My Old Ass

Director: Megan Park
Starring: Maisy Stella, Aubrey Plaza, Percy Hynes-White, Maddie Ziegler, Kerrice Brooks, Maria Dizzia, Alexandria Rivera, Al Goulem, Seth Isaac Johnson, Carter Trozzolo
Running Time: 89 min.
Rating: R

★★★ ½ (out of ★★★★)   

In the opening ten minutes of her sophomore effort My Old Ass, writer/director Megan Park immediately rips the band-aid off a premise that's deeper and more complex than you'd assume from its off-putting title. But despite a high concept plot, this coming-of-age dramedy about a teen encountering her future self barely contains a hint of sci-fi hijinks, with Park foregoing the usual plot machinations to focus on exploring universally resonant themes sure to strike a nostalgic chord.  

On the surface, it's about a good kid at a crossroads, looking to escape her family and small town but anxious about what lies ahead and unable to recognize how good she has it. Fun and free spirited, she's yet to experience the same soul crushing disappointment as her cynical middle-aged counterpart, moving through life without ever stopping to take it all in. At least until coming face-to-face with this visitor who's deliberately vague about what the future holds and why she's there. But at the story's core is an unusually smart teen romance carried by two talented leads that's sincere enough to invoke comparisons to mainstream comedies of decades past. 

18-year-old Elliot (Maisy Stella) is living on her parents' cranberry farm in Muskoka Lakes, Ontario, spending her final weeks before leaving for college boating with friends Ro (Kerrice Brooks) and Ruthie (Maddie Ziegler) while hooking up with longtime crush Chelsea (Alexandria Rivera). But when Elliott goes camping to celebrate her birthday and indulges in tea laced with hallucinogenic shrooms, it leads to a trippy encounter with a woman claiming to be her 39-year-old self. After providing reasonable evidence of her identity, she cautions young Elliott to appreciate the time she has with her family and stay away from someone named "Chad."

Though she still communicates via text, future Elliott disappears, but while skinny-dipping in the lake the next day, the teen meets Chad (Percy Hynes White), a boy spending the summer working for her dad. Despite Elliott trying to keep her distance, she quickly develops feelings for him, causing her to question whether she really is gay. But when news concerning her parents' farm prompts Elliott to reexamine everything she thought she knew, her older self delivers the dire warning she's been understandably hesitant to reveal.          

The movie has a lot of fun with the fact Stella and Plaza look nothing alike, as Elliott wastes no time picking apart and mocking her middle aged self, playfully criticizing everything from her appearance to being a Phd student in her late thirties. And with that back and forth, what seems like physically incongruent casting evolves into an oddly perfect match, with Stella's quick wit and straightforward delivery balancing out Plaza's droll sarcasm. Park also wisely avoids getting bogged down in details regarding whether this woman is the imaginary product of a psychedelic trip or an actual time traveler, either of which becomes increasingly irrelevant to the story's progression.   

Willing to answer some questions and offer guidance, Elliott's future self treads carefully, aware of the unwanted problems her interference could cause. And once she temporarily exits, the film sneaks up on you, as you'd be hard-pressed to find leads with better chemistry than the magnetic Stella and an underappreciated Percy Hynes-White. Together or apart, they're hilarious, intelligent, likable and up to the dramatic task when the narrative shifts into heavier terrain.  

Park doesn't take her eyes off the ball, knowing how specifics can set a smaller project like this apart. Actually shot on location in Muskoka Lakes, the film doesn't only look great, but real, having a distinct sense of time and place that distinguishes it from your typical small generic movie town. Sidestepping tired tropes, it also contains the kind of clever humor only present in well written scripts about everyday people. One such instance involves Elliott's little brother's hilarious redecorating choice when he moves into her room, a sight gag so random it can't help but earn big laughs.  

