Netflix has been a boon to many in these uncertain times of furloughing and isolation, and its regular cycling of fresh content today brings us a pair of new movies and the second season of a sitcom.
An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn is a bizarre comedy from The Greasy Strangler writer-director Jim Hosking. The story centers on Lulu Danger, a small town waitress working in a coffee shop managed by her insecure husband, who attends the titular event due to its star attraction being a man she has an at-first unexplained history with. Prior to this, a series of convoluted interpersonal encounters play out, performed by a cast studded with talented actors known for comedy, including Aubrey Plaza, Craig Robinson, Jermaine Clement and Matt Berry, who manage to elevate material that is at times a little too surreal for its own good.
Elsewhere, stand-up comedians progressing to headlining a sitcom is nothing new and with Mr. Iglesias, Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias joins their ranks. Here, he plays a history teacher and recovering alcoholic working at the same public high school he himself attended as a teenager, doing all he can to help the pupils in his charge to realize their potential. Iglesias brings the same kind of warm affability as he does to his stand-up routines, but the show also doesn’t shy away from issues that low-income kids have to deal with.
Finally is Hope Ranch, a family drama wisely renamed from its porn-esque original title of Riding Faith. It revolves around a teenage girl whose idyllic life is thrown into turmoil following the death of her military father while he’s on deployment. As she and her mother struggle to make ends meet, they do what they can to keep hope alive and persevere through the tough times that end up bringing them closer together.
All three titles aren’t especially taxing viewing, and sometimes that’s exactly the kind of thing you need, especially when reality becomes too much to deal with and you need something to temporarily take you away from it.
Published: Jun 17, 2020 08:06 am