Seth Rogen delivers as newly appointed studio head who doesn’t make a good first impression.
Seth Rogen has another entertaining AppleTV+ series after “Platonic.” It’s called “The Studio,” and he and Evan Goldberg co-create and co-direct this satire on big studios and what quality their films produce.
I’ve always been a big fan of Rogen in comedies (“Knocked Up,” “Superbad,” “This is the End,” etc.), animation (“The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” “Monsters vs. Aliens, “Sausage Party,” etc.), and dramas (“Steve Jobs,” “Take This Waltz,” and “The Fabelmans”), and I think on AppleTV shows, he knows how to bring out his mannerisms, whether we agree with his characters’ choices or not. “The Studio” is another wise example,
As the show begins, the head of Continental Studios named Patty (Catherine O’Hara) gets fired, and the big man Griffin Mill (Bryan Cranston taking over the role made famous by Tim Robbins in “The Player”) offers the job to long time employee Matt Remick (Rogen). His philosophy to him is: “We don’t make films. We make movies that people want to pay to see.”
Matt has better taste in movies than the studio can conjure up, especially since he drives a 60s car. But he’s roped into making a Kool Aid film. The head of marketing is Maya (Kathryn Hahn), who needs Matt to head in a “Barbie” direction, and his closest friends are his assistant Quinn (Chase Sui Wonders) and the executive Sal Seperstein (Ike Barinholtz).
We also get scenes of fake movie scenes with Paul Dano, Greta Lee, Josh Hutcherson, among others, and meetings with Nicholas Stoller, Martin Scorsese, and Sarah Polley, among others. And it all feels so expensive, yet never self-congratulatory or predictable. We’re given a two episode premiere this week, but so far, we know that Matt is starting to make a bad first impression. The kind that would make Charlize Theron make him and Sal to leave her big party.
Not all the gags deliver, but “The Studio” still has a nostalgic feel to the movie world and the current Oscar-worthy hits of late like “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” I love how the camera moves left and right, as if it wants to channel on Sam Mendes’ “1917.” In fact, the second episode focuses on a oner and they use this movie as a reference.
Every day, I question the movie industry about whether they make certain movies as brainstorming ideas for entertainment or cash grabs. This show makes me think about that, and I have my comments on Continental Studios, and seeing Rogen’s character screw up makes my viewing experience pleasurable. Again, we were given two episodes so far, but I can’t wait to see how the rest of the series pays off.
Streaming on AppleTV+
