ginabilly

I've read all the reviews here as of May 21, 2022, and not a single one resonates with how I feel about this show, so I'm writing my own.

First of all, as I write this on May 21, 2022, only three episodes of this show have aired. So how can anyone possibly have definitive feelings about a show after seeing just 3 episodes?? As of today, I'm giving it a solid 7, but I will certainly update this review after I've watched the entire first season.

Based on the 3 episodes I have seen, I think this show has potential. It's far too early to judge how the characters might (or might not) develop, and how the general plot of the show will progress. What I can tell you is that it's funny so far, and it has promise. Is it the funniest show I've ever seen? Of course not. How can any show be that great just 3 eps in? Shows like this need time to develop, and we just don't know yet where the story is going to take us.

What I do know is that the premise feels a bit fresh and orginal, and I like that. Someone here compared it to I Love Lucy, and said that neither this show nor I Love Lucy, are funny. Huh? That just makes no sense to me. I don't think this show resembles I Love Lucy at all, and I think both shows are funny. Someone else said the show is "woke" because it has Black and Brown people in the cast?? If diversity in casting offends you to the point where you're using words like "woke" in the pejorative, I think you've got other issues. I'll just leave it at that.

Back to the show: I think it's going to be much funnier to you if you've actually watched home shopping channels for any length of time. I have (they were a thing I watched pretty frequently in the 90s/early 2000s when I was trying to fall asleep at night) so in that respect, the show resonates with me. One thing I've always found interesting about home shopping channel hosts is how incredibly fake they appear. Always happy, chipper, and selling you things you don't need. I have always been fascinated by their on-air personas and if they actually match their off-air personas, and I LOVE that this show confronts that head-on. It's a premise that's rife with comedic potential and so far it has given me some good laughs. I hope it continues to do so. I'll let you know after the season ends. So far so good.

Putting aside any preconceived notices you may have about Amy, I think that if you're looking for an honest portrayal of what a lot of women go through as they approach 40, you will be richly rewarded if you watch this show.

The story of Beth is funny, poignant, dark, and brutally honest in its portrayal of what it's like to be a woman in her late 30s who's coping with loss, childhood trauma, a job that's unfulfilling, and a relationship that probably should have ended a long time ago. Beth's life is messy, and she doesn't always make the right choices, just like most of us. But you'll find yourself rooting for her, especially as the show gives us flashbacks to her childhood and we gain insight as to why she is the way she is. The flashbacks are brilliantly done here, and the supporting cast in both the flashbacks and modern day is excellent.

I especially admire Amy's devotion to actual reality when it comes to the things women go through. One little thing, early in the season, is the portrayal of getting your period. Most shows, if they're going to portray something like this, will show you one or two tiny droplets of blood. Uh, sorry but that's not reality. Without getting too graphic, let's just say that if you're a woman who's gotten her period in the shower before, you'll absolutely appreciate how realistic the portrayal of that is on this show. Again, it's a tiny thing but I'm mentioning it as an example of how much this show actually rings true. It doesn't feel like a sanitized, network version of womanhood, and I really appreciate that.

I'm giving this one a solid 8 and I will absolutely watch if Hulu renews it for a 2nd season. I would say that if you enjoyed HBO's series Somebody, Somewhere or Hulu's series PEN15, you will absolutely enjoy this one. It's sort of a combo of both of those shows, IMO.

If you're in the mood for a movie that's packed full of unintentional comedy, this one's for you! I went into this looking for a cheesy Lifetime movie (I'm guessing if you're reading this review, you are sometimes in the mood for those too), so my expectations were already low. But oh boy. Where to start??

Ok first of all, none of the characters in this film behave like actual human beings would behave in these situations. Imagine having a horrible thing happen to you or another family member, and then just being like, "Wow, that was scary. So do you wanna go get some ice cream?" Like, no call to the police, no sign of being visibly distraught after a trauma, and just "Yeah let's get ice cream!" and then they never discuss the horrible event that just happened. That's what these characters do every time something bad happens, and then the NEXT time something bad happens, they never stop and think hey, why are all these bad things happening? Maybe we should call the police? Nope. It's like the characters in this movie are just vehicles for the plot points, and making them behave like actual humans is something the writers and director weren't at all concerned with.

And not only is the script lazy, but the production is as well. Without giving anything away, there's a scene where one character asks another character out to dinner. He even makes a point of saying the name of the restaurant out loud. He says to meet him at a French restaurant by the river called "Lafayette's Cafe." So when they get to the restaurant and walk in, I'm expecting to see signage that says "Lafayette's Cafe." NOPE. When they walk in, the camera literally focuses on a sign attached to the hostess's podium that says "Cohen's Retreat." Turns out, that's an actual restaurant in Georgia (where this movie was filmed). Lol they couldn't even be bothered to replace the signage in the real restaurant to match the name of the fictional restaurant! And it's not like this was a quick little slip. The camera literally lingers on the sign for Cohen's Retreat for about five seconds as they walk in. Lol I can't stop thinking about that.

Lastly, some of the actors in this movie gave some really bad performances. I don't want to say they're bad actors, because let's face it, they didn't have a lot to work with in this script where nothing makes sense and everyone is treated like a cliche. But boy was the acting flat in a lot of scenes.

I'm giving this movie two stars because while it was horrible (even for a Lifetime movie), the 3rd act was just SO bad and SO cheesy that it was entertaining. In a so-bad-it's-good kind of way. I guarantee that if you make it that far, you will be laughing out loud. So that's kind of a reward for making it to the end, although probably not the reward the filmmakers intended.

PS: I have to mention that in one scene where a character throws coffee into another character's face, you can see that the coffee BARELY touches the character's face. I'm talking just a tiny splash on the cheek. But in the very next shot, the character already has "burns" on his face from the coffee. I'm talking huge red burns where, two seconds prior, we literally saw that the coffee didn't touch that part of his face! And I'm sorry but burns take a while to develop on skin. You don't get raised burns on your skin two seconds after being burned. And in places where the heat source didn't even come in contact with your skin lol. Also, the coffee didn't even look hot. No steam coming up from the coffee cup or anything like that, and it was clear that it wasn't freshly made coffee. Again, so bad and so cheesy. I bet there are even more gems like this (and the restaurant signage) that I missed, so keep your eyes peeled for them!