Flick of the Month: Between Two Ferns: The Movie
So often understated are funny movies by funny people. I don’t mean the in-your-face type of funny movies, like the Madea saga or Grown Ups, but the subtle, quirky types of funny movies by quirky and funny people. By this, I mean Between Two Ferns: The Movie, of course.
Starring Zach Galifianakis (which I spelt correctly on the first try, by the way), the beautiful Lauren Lapkus, Ryan Gaul, several cameos from A-list celebrities like Barack Obama and Keanu Reeves and more, the film is the creation of Scott Aukerman, who is quite possibly one of the funniest people in the business.
Now, this one isn’t for everyone: If you like Monty Python, you’ll probably enjoy it as much as I did. However, not everyone has such a silly sense of humor. If you’re a tough critic on absurdist comedy or goofiness, this probably isn’t as much of your style.
Zach plays a character by his same name in a mockumentary-style film. He and his crew of fellow goofs have to quickly find 10 high-profile celebrities to interview around the country at the risk of losing his talk show. His show involves interviewing stars, which typically results in a lot of hilarious insults and a thorough roasting of the individual. Zach gets to sit down and ridicule Matthew McConaughey, John Legend, David Letterman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Brie Larson, and so many more. Just when you think you’ve seen the last cameo, another hugely unexpected celebrity pops in, and such is the style of the movie.
Zach does an insanely good job with deadpan humor and absurdity. His costars like Lapkus and Gaul share the same affinity for goofy, straight-faced comedy, and their on-screen energy together is so perfectly silly.
What warms my heart when little else in this movie does is that Zach’s crew sticks by him throughout his urgent and messy journey. They know full-well that audiences are laughing at him and not with him, but they still put in the effort to help him cultivate his dreams of hosting a successful talk show. No matter how many times I watch this, it continues to make me laugh in each and every viewing. It’s not often that you get to see someone make fun of A-listers, but, boy, is it a great time. Check this one out on Netflix – run, don’t walk!
Show of the Month: Inventing Anna
Fresh from Shondaland comes Inventing Anna, the real-life tale of a young woman scamming millions of dollars out of New York’s elite. Though the show dramatizes the real story and somewhat glorifies the ever-intriguing Anna Delvey, viewers will still be amazed at just how fragile the social scene can be.
Anna Delvey, or Anna Sorokin, persuades dozens of upper-class New Yorkers that she is a German heiress with millions upon millions of dollars in her trust fund. Being too young for her overseas trust fund to be released, she convinces luxurious hoteliers, friends, investors and everyone else to offer her their finest rooms, fashion, lines of credit, and much more in order to make her latest dream a reality. She wanted to create the Anna Delvey Foundation: an exclusive social club saved only for the richest of the rich. Somehow, someway, this penniless girl gets an immense amount of cash and other free benefits simply by pretending to belong and by promising wire-transfers that never seem to arrive.
You can tell this is the work of Shonda Rhimes by the extra drama, romance and scandal thrown into the limited Netflix series, but it still tells the story of a poor, foreign girl miraging as an incredibly wealthy, uppity and entitled socialite. In this series, appearance is everything. Appearances, as Anna shows us, will even let you get away with stealing a jet – at first.
Julia Garner, the actress depicting the heiress, put in a lot of effort to nail the Russian/German/Americanized accent. A circulating Jimmy Fallon interview with Julia shows her seamless development of the unique accent. According to the real Anna, she doesn’t think she sounds quite like that. However, if there’s one thing we can tell from the real-life scammer, it’s that her self-awareness is a little lacking.
Sorokin doesn’t see herself as a con artist and consequently feels little remorse for burning those in her wake. She didn’t want the public thinking of her as a scam artist just looking for a rich lifestyle. She convinced everyone around her of her passion for building her social club. The real Anna said she didn’t have to do much to get ahold of these high-price-tag designer items, food and hotel rooms; she just had to ask.
“I’m not this person who is trying to trick her way into stuff,” said the real Anna in a 60 Minutes Australia interview. “I just asked them, and they either said yes or no.”
It’s just amazing how many people Anna Sorokin fooled, and it is shocking to see just how easy it was. Shonda Rhimes’ additions to the story make for a fascinating watch that becomes even more fascinating once you start to compare the series to the true story. Oh, and if you’ve seen it, you know how hard the Morocco trip was to watch. That part? All true.
After you stream the nine-episode limited series on Netflix, you may be encapsulated by the real story, just as I am! Give it a chance and enjoy the rabbit hole Inventing Anna guides you down.