Though both versions of the character are navigating entirely different stages of life, Park doesn't squander the gift she's given with Plaza's presence, who does some of the best work of her career in just a few scenes. Keeping her in the background takes guts, it's also the right call, amplifying an already impactful performance when it takes center stage. But claiming the story takes a major turn sells Park's intentions short, falsely applying a big "gotcha" to the only logical culmination of events. And yet these final minutes are still pretty shocking, not just because of what occurs, but how woefully unprepared we are, having already let our guards down. 

While Plaza's total screen time barely exceeds twelve minutes, her last moments are the picture's most important, sticking a dagger through viewers' hearts and the character's. Known for her dry humor and deadpan delivery, she's already shown the breadth of her dramatic skills in Ingrid Goes West and Emily The Criminal, but even that can't prepare you for what she does in this single scene. Conveying a whole range of emotional introspection, future Elliott unloads a burden she realizes her younger self shouldn't be asked to carry. At least not yet. 

Young Elliott's response suggests a teen already wise beyond her years, now committing to the present with the knowledge it'll all someday disappear. Not letting this control or dictate her choices won't change what's ahead, but it does lead to an important shift, as both versions of themselves are newly connected in a way they weren't at the film's start. And in pulling that off, Park deliver a touching treatise on growing up and growing older, with hardly a misstep to be found. The more it develops, the better it gets, evolving into a rare feel good comedy that still somehow still leaves you wrecked when the credits roll.                                

Emily the Criminal

Director: John Patton Ford
Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Theo Rossi, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Gina Gershon, Jonathan Avigdori, Bernardo Badillo, John Billingsley, Brandon Sklenar
Running Time: 93 min.
Rating: R 

★★★ (out of ★★★★) 

A smart, tight, efficient crime thriller, nearly everything in writer/director John Patton Ford's feature debut, Emily the Criminal, works. One of its biggest strengths is in intelligently presenting a basic plot that injects the characters and story with a realism that forces you to closely examine a social conundrum more universal than you'd first assume. It's both a character study and edge-of-your-seat drama, buoyed by a lead breakthrough performance from an actress who's been gradually building to a role like this for the past few years. 

The plot moves quickly and logically, with barely a moment to take a breathe, or attempt to poke holes in a narrative that has very few. You're never taken out of the story, in large part due to Aubrey Plaza's steely, fiery turn, which depends so little on her protagonist's likability. In fact, she's often unlikable. But whether you view her as a victim, someone who made a series of awful choices, or both, all that matters is she's trapped, with seemingly no way out other than submerging herself in the criminal underworld.

One bad decision leads to another and things escalate to alarming levels, as we fear for the title character's safety and sanity, regardless of how careless she may have been with it herself. But there's also this sense of a white collar economic system that could have just as easily taken down someone who did dutifully play by the rules. Initially, she wants to do the right thing, but crime becomes a more enticing option when faced with the institutional obstacles preventing her from earning an honest living. But the true tragedy is in how these events cause her to drift from that goal altogether.

Emily Benetto (Plaza) is living in Los Angeles and drowning in student loan debt while delivering food as an independent contractor for a catering company. A pair of previous felony convictions has prevented her from obtaining well-paying employment, so when a co-worker gives her a number for a mysterious job, she's interested. Upon arriving at the location, she discovers it's a credit card fraud ring run by a man named Youcef (Theo Rossi) that can earn her $200 in one hour. After reluctantly purchasing a flat-screen TV with a fake i.d. and credit card, Emily agrees to more jobs, which become increasingly dangerous. 

As Emily grows closer to Youcef, he takes her under his wing, showing her how to make fake cards and giving valuable advice on how to rake in more cash and protect herself. With Youcef's cousin and business partner, Khalil (Jonathan Avigdori) getting suspicious of their relationship, Emily's best friend from high school, Liz (Megalyn Echikunwoke), tries landing her an interview at her advertising firm. Torn between taking a straight and narrow path with little guarantee of financial success or embarking on a lucrative, but risky criminal career, Emily's at a crossroads that could carry life and death consequences.

