play tennis and help her win the club team championship every year.

Madi begins brushing up her game (she hasn’t played since high school) at a local tennis clinic with a group of rather frumpy and definitely non-competitive women. When their coach enters them into the tournament, Madi is torn between her new job and her new friends. Eventually the teams will face off, with not just a trophy at stake, but Madi’s future.

The film seeks to show that women can forge bonds and how that can help them overcome their barriers. But I have issues with the portrayal of women in this film. Bobbi and her team are vain, vapid, superficial, and just plain mean. Think of a group of middle school mean girls who are now grown up. Madi is stuck in being a victim through most of the film. Her cohort at the tennis center all seem to be aimless and incapable of really accomplishing anything. The only character who seems to be grounded and confident, Madi’s high school friend Ollie (Alana O’Brien) becomes a catalyst for Madi’s new found strength, but she is always too much in the background of the story to develop her effect on Madi.

The story becomes a battle between meanness and victimhood. The final resolution doesn’t really grow out of the growth and strength of the characters. It has more to do with Bobbi’s ultimate failure of being able to boss and intimidate others. Any growth Madi manages in the story is a biproduct of her success, not the other way around.

First One In is available on Amazon Prime Video

The Argument – Elusive Truth

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“I don’t want to argue either, Honey, as long as you can admit that I’m right.”

Couples argue. Maybe about little things, maybe important things. But it’s just natural that two people each think they’re right, and expect the other to admit defeat.

Yeah, right.

The Argument, from Robert Schwartzman, revolves around (and around) such a conflict. Jack (Dan Folger) has planned a little cocktail party to celebrate the end of his girlfriend Lisa’s (Emma Bell) first professional acting job. He has invited his agent, Brett (Danny Pudi) and his wife Sarah (Maggie Q) to come by after the show. Lisa has also invited her co-star Paul (Tyler James Williams), who brings his girlfriend Trina (Cleopatra Coleman), although Jack is unaware that they are coming. Jack has an agenda for the night, which will culminate in asking Lisa to marry him. Instead, little things go wrong, feelings get hurt, things get said, and Jack and Lisa end up in a terrible argument that brings the party to a close.

That night, as they go to bed, both are still convinced that the other is a fault. One after the other they say, “I just wish we could redo this whole night so we could see how wrong you are.” Then the idea strikes them. They will invite everyone back again and relive the party to see just what went wrong. But the other couples are less enthused about this process. As the night goes on, new and different conflicts crop up. So they try again the next night. This time Jack is writing a script to get everything down verbatim. And again. And again.

As the events replay over and over, each person’s mistakes and flaws become magnified, letting each see themselves as others are seeing them. Eventually it culminates in an evening when instead of them reliving it all again, Jack has brought in actors for a script reading. The script obviously reflects his slant on everyone involved, and the actors add new dynamics to the situation. By this point, no one knows what any of the original conflicts were about.

The real question in The Argument is not what is the truth, but can we ever really know the truth, even when we are a part of what happened? Here are six people who are not just witnesses to what happened, but participants. Yet, the events can never be accurately recreated because everyone now has new perspectives and opinions that keep affecting their own ideas and those of others.

It’s not unimportant that the play Lisa and Paul were in was called Wolfgang (and seems to parallel Amadeus). The play was about the mixture of love and jealousy the defined the relationship of Mozart and Antonio Salieri. These are all people who yearn for greatness, but have not shown the world (or themselves) anything other than mediocrity.

While the story deals with the dynamics of relationships, it is really a look at how our self-centeredness undermines the foundations of relationships. Our own desires—including our desire to be right in an argument—often get in the way of the fulfillment we can find with people we love. Perhaps winning an argument isn’t as important as recognizing the joy we share.

The Argument is playing in theaters and is available on VOD.

Photos courtesy of Gravitas Ventures.

Laughing All the Way Home: 1on1 with Jemaine Clement (I USED TO GO HERE)

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As a comedy veteran himself, Clement knows what’s funny.

Having worked on such hilarious projects as What We Do in the Shadows, MIB:3 and, of course, Flight of the Concords, Clement argues that the best comedies of today are those that commit to their worldviews.

“At the moment, I feel like [great comedy is] believing what you say,” he begins. “Even if I don’t agree with a comedian still, if I can see that [they] believe it or the movie believes that, it’s committing, I think.”

Starring with Gillian Jacobs in the new comedy, I Used to Go Here, Clement was excited to dive into the role of David, a college professor looking for a fresh start. Though he was excited for the opportunity to work with Jacobs, he found this project particularly appealing because it felt like the type of stories that he enjoyed watching in his youth.

“[I Used to Go Here] reminded me of films [that] I used to go and see when I was a student,” he explains. “It’s like having a window into someone’s life and maybe [at a] trying time for them in a personal way where other people can’t relate to it… It’s an awful time for you, but it doesn’t sound bad for anyone else so people don’t generally talk about them. [laughs]. Then, in some ways, I found the story of the Gillian’s character story quite relatable. It was funny and Gillian’s really funny. I knew she was going to do it so I was excited to meet with her as well.” 