When we're first introduced the sullen, exasperated Emily, it's abundantly obvious her DUI and assault convictions make finding gainful employment near impossible. Knowing she'll be rejected for any position, it's gotten to the point where she's now self sabotaging every interview before it starts. While it's true these employers do already have their minds made up, the script and Plaza's performance bring more nuance to it. The movie's not particularly concerned with turning Emily into a heroine, openly acknowledging what brought her to this low place weren't just "mistakes," but consciously bad decisions. Viewers will feel different ways about her, but judgments are put on hold once she enters that warehouse. From then on, the movie grabs hold and doesn't let go. 

There's nail-biting suspense and panic in whether she'll get away with these scams, as all the potential pitfalls and complications play out, sometimes violently. A sequence in which she's fraudulently purchasing a luxury car is almost unbearable to watch, with the clock counting down the minutes she has to escape unscathed. And it only gets tenser from there, despite leaning on Youcef for guidance and learning on the job how to execute under pressure. As it turns out, she's very good at it, and arguably better than her boyfriend mentor, commanding a respect that eludes him, especially when it comes to his handling of a brewing family threat.

Plaza's most gripping scenes involve a distressed Emily maneuvering her way out of life threatening scenarios, but the actress is even better when her character attempts to take the upper hand, like when verbally thrashing managers using gig economy loopholes to screw her over. There's an interview scene opposite Gina Gershon's ad exec where Emily just completely lets loose, not only exposing this woman as a pompous blowhard, but forcing her to briefly entertain how ridiculous her proposition truly is. Could Emily have handled it differently? Given the chip on her shoulder, that's unlikely and also wouldn't fit. Instead it's best to just revel in Plaza's trademark sarcasm, weaponized to darkly biting effect here. 

Any perceived obstacles thought to be preventing Plaza from becoming a major movie star feel as if they've been shattered with this role. The idea that her screen persona was always too quirky and deadpan, or better suited for comedic sidekick roles was already challenged with her work in Ingrid Goes West and Black Bear, but this really busts those doors wide open. Emily's exact age is in question, but we're led to reasonably assume Plaza's playing close to a decade younger, and is completely pulling it off. She's sort of unrecognizable, not due to any drastic change in her physical appearance, but because it's so jarring seeing her own a part like this, proving she's capable of carrying her own action franchise should that opportunity materialize. And now it might. 

To his credit, Theo Rossi matches Plaza step-for-step with his quietly effective performance as Youcef, initially presenting himself as kind of a low-level thug who slowly comes out of his shell to reveal he's not much different from Emily. He had goals, and still does, but the deck's been stacked, causing him to follow a shadier path. The romance that develops between the two is credible and entirely understandable, with Plaza and Rossi sharing a natural chemistry that reflect how both characters see themselves in each other. Their relationship feels organic and far from the hindrance it would be in a lesser thriller, instead upping the stakes of what each have to lose.  

There's a relentless momentum that carries this through the final act, making it hard to turn away. What Emily ultimately does in the end is less a plot contrivance than the last stop in a series of deliberate steps, and then past that, to a closing scene that fittingly bookends the film. It also comes wrapped in a scathing social commentary, as we realize no matter how much potential or work ethic she has, it won't be enough to escape capitalism's chokehold. The result is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If society wants her to be a criminal then that's what she'll become and there's no turning back. The story's simple, but Emily isn't, full of contradictions, yet remaining remarkably consistent in her approach and attitude. And for Plaza, this marks a true turning point that properly showcases the full depth and range of her talent.                           

Happiest Season

 

Director: Clea DuVall
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Mackenzie Davis, Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza, Dan Levy, Mary Holland, Victor Garber, Mary Steenburgen, Ana Gasteyer, Jake McDorman, Sarayu Blue, Timothy Simons, Lauren Lapkus
Running Time: 102 min.
Rating: PG-13 

★★★ (out of ★★★★) 

Going strictly by appearances, Hulu's original holiday feature, Happiest Season, would seem to be the fluffiest of romantic comedies, going down fairly easily while providing little in the way of sustaining value. But what's most surprising about director/co-writer Clea DuVall's semi-autobiographical effort is how in taking what could have easily been a one-joke premise stretched very thin, it actively exposes itself as a smart human drama.With its fair share of laughs sandwiched in between some cringy moments, it tackles a scenario you'd figure happens a lot, though not as deliberately kooky as we see here. How such a dream team of a cast was assembled for this starts to become less of a question the longer it runs, with the material conveying a certain level of self-awareness we're unsure it possesses at the start.

It's easy to initially be taken aback by a premise that takes elements that are questionably funny on paper and blends them together to make a point in a way that is. And it cleverly does so with good writing and worthwhile characters, enabling us to laugh without guilt at how terribly most of them behave. Snickering, eye-rolling and face palms are more common than laugh-out loud moments, but it just keeps picking up steam. And then there's that cast, comprised of fan favorites few expected to be sharing screen time together, much less in a Christmas comedy that appropriately showcases all of their strengths.

Lesbian couple Abby Holland (Kristen Stewart) and Harper Caldwell (Mackenzie Davis) have been dating almost a year when Harper invites her to spend the holidays with her family in their hometown. Still harboring a dislike for Christmas stemming from her parents' deaths, Abby reluctantly agrees to the trip, even planning a marriage proposal on Christmas morning. Unfortunately, Harper failed to clue her in on the detail that she not only hasn't told her image-conscious family about their relationship, but hasn't come out to her parents. 

At Harper's insistence, Abby pretends to be her straight roommate, at least until her father Ted's (Victor Garber) mayoral campaign is over and the holidays pass. But they'll also have to pull one over on Harper's perfectionist mother, Tipper (Mary Steenburgen), eccentric sister Jane (co-writer Mary Holland) and uppity older sister Sloane (Alison Brie). If that's not already an extremely uncomfortable situation, Abby must also contend with the surprise returns of Harper's high school exes Connor (Jake McDorman) and Riley (Aubrey Plaza). Relying on best friend John (Dan Levy) for emotional support, Abby's doubtful she and Harper's relationship can survive this visit, unless the latter decides to tell her family the truth.

This has all the makings of a dumb screwball farce, and while some of that's definitely present, what stands out most is just how terribly the protagonist is treated early on. Abby takes a lot of abuse from Harper and her family, to the point where you really start to question what the movie's up to or how could it possibly land in a place that's comedically satisfying given the assumptions we're left to make about these people. Aside from being labeled an "orphan" (in an admittedly funny bit), framed for shoplifting and facing other humiliating indignities for going along with her girlfriend's charade, Abby's sidelined as Harper spends most of this time with her ex-boyfriend.  

The Caldwells are so hung up on their public image that the characters threaten to veer into outright parody, if not for Garber and Steenburgen's game performances preventing the portrayals from going off the deep end. And that's a very good thing considering it's tough to name a more discomforting set-up right now than wealthy, conservative parents potentially shunning their adult gay daughter. But by honestly owning that premise rather than backing away from it with the low-brow humor expected from such a set-up, we're invested. DuVall and Holland's script is actually interested in the "why?" attached to this idea and from that spawns most of the picture's biggest laughs.          

Stewart seems so much more comfortable and relaxed on screen lately that it's hard to even remember the time when "awkward" was the most popular adjective the media ascribed to her acting style and entire persona. Here, she's actually called upon to deliberately channel that quality in a situation where she's playing the aggrieved party, unintentionally victimized by her girlfriend's inability to break free from her parents' shackles. Stewart has a lot to do, but she's more than up for it, and has a great screen partner in Mackenzie Davis, with their chemistry together providing all the explanation necessary as to why her character's willing to put up with this. 

Davis, who had "future star" written all over when she played rebellious computer programmer Cameron Howe on AMC's criminally underrated Halt and Catch Fire, now gets a somewhat larger platform to impress. Despite some big screen starts and stops since, watching her in this only reaffirms the possibility of her really breaking through is still very much on the table. Harper's treatment of Abby is basically borderline-awful, but Davis still finds a way to find truth in the character, subtly conveying that most of her behavior stems from an almost understandable level of fear and insecurity given the dysfunctional family environment in which she was raised. That they've gone so far out of their way to appear perfectly functional seems to be at the root of Harper's issues, with us rooting for her to literally come out from under them before Abby becomes another romantic casualty. 

Aubrey Plaza fans have good reason to celebrate her smallish, but pivotal role as Harper's ex Riley, as her cool, sarcastic wit is used to maximum effect in a surprisingly compelling sub-plot with Abby that doesn't exactly play out as you'd expect. Anyone checking this out for the actress alone won't be dissappointed as she casually comes in and hits all her marks in that distinctive Aubrey Plaza way, making everything weirder and better. 

While it's also great to see Alison Brie back playing elitist snobs since few do it better, recent Schitt's Creek Emmy winner Dan Levy is cast exactly as you'd hope as Abby's practical and brutally honest friend John, giving Plaza some legitimate competition in the sarcasm department. His part only increases in entertainment value the more immersed he finds himself in this crazy situation, which delightfully flies even further off the rails in the last act. 

If the very release of this has garnered praise for being the rare mainstream Hollywood romantic comedy centered around a same sex couple featuring major stars, DuVall sort of flips that script by incorporating that long-standing institutional prejudice into the story itself in the form of these wealthy, perfectionist parents and adult children too obsessed with image to realize that obsession is the worst look of all. Many might find that the ending wraps things up too tidily, but for a comedy, it's kind of refreshingly messy, getting where it needs to go by taking a circuitous route that works for the story. 

Enjoyable not because of its topic, but how it's handled, we're invited to spend over an hour and half with people who feel authentic, brought to life by actors who make us appreciate their quirks. DuVall juggles a lot of balls in the air as the humorous hijinks and misunderstandings pile up, but most of that pales in comparison to the well-developed characters we begrudgingly grow to care about in wildly different ways. Headlined by two actresses completely at ease in their roles, Happiest Season avoids insulting our intelligence, likely pleasing even those turned off by the very idea of another holiday rom-com.

Safety Not Guaranteed

Director: Colin Trevorrow
Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Mark Duplass, Jake Johnson, Karan Soni, Jenica Bergere, Kristen Bell, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Jeff Garlin
Running Time: 86 min.
Rating: R

★★★★ (out of ★★★★) 

"Wanted: Somebody to go back in time with me. This is not a joke. P.O. Box 91 Ocean View, WA 99393. You'll get paid after we get back. Must bring your own weapons. Safety not guaranteed. I have only done this once before."

It isn't often a film's synopsis is a classified ad, but that ad above is actually based on a real one placed as a gag in a 1997 issue of  Backwoods Home Magazine. It provides the loose inspiration for Safety Not Guaranteed, which shouldn't be considered a time travel movie, at least not in the strictest sense. And yet while this really isn't "about" time travel the entire movie still manages to rest on the "idea" of it. The ad probably could have inspired at least ten equally different but still inspired stories, but director Colin Trevorrow and screenwriter Derek Connolly still somehow knew the deepest, most interesting angle of approach. That's why criticisms that this becomes just another low-budget indie romance if you take away the time travel element would be wrong. It takes a certain type of person to place an ad like that and also a certain type of person to respond. It's about reading between the lines. Are they really looking for someone to travel back in time with them or it it something else? The answer is more complicated than you'd think going in. Since the nature of traveling through time is built on a desire to go back and change the past it makes sense that anyone this obsessed with the idea would likely be full of regret and have something big to fix. We can all relate, which is why during a movie we can always accept the "idea" behind time travel and then talk about how crazy and unrealistic it is when we get out of the theater. And it is. But someone's desire to isn't. Here's a movie that finally calls us out on that. 

Darius Britt (Aubrey Plaza) is a lonely, depressed college grad living at home with her widowed father (Jeff Garlin) while interning at a Seattle magazine for a bitchy boss (Mary Lynn Rajskub). When cocky writer Jeff Schwensen (Jake Johnson) proposes pursuing this lead of a guy putting out a classified ad for a time traveling companion, he chooses Darius and nerdy biology major Arnau (Karan Soni) to join him. But his real motivation for the trip is to hook up with his old high school girlfriend Liz (Jenica Bergere), while dumping all the grunt work on his two lowly interns. The man behind the ad is an eccentric supermarket clerk named Kenneth Callaway (Mark Duplass) and Darius seems to be the only one capable of connecting with him on any level, making her the ideal candidate to pose as his potential time traveling partner. She soon finds out that he's dead serious and is frantically putting the wheels in motion for this mission to take place as their relationship grows closer.  Where he wants to go, why he feels he needs to and how it dovetails with everyone's story, would be giving away too much, but it all together constitutes the essence of the film. With Darius' feelings for Kenneth deepening, she must confront the fact that either this guy is completely crazy and needs help or there could actually be something to his time travel project. It's surprising how much evidence points the latter, while the former still remains very likely. 

There comes a point where it almost ceases to matter whether Kenneth is really telling the truth or not, whether he's sane or not, and of course, whether he's really invented a time machine. The story is about so many other interesting things that his plan becomes the vehicle for which the other characters can find a release. In a sense, they're no different than he his and are going through something similar, but in different ways. All three are dealing with major regret in their past while one of them is still at the point where he's capable of preventing it. For Darius it's the loss of her mother, which seemed to have caused a chain reaction that sent her spiraling into a permanent state of depression that's followed her through high school and college into young adulthood. Haunting Jeff is "the one who got away," leading him to a life of shallow womanizing that's continued into his thirties, a time when many of his contemporaries are settling down. At 22, Arnau still has his whole life ahead of him but won't for long if he doesn't get out there and overcome his fears. If not, he's risking a future as filled with regret as theirs is now. Kenneth's situation is a bit more involved, likely because the details of it are constantly changing, becoming a mystery to everyone but himself. His personal history remains a question mark even past the point the final credits have rolled, despite a finish that's anything but ambiguous.

There's a scene late in the third act where someone from Kenneth's past is tracked down and questioned that's so brutally honest it's almost difficult to watch without cringing. This person says nothing that's overtly malicious, speaking the truth as succinctly and sympathetically as possible, but just hearing it is so hard you're glad he's not there to witness it. It's the the most painful of rejections, cutting right to the bone. If he's making his entire story up, we get why, but if he's being honest about everything, then there's even more to talk about. It also can't be a coincidence the filmmakers chose the year 2001 as his destination point, given all its potential implications. That Kenneth or Darius don't acknowledge this will probably be looked at as some kind of sardonic commentary on self-absorbed young people and maybe that's true but this movie perfectly captures the confusion of your twenties and thirties when you first start seeing things through the rearview mirror, realizing mistakes you made then just might be impossible to undo now. All that's left is what's ahead, and suddenly it's sneaking up on you really fast.

Aubrey Plaza is one of those comedic actresses with a rabid cult of supportive fans who probably want nothing more than for her to carry a truly great movie as its lead. And now she has. My doubts about whether she could do it only stemmed from the uniqueness of the dry, sarcastic, eye-rolling screen persona she's perfected on Parks and Recreation each week. It's great in short bursts but I wasn't so sure it would translate as easily to the big screen without some major adjustments made. What a huge surprise it is then that she gives a performance so sympathetic and sincere, not to mention completely unironic. Yet, she can still call on that trademark dry wit when she needs to, like during her first wacky encounter with Kenneth in the supermarket that's strangely reminiscent of April's interactions with her overgrown kid of a husband Andy on Parks and Rec. Or maybe more accurately, due to the dangerous nature of this mission, Andy's goofy alter ego, FBI agent Burt Macklin, who would probably find this whole thing pretty cool.

Though his name is ubiquitous amongst film buffs alongside his brother Jay as a writer/director, this is the first time we've really gotten a read on Mark Duplass' full range of skills as an actor. And he's staggering, delivering a subtly brilliant turn that doesn't take the easy way out in making this guy either endearing or a lovable doofus. You never pity Kenneth and at points Duplass plays it as if he could legitimately be crazy, or worse yet, really dangerous. And in yet another great role for a TV star, New Girl's Jake Johnson plays sleazy jerk Jeff as, well, a sleazy jerk, at least to start out. But as the story of him trying to win back his ex progresses his arc becomes the most emotional and important, with his performance following suit. Late in the film he has a moment (you'll know it when it arrives) that's not only heartbreaking, but a master class in acting, telling us all we need to know with a single pained expression. Though she is billed in the credits, Kristen Bell's brief appearance still feels shocking, but also integral to what's arguably the film's most pivotal scene. Also integral is the score by Guster's Ryan Milller and his original song contribution, "Big Machine," as both fit the picture's tone like a glove.

This is the feature debut of director Colin Trevorrow, who recently made headlines as one of the filmmakers in heavy talks to helm the upcoming Star Wars sequel. Other than a couple of passing references, his only qualification is that he directed a perfect movie his first time out of the gate. From where I sit, that's about as good a qualification as any. This is distinctly human drama with heart before it's sci-fi, but the great thing is that if you chose to view it as either or neither you can't be wrong. By the end, one definitively wins out, and it's earned. Despite seemingly modest ambitions and a tiny budget under a million, this feels much bigger than most movies twice its cost. And it'll probably resonate deepest for those who never felt like they fit in. Outcasts, rebels, oddballs, weirdos. Call them whatever you want, just as long as it isn't "quirky." These characters are anything but. They suffer real pain, regret and rejection and while there are lots of laughs, Safety Not Guaranteed is also unbearably sad in its honesty, going places you never expected it could.

TV on DVD: Parks and Recreation (Seasons 1 and 2)

Creators: Greg Daniels and Michael Schur 
Starring: Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, Adam Scott, Rob Lowe, Jim O' Heir, Paul Schneider 
Original Airdate: 2009-2010 

Season 1: (★★★ out of ★★★★)

Season 2: (★★★★ out of ★★★★)

So, after two years complaining about Netflix, I've finally discovered its biggest benefit. It ties you down and forces you to watch things you either have little interest in or can't motivate yourself into making time for. It's a benefit that's rarely paid off to the extent it has with Parks and Recreation, a show I wouldn't have otherwise watched in its regular Thursday time slot on NBC. It's likely no amount of critical praise or glowing recommendations could have possibly convinced me NBC could actually be airing smart or edgy entertainment, much less what Entertainment Weekly calls the "smartest comedy on TV." The show sharing the same creators and mockumentary style as The Office has caused many to inaccurately label it as a "spin-off" when in it has absolutely nothing in common with that series at at all beyond a mild similarity in presentation. In comedic approach its closer to Arrested Development, and in being the sharpest comedy to air since that ingenious show ended in 2006, it's now filled a giant void . They'll be those who break down and watch, only to get this strange urge to jump ship after the six episode long first season, thinking it just doesn't meet the hype. Don't do it. Throwing in the towel too early is a mistake at the level of abandoning Lost toward the middle of its run. The show builds slowly, with every episode getting a little stronger along the way. That's not to imply there's anything horribly wrong with the first season (other than it being way too short), but it serves mainly as an introduction to the characters and situation, laying the groundwork