Written and directed by Kris Rey, I Used to Go Here tells the story of Kate Conklin (Jacobs), a young author about to release her debut novel. When her book receives less-than-stellar reviews, Kate is hurt and frustrated by the response. After she receives an invitation from her former professor and old crush, David (Clement), to speak at her alma mater, Kate jumps at the chance return to her old college as a published author. However, as she revisits her past haunts and relationships, she soon begins to slide back into her old life as a student with all its misadventures and misplaced feelings for her former professor.

Clement’s enthusiasm for working with his co-star Jacobs is palpable onscreen as the two have genuine chemistry together. As David and Kate, the two veteran actors work well together, creating a unique relationship that shows the push and pull between them. In an interesting way, the two characters also seem to be mirror images of one another, even if one has initially escaped their home town.

“David’s character was once a promising author and then he got into this other job that’s taken a lot of his time,” Clement recognizes. “He’s basically trying to draw Kate into the that life to take some pressure off of him. So, he’s a possible future for her. Then, she judges David [for having an inappropriate relationship] and basically falls into the same pattern.” 

Though Jacobs’ character may be the film’s central focus, Go Here also features some hilarious performances from young actors like Josh Wiggins and Hannah Marks. While his character may not have interacted with the young cast very much, Clement also notes that the enthusiasm that they brought to the set served as a reminder for him the privilege that is to work in film.

“It’s mostly Gillian in this story, but [director] Kris found some other great actors and actresses, a lot of them local,” he clarifies. “There’s a lot of them from Chicago where we filmed and where Kris lives so that was another fun part of the film. It was great to see people really excited about being in a movie. Sometimes, you have to remind yourself of that. I didn’t get to act with the kids–I’ll call them the kids, even though they were all adults–I didn’t hang out with the kids very much because my character is talking all the time. Literally lecturing. So, I didn’t get to bounce off those guys very often. It was fun doing the lecture thing with Hannah Marks.” 

Considering David’s flaws, Clement believes that his character ultimately just wants to move on in his career and personal life.

“I think he’s looking for some kind of a way out of there, you know?,” he states. “In academia, I think it’s sometimes seems a bit like that. When I see professors from the university where I went 26 years ago, they still look the same, say the same things, give the same lectures for years and answer the same questions. I think, sometimes, that’s rewarding and sometimes frustrating. I think you can see both of those.”

With this in mind, one of the key themes of Go Here is the (sometimes) overpowering nature of nostalgia. Asked what keeps drawing us back to our past seems to be, Clement argues that the appeal lies in our ability to reflect on the positive experiences at the expense of the negatives.

“Often, the way your brain works is you tend to forget the bad things,” he begins. “If you’ve ever been in a relationship, stopped that relationship and then go back to [it], you remember, ‘Oh, that’s right. We used to do this and she used to say that. I used to always reply to this’. I think it’s just that you forget the complexity of things and you remember the good things. I didn’t have the same experience with my college years. I wanted to learn about theater and film and I had a really bad time in my department. I can see my university from [my home] and I cringe at the idea of going there… I didn’t finish my degree and every time I think, ‘I should do those few papers’. Then, I look at the building and I go ‘No, no, no’. [laughs] I don’t want to be that old dude now either. That weird old dude in the class.” 

Though his background may be in comedy, Clement’s has been always excited to be a part of high-profile blockbusters when the opportunity arises. More specifically, his next role will take place on the famed CGI planet of Pandora in James Cameron’s sequel to Avatar. Drenched in secrecy, Clement notes that even he is surprised by the incredible security that the project carries with it.

“We’re filming after these interviews,” he beams. “I know I’m in [Avatar 2]. IMDB has me in up to [the fifth movie] or something like that. Even I was like, ‘am I?’ [laughs] I can’t tell you that much. It’s very secretive. We haven’t been filming over this how COVID pandemic, but they’ve started again because New Zealand’s back and working. I have a scene tomorrow and I go in today. My scripts in a vault and they’ll take my script out of the vault and then I’ll read it and try and learn it there. Then, it goes back in the vault and I go again tomorrow and then I’ll take it out of the vault again.”

Though he’s spent most of his career working on smaller films, working on major projects such as the Avatar sequel are always exciting opportunities for the actor. For example, Clement is always thrilled to work with high profile directors like James Cameron who have inspired his career.

“I’ve mostly done smaller films but, often with the biggest films, what’s made me interested as the director who maybe has done some films I’ve loved,” Clement grins. “Terminator 2 was one of my favorite film experiences I’ve ever had, when I was 15 or whatever I was. It’s hard for me to resist asking Jim, Terminator Two stories all the time. I only do about one a week. [laughs] I would ask after every time how they did certain special effects and The Abyss and things like that. He’s someone who’s quite an imaginative person and gets to make whatever he wants at this level. That’s what it feels like to me.” 

For full audio of our conversation with Jemaine Clement, click here.

I Used to Go Here is available on demand now.

Silencing Stereotypes and Celebrating Singleness: 1on1 with Andrea Dorfman (SPINSTER)

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When the world insists that satisfaction only lies in romance, something is broken.

While it’s true that romantic relationships can be exciting and life-giving, there’s little doubt that the pressure to ‘find love’ is everywhere. But is that really necessary to live a full and meaningful life? In her latest comedy Spinster, director Andrea Dorfman explores and celebrates what it means to be single when those around you think you’re missing out. 

Starring Cheslea Peretti (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Spinster tells the story of Gaby (Peretti), a woman on the brink of forty who is looking for love and struggling to find it. As all her friends seem focused on their marriages and children, Gaby’s greatest fear is that she’ll end up alone. After a string of bad dating experiences leaves her exhausted, Gaby realizes that something needs to change and she decides to focus on building a life of meaning and connectedness without focusing on romance. 

Involved in the project from the outset, Dorfman believes that the idea stemmed from her own life experiences and revelations about life. Having struggled within that moment where it felt like everyone else was getting married, she wanted to tell a story that pointed out that there’s more to life than settling down. 

“Every film is such a journey. It takes a long time to make,” she begins. “Spinster is my fourth feature film and it’s the second film I made with my creative collaborator, Jennifer Deyell, who wrote the film… We started working on it in 2014, and it’s been through many iterations of story and screen. Ultimately, at its heart, we wanted to tell the story of a woman who gets to a place where romance isn’t the solution to all of her problems and creates meaning in her life on her own terms. That is certainly based on my own experience in my 30s and people who Jennifer and I both knew who were single at a time when friends were all getting married and having kids and were really made to feel that maybe that life was not viable or lesser than. Then, getting to a point where it’s like, ‘No, actually what if this is the only life I have?’ So, I think the kernel or seed came from that time of life.” 

For the character of Gaby, Dorfman wanted a known actress and was thrilled when Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Chelsea Peretti joined the cast. Though the actress’ age was important to Dorfman for this particular role, she knew that Peretti was perfect for the role because of her ability to balance deadpan humour and heartfelt delivery.

“The character in the film is 39 and we wanted her to be [that age] because it’s sort of an ominous [time] for people who [care] about age, I guess,” she explains. “It’s sort of the brink of middle age. If you want to have kids and you’re a woman, that biological window is closing so 39 was an important age. It just so happens that, at 39, for women actors (especially known women in Hollywood), there are a lot of them who are not working. So, we decided that we wanted to have a known actor to help sell the film and, when we were working with the casting agent, it turned out that there were a lot of women actors at [the age of] 39 who were available. That’s just the sad reality of Hollywood and women actors and film.“

“Aside from that, I had seen Chelsea’s stand-up special on Netflix, even before I saw Brooklyn Nine-Nine. I just loved it. I loved her writing, her delivery, and how deadpan and understated she was, and yet had something to say and a lot of gravitas. So, I think I just liked her as a human. I hadn’t seen her in much. When we were coming up with actors of that age, I was really interested in her. She was one of the few that we were thinking of. Then, she read the script and loved it and was game to come all the way across the continent from LA to Halifax to be in the film, which was wonderful… I think it’ll be interesting to see what she does as an actor, because she really does have this ability to tap into exactly who she is. That’s a huge asset because when she’s in front of the camera, you really believe her.” 

By following Gaby’s journey through relationships, Spinster seeks to expose stale stereotypes about settling down. For example, in one particularly interesting moment, her married friend insists that the problem is that Gaby needs to ‘choose [her mate], not be chosen’. Dorfman points out that, while Gaby’s friend may mean well, her comments expose flawed cultural ideas about the need for love.

“In some ways, it’s a little bit tongue in cheek because it’s a different way to put herself out on the market but to maybe have some perceived control,” Dorfman claims. “But I think where that’s coming from is this idea that women should be a certain something. You should do something. That you should actually be active out on the market at all. Why? Does it mean that life won’t be lived unless you’re in a relationship? No, of course not. Life doesn’t stop and start depending on your circumstances. So, that was coming from a place of her friend, just desperately wanting her to reflect the life that she’s already living in a way. Its disruptive when somebody does something completely different than us, and yet has found just as much meaning, love, life and inspiration than those others who’ve done the more sort of mainstream popularized ways of living life.” 

“You can decide to choose somebody and not be chosen, but we don’t have any control over what somebody else wants. Really all we can do is make choices in our own life and go from there and be active in how we want to live, imagine a new path that makes the most sense for us.” 

With that in mind, Dorfman also sees that the broader culture struggles to celebrate singleness as a valid (and important) life choice. Though she remains completely sympathetic towards those who struggle with loneliness, she believes that much of our culture’s emphasis on relationships stems from a larger system designed to make us feel insecure about being alone.

Says Dorfman, “I think that if you do anything that disrupts the capitalist channels of trying to sell us things to make ourselves happy, then you’re going to get pushback for it. One of those things is to be happy and single. If you’re women, to be happy and older. To be happy and not buy a lot of things to beautify ourselves. So, I think it actually is disruptive. There’s a lot at stake in making people believe that they need to be in relationships in order to be happy. We’re always telling people that you can attain happiness if you buy these things. (Usually, it’s about buying things, let’s be frank.) If you’re actually saying to people, there’s another way you can actually generate meaning in your life all on your own, I think that there’s something to lose. There are structures in place that will lose out on that.” 

“That being said, of course, loneliness is a huge issue in our society and something to be taken seriously,” she continues. “But I think there are ways to fight loneliness and to not actually have to be in a relationship. Probably the [loneliest that] I’ve ever been is in a dysfunctional relationship. We’ve all been there. For me, in my 30s, when I was going through this time, I think one of the things that I realized is that, if I can generate my own meaning in life [and] my own happiness, all the different supports and kinds of love that exists outside of romance [give me] a lot more control than trying to get somebody to fall in love with me or a version of me that, at the end of the day, probably has more to do with that person than who I actually am. I think that anytime somebody presents something counter-cultural, it is disruptive and creates pushback. It’s another way to be.” 

In addition to this, Dorfman also argues that this ‘system of wanting’ taps into an innate drive to fill the void in our lives. Asked what she thinks we are ultimately searching for in life, she says that the real question may be how to become satisfied with what we already have.

“I think it’s probably built into our DNA to want,” Dorfman posits. “I always go back to the hunter/gatherers [where] wanting is always survival, you know? We want the berries and the animals to hunt. I think that we’re always going to want something and maybe that’s the problem. [The goal is] to try to let go of the wanting. I think until we do that, we’re going to hitch ourselves and our happiness will hinge on things that we largely don’t have control of and that will probably lead to unhappiness. So, instead of the question being ‘why do we want things?’, maybe we need to frame it differently and start to focus on the not-wanting. I’m getting a little bit Buddhist there I think, but it’s something that I actually do think a lot about. That things that we want often just don’t make us happy and it’s that expectation that they will that gives us incredible disappointment.”

For full audio of our interview with director Andrea Dorfman, click here.

Spinster is available on VOD now.

1on1 with Cedric Yarbrough (RENO 911!)

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Sound the alarm! It’s finally time to go back to Reno.

Airing on Comedy Central from 2003-2009, Reno 911! focused the camera on the behind-the-scenes world of the fictitious, massively inept Reno Sheriff’s Department in Nevada. Featuring an incredible cast that helped cement the careers of stars such as Cedric Yarbrough (Speechless), Niecy Nash (Claws), Joe Lo Truglio (Brooklyn 99), Kerri Kenney-Silver (Wanderlust), Robert Ben Garant (Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb) and many more, Reno 911! became a breeding ground for up and coming comedians. Now, with the show set to be reborn on the brand-new streaming service, Quibi, Reno 911! has the opportunity to bring the team back together for the first time in over a decade. Asked how he felt to be back on the force, Yarbrough is thrilled to work with such an incredible cast once again.

“Eleven years ago, we were still doing the show and having a great time doing [it], Yarbrough remembers. “Then, they decided to pull the plug on us. I’ve stayed in contact with these guys over the years and worked with a number of them on camera, but I’ve seen them throughout. It’s really just kind of cool that we’re all able to do the show again. Everyone went off and our careers kind of took off after the show. Now, it’s just like The Super Friends, when Batman and the Flash and all those guys would come together and then, kick butt. It’s kind of like that now. Wendi McClendon-Covey is such a star in her own right. We always knew that she was just so, so funny on the show and now she’s the ‘Kirby Puckett’ of The Goldbergs. And then, of course, Niecy Nash on Claws. So, for all of us to get back together… you’re rocking with the best, man. They’re the funniest people in the universe.”

Even though they were still having fun on the show during its original run, the series was cancelled and the members of the team were forced to go their separate ways. While many of them have had successful solo careers, Yarbrough notes that they had always hoped to return to Reno and that much of the delay had to do with finding a network to take them on.

“A lot of [the delay] was trying to find a home. I know that we were canceled, but they tried to bring us back and we just thought it was too soon,” he remembers. “It was maybe a year or two after [we were cancelled]. It just seemed like there was not enough distance. Then after, when we did want to come back, [the issue] was finding a network that would want us, and frankly, that was really difficult. It took a long, long time to find an avenue that actually wanted to produce the show. And [we had to work] in conjunction with Comedy Central as well, because they owned the rights to the show. So, it’s a lot of legal stuff that the actors and writers, we don’t really have to deal with, but some of us as writer/producers do have to deal with. Tom, Ben and Kerri were helming that they were at the forefront of trying to get a network that would want us, and Quibi was that network. They were that service that wanted the show. They thought it would be a perfect venue, with these new quick videos. I’ve seen about 12 episodes and it really does lend itself to do this format. I’ve been laughing at the stuff that we’ve done and, man, we’re back. It’s definitely the same really funny stuff, if not funnier.”

For such the resurrection of such a classic comedy, one might find it surprising that an upstart network like Quibi would be the landing spot for the series. Having launched last month and backed by media icon Jeffrey Katzenberg, Quibi’s unique vision is to create content with episode under 10 minutes in length in order to encourage viewing over portable tech like cell phones and tablets. While Yarbrough isn’t entirely sure on how the process came about, he feels that an innovative service like Quibi offers the best possible outlet for Reno to make its return.

According to Yarbrough, “It’s a chicken and the egg [story]. I’m not sure which came, Quibi presented for us or if we presented for them what Quibi was going to be. I believe that they presented to us what Quibi was going to be and and how best served our show would be on that platform. Bugs Bunny was only six or seven minutes long, you know. This is an adult cartoon. We’ll get an anvil dropped on our heads and then, we’re okay the next scene. So, it just seemed like it would be perfect way of doing the show. Plus, this is a totally new format that you can always watch stuff on your phone. We just thought maybe this is a new futuristic way of doing the show. The show needs to also roll with the times. We did the show in the early 2000s, [but] people barely had cell phones back then. Now, that’s what everyone has. So, it’s just like this was going to be a good match for us.”

Although the squad hasn’t been all together for several years, Yarbrough feels that reassembling the force has been as hilarious as ever. In fact, with additional time and life experience under their belt, he even thinks that it might be more fun than it was before.

“It seemed seamless, as far as I’m concerned,” says Yarbrough. “Maybe that question is better equipped for Tom, Ben and Kerri but, for me, it seemed like how we operated before, writing scenes on a little index card, pairing them up with the actors [and maybe] figuring out some beats of it. [We’d make] sure that it was still improvised and fresh and then we’d let the editors edit it down to the funniest part of those scenes and boom. There it is. It’s the Reno Show. So, I felt like it was just like we had done it before but, as far as acting is concerned, it just seemed more fun. We’ve had life experience. We’re older and I think we’re funnier. So, I don’t know exactly what Tom Lennon is going to say but I know that, if I set him up, he’s going to knock it home. I don’t know exactly what Niecy is going to reply with, but I know she’s got a quip that’s going to kill it as long as I set her up right. As well as our great guest stars that came in and played with us. So, it felt exactly the same.”

Set as a parody of the legendary FOX series, Cops, Yarbrough and their team felt that Reno required the same level of unpredictability and wildness. As a result, Reno has always ingrained improvisation into the show’s DNA in order to create their own brand of outrageous comedy.

“We’ve always made sure that it was an improvised show,” Yarbrough explains. “We wanted the show to look like Cops. So, you know, we wanted that fresh thing that there’s this element of danger. There’s an element of what in the world is going on here. An element of just herding cats that is best served with improvisation. We would write the scenarios for a given scene. ‘Someone is on a roof. Get them down.’ And that’s about it. You trust your guest stars that they’re going to do as much as possible to not get off the roof and your job is to get them off the roof. So, you improvise that scene.” 

“With the world of improv, the language is ‘yes and’. You’ll make a statement and you hope the other actor will say yes and then add on to that statement. So, if I’m on a boat and I say, ‘look at these beautiful waves here’, your response would be ‘yes… and I caught a fish’. So, you add on to the scene, but when you’re a police officer, it’s all ‘no’. You’re telling whoever, ‘no, get off of that.’ It’s a language that we’ve used. We say no, but we really mean yes to the guest star, ‘do whatever it is that you want to do.’ We’re telling you no but please do as much as you want in the scene where I’m not really telling you not to do that. You can do whatever you want and it’s my job to stop you. So, it’s a language we’ve used for the show but it is improvised. We do write out a scene if it’s really involved or, if it’s a stunt, we make sure that we want everyone to be safe. So, that part is plotted out pretty good but everything else is just us rolling with it and trying to crack each other up.”

While the term ‘ahead of its time’ can get overused in our culture, in the case of Reno 911!, it may be an accurate description. Using the single-camera, documentary style of comedy that has become common over the last two decades, Reno was one of the first shows to make the most of the format. However, as time has marched on, Yarbrough also recognizes that audiences and their tastes have also changed along the way.

“When we started it, this was before Modern Family, right before Curb Your Enthusiasm, the Office [UK Version] had been going but not the American version,” he points out. “When we started doing that documentary style, straight to camera interviews kind of thing. Now, [it’s] been 20 years of that kind of television that has made it to every kind of venue and yes, comedy has changed in that our audiences have changed. I think funny is funny but, what people find funny, sometimes has changed in that audiences have more of a voice. That can be a good thing and a bad thing. With Twitter and with blogging, people have their opinions and they state them.”

“We deal with subject matter that’s sometimes taboo [like] family members kissing other family members, race relations, or sexual activities. So, there’s a lot of stuff that Reno has always dealt with that is controversial. It’s based in the cake of Reno. That’s what the show is and some people may be really offended by the shows of this season. It’s not for the weak, that’s for sure. We deal with a lot of issues. We deal with police brutality, people filming police trying to get them to do something [by] antagonizing them. We also have a really funny ongoing joke about how on the force, we’ve never shot an unarmed white person before. How do we rectify that? And we go about trying to try to figure that out.”

“Comedy is always funny. I don’t think that has changed. I just think we’re able to hear [audience’s] opinions more, but that doesn’t affect what we do or we try not to let that affect what we do. We’ve always listened to our own voice. We’ve always tried to figure out what we find funny and hopefully, our audience will enjoy it. Luckily, we have a different brand of comedy that you might not see on network television or somewhere else. So, we have our own brand. If you like that brand, [I think you’ll] still really like the show, if not more.”

Even though over a decade has passed since the show’s cancellation, Yarbrough says that the team wasn’t interested in discussing what happened during the gap, opting to pick up things up seamlessly.

“We really don’t address it, but personally Jones has maybe gained 20-35 lbs,” he laughs. “It’s so funny, I just got a chance to look at 10-12 episodes and they’re really, really funny. They cracked me up, but I was like, well, okay. During this quarantine, I need to exercise a little bit more and maybe cut down on the bread. But Cedric Yarbrough has enjoyed himself a little too much. [laughs] We don’t really go into the gap. We just start head first into the adventures of these weird, inept cops. Like I said, it’s a cartoon. We’re not going back and [saying], ‘Oh, what happened those years? Where did they go? Let’s go back.’ You don’t do any of that kind of stuff.”

While rumours circulated for years about a potential sequel to their hit film, Yarbrough isn’t thinking too much about the long-term plan for their comeback. Right now, he’s much content to focus on the present and, if the show’s a hit, he would be thrilled to see the team get picked up for an eighth season and beyond.

“I think the plan is to see how this goes and, hopefully, we’ll be welcomed with open arms and people will love the show and want to see more of it. But there’s no big plan at all. Right now, we’re just going to kind of see what the future will bring. We’re just trying to bring some comedy, especially in this time right now. I think people need it. We’re open to provide just a little bit of a break from some of the stresses that we’re dealing with right now and just be able to laugh at these weird guys that you’ve known for a long time. It’s so funny but when we were shooting, we shoot sometimes in public a little bit. People [were] honking and yelling out our names and stuff like that. It was real fun. It was a fun to come back. You get excited when you see a new Muppet movie. You want to see the Muppets back together again. It’s cool to see Fozzie Bear with Miss Piggie and Kermit, so that’s how it felt. In the future, we’ll see what happens. But, for now, let’s do this season seven and maybe we’ll do season eight.”

For full audio of our interview with Cedric Yarbrough, click here.

Reno 911! brings the squad back on Quibi on May 4th, 2020.

From Nigeria, With Love: 1on1 with Folake Olowofoyeku (BOB HEARTS ABISHOLA)

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Created by Chuck Lorre (Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men), Bob Hearts Abishola tells the story of Bob Wheeler (Billy Gardell), a divorced man who runs his family’s successful sock company out of Detroit. When the stress of the job causes him to have a heart attack, he finds himself immediately drawn to his kind, hard-working Nigerian nurse, Abishola (Folake Olowofoyeku). Though the two could not be more different, Bob and Abishola’s relationship slowly begins to bloom as they both learn from and celebrate one another. Asked about her experience as the latest piece of the Chuck Lorre legacy of network comedies, Olowofoyeku asserts that his professionalism and expertise makes the process both easy and fun.

“It seems seamless working in [what I call] it the Chuck Lorre universe,” she begins. “I’m a sci-fi head so I think that’s appropriate terminology for all that he’s accomplished in this world. Considering that he’s been at it for decades and has been at the top of his field doing it, coming in it’s just like walking into a well-oiled machine. Everyone on his team works and functions efficiently and are experts to what they do, including himself. He’s a genius. Just watching him work, he comes into the room and knows exactly what you need to do. It makes my work easier as an actress. I’ve got it really easy so I must have built up some good karma. [laughs]”

However, despite Lorre’s history of creating comedy hits, Olowofoyeku also claims that she was able to bring her own ideas to the creative process in developing her character.

“Everything apart from the words on the script, everything about the character has been my choice,” she points out. “I guess they trusted me to execute and deliver that properly. But I was informed by what was written on the script… Most of the roles that I embark on, I look with any script for information about the character and then I develop her based on that, like the way I pronounce ‘Bob’. There was something in the script that was very specific to Abi’s reaction to the American name. So, I thought, I can’t just pronounce this in a Western sort of way… So, I said, ‘Okay, if [the way] I’m pronouncing Bob gets a reaction like this and I have to build a story around why I pronounce Bob in a certain way, that also informs the way my accent should be for the character.”

“Also, in the back of my head, I’m thinking that I don’t want her to be too much of a caricature. So, I have to find a balance between the two worlds having a strong enough accent to justify why I pronounce Bob [that way] and still not being caricature of my people. After finding a way to meld those two characteristics together, I then later on have to think about how to make it more intelligible for our audience. The way I’m going to approach the accent of the character in Nigeria… specifically geared to Nigerians is very different than I will an American [audience]…” 

While Olowofoyeku feels that she and Abishola have very different personalities, she also believes that they both contain an inner strength of character.

“[Abishola and I are] extremely different,” she contends. “We have the fundamental things in common. We’re both Nigerian, both raised in Nigeria and then we made the move to America at some point in my life. But, I’m a lot edgier and crazier than she is. I’m not as strict. Certainly, I’m not as devout as she is. I certainly wouldn’t push my child to become a doctor because that was done to me in a different way and I don’t think that’s right. That being said, we also have a tenacity and a strength. There’s a tenacity and strength that I see in women. I grew up [seeing that in] my mother and my auntie–both Nigerian women–and all women, really, But, in molding this character, I drew from characteristics I’ve seen in Nigerian women growing up.” 

Having immigrated from Nigeria herself, Olowofoyeku has some understanding of what it means to start one’s life over in a new culture. Nevertheless, while she believes that the show’s depiction of the immigrant experience remains relatively realistic, she also argues that her character’s journey remains quite different than her own.

“It cannot be accurate to my [experience] because my set of circumstances are completely different from Abishola,” she argues. “I moved here my own, I didn’t have a child and I didn’t move in with family… So, it wasn’t similar in that regard. However, I do think it’s still authentic. It’s authentic for those particular set of circumstances. It’s very common to see a Nigerian move to a foreign country and move in with family members that already established themselves there and, in an effort to save money, house together so that the income is based on whatever they’ve all got. So, I think it’s extremely realistic. And I see the dynamic between our Abishola and her Auntie and Uncle as realistic as well. There’s a lot of respect that’s shown in the Nigerian family, regardless of who’s right or wrong and the younger always respects the older. You see that with and Abishola. Yeah. So, it’s not specific to my situation, but yeah, I think it’s definitely an accurate depiction.” 

In the midst of the current global pandemic, Olowofoyeku remains passionate about the safety and well-being of those within her home country of Nigeria. As a result, when she was approached by the One Campaign to join them in the call for greater health care, she jumped at the chance to help.

“We’re just starting off this relationship,” she beams excitedly. “Obviously, with the current climate in the entire world, I was wondering how I could be of use and helpful. I was looking for ways that I could be involved a little bit more hands on than just a donation or a couple of words in a post here and there. I really wanted to be involved. [The One Campaign] came to my team and mentioned some of the work that they’re doing and I had an opportunity to talk to them. I was really excited that they were working specifically in Nigeria because I would like to be able to help in whatever way I can. I’m really looking forward to see what we can accomplish together. I like that they’re that’s focused on keeping governments around the world accountable and make sure that they’re looking out for the low income, more vulnerable sectors. They also have a petition going on right now on their website, One.org, and it would be awesome if people could go on there and sign up. (You can access the petition here.) That helps them approach different… governments around the world to make sure that they are providing proper health care for their citizens, especially during this time.” 

Since the current health crisis has caused much of Hollywood to shut down, it comes as no surprise that Bob Hearts Abishola would be affected as well. Although last week’s episode was dubbed the season finale, Olowofoyeku reveals that the season did not end as intended as a result of interruptions due to the current pandemic.

“[That was] not the finale. It’s the last one of the season unfortunately, because we had to stop shooting,” she clarifies. “We were two episodes away from the actual finale. That wasn’t going to be the finale. In fact, we were halfway into the second to last episode and were just about to start filming… If we do get to season two, and I’m really hopeful that we will, then those two episodes will be the first two episodes of the new season.”

In light of this, Olowofoyeku also has idea of what she’d like to see from the series as they move forward. Should they get the chance, she believes that their series has the unique opportunity to give the viewer a window into Nigerian celebrations first hand.

According to Olowofoyeku, “I don’t know if it needs to happen in the second season but I think it would be great to have them go to Nigeria and explore what it’s like landing at the Nigerian airport and have a wedding. Nigerian weddings last for days. We have an introduction, the white wedding, the traditional wedding. We have the Thanksgiving. It’s like a week-long festivity. I think it would be great to find an episode to each other’s days. That would be marvelous. We’ve never seen anything like that before, shooting an American show on foreign soil. I think that would be great. It’s mind-blowing, really… I think our crew and cast would have an amazing time of Nigeria. With the festivities, it would be so much fun.”

For full audio of our interview with Folake, click here.

Bob Hearts Abishola is available on demand now.

Self Isolation Film Festival: Planes, Trains & Automobiles

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A recent Op-Ed piece in the L.A. Times made reference to our current experience of “binary confinement” (as opposed to solitary confinement in prisons). That certainly fits for my wife and me—two people isolated (sort of) from the rest of the world. It’s good that we get along together. (My wife is very forgiving.) But as social isolation drags on, we may all look at the people we are with 24/7 and wish for a break—and those are people we love. What if you were stuck with someone awful? Let’s consider the John Hughes comedy Planes, Trains & Automobiles.

On a business trip to New York, Neal Page (Steve Martin) is rushing to get home to Chicago for Thanksgiving with his family. It is a doomed trip. Even waiting to get out of a meeting takes forever. Trying to get a cab is impossible and when he things he has one, someone else steals it from him before he can get in. That someone, we discover, is Del Griffith (John Candy), a shower curtain ring salesman. They meet in the airport and things continue to go wrong for Neal. He and Del are oil and water, but they end up together in some very difficult situations as various problems send them to Wichita, Jefferson City, St. Louis, and other places. (You might note than none of those places are between New York and Chicago.)

Del is gregarious to the point of being annoying. Try as he might, Neal can’t get Del to be quiet. And due to the various problems they face, that aggravation keeps growing withing Neal. As their trip keeps spiraling into the road trip from Hell, Neal at times reaches his breaking point, exploding in anger.

When I thought of this film for inclusion in our Self-Isolated Film Festival, my memory of the film was that poor Neal had to put up with this jerk. But when I watched the film, I discovered that as annoying as Del may be, he really is a nice guy. He is generous. He has a positive outlook. He is loyal. Neal, on the other hand, is rude, self-centered, and constantly acts superior. Why Del would try to help this jerk get home is a testament to Del’s kindness.

As we face our “binary confinement” (which could include more than just two people), we are bound to hit those times when nerves are on edge, when priorities clash, when habits annoy, when we are provoked to anger. First, we need to remember that these are people we love and who love us. But we might also want to reflect on the relationship between Neal and Del. And remember, when you look at that other person and think they are as annoying as Del, that is also the way they think of you. Then perhaps you’ll be able to channel the kindness and generosity that are the real definition of Del’s character.

Planes, Trains & Automobiles is streaming on Amazon Prime.

Self-Isolation Film Festival: Groundhog Day

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“What would you do if you were stuck in a place and every day was exactly the same?”

Here in California we’ve been instructed to stay at home except for essential reasons. Kids are out of school. Some have online classes, some don’t. Churches are happening by online video. It doesn’t take long for Tuesday to be just like Monday which is just like Thursday…. So perhaps this is a good time to see what lessons can be found in a film about a man who relives a single day over and over: Groundhog Day.

When Phil (Bill Murray), a Pittsburgh TV weatherman is sent to Punxsutawney to cover the Groundhog Day activities there, he is less than thrilled. This is the 4th time he’s done this. He hates the small town. He hates the whole Groundhog seeing its shadow concept. And he generally has contempt for everyone, including his enthusiastic and bubbly producer Rita (Andie MacDowell) and cameraman Larry (Chris Elliott). After covering the story with a great deal of sarcasm, the three get stranded in town by a blizzard. When he wakes up the next morning, it’s not the next morning. Everything begins happening just like it did yesterday (which is really today—again). This happens over and over.

Okay. This is a classic movie, so I’m going to guess you’ve seen it. But now that COVID-19 has pushed us all into our homes, separated from the day to day routines that structure our lives, I suggest that Groundhog Day can allow us to look at these times, and especially how we react to them. As the story unfolds, we watch as Phil moves through different stages, and in the process grows to the point that he can move on in his life as a new person—which brings a new day.

At the onset, Phil is cynical and rude. He makes no attempt to hide his animosity from the people around him. When he wakes up on February 2 for the second time, he is confused. He reacts with disbelief and denial. He knows this can’t be happening, but it is. As he relives the day the first few times, he begins to learn little bits and make some subtle changes.

There comes a point where he knows he’s stuck in this day. He moves into a feeling of freedom and anarchy. He can do whatever he wants because in the morning it will all start over. There are no consequences, so why bother with morality? This quickly shifts to a time of anger and resentment. Which in turn evolves into despair. Even killing himself is no escape, because the yesterday morning keeps happening.

It is when he sees how empty his life is that he begins a new approach—one of altruism, caring for other people, and celebrating the joys of the day. He saves a life and saves a child from falling out of a tree. He learns French and how to play the piano. (Both of those are to impress Rita.) He becomes connected (over reliving this day so many times) with everyone in the town. They all like him, and he likes them. His life and his attitude have totally changed from what they were in that first February 2. What a difference a day makes (when you live it several thousand times).

This story clearly has a bit of Hindu and Buddhist thought involved in it. The whole idea of regeneration and living live many times is very tied to those Eastern religions. The film also seems to find humor in karma catching up with Phil from time to time. One of the key messages for the film is that we reap what we sow. When Phil treats people like trash, he gets no love in return, but when he shows love to others, his life is filled with their joy.

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So, as we sit at home day after day, week after week doing the same thing, how will we react? How about the others in your house? I expect that, like Phil, most people will go through a whole range of emotions. There will be times of elation, of anger, of fear, of despair, of confusion. We can make our lives and the lives of those around us miserable. That was what Phil does for most of the movie. But we can also, if we open ourselves up to the needs of others, and open ourselves up to learning new things, discover that this time might be filled with joy.

A line from the hymn “Great is Thy Faithfulness” came to mind as I thought about Phil’s final attitude: “Morning by morning new mercies I see.” Even in times such as these when we are all self-isolating trying to slow the spread of a dangerous disease, we can still find new mercies if we set our minds and hearts to that task.

Groundhog Day is currently streaming on Netflix. It is also available for rent on Amazon Prime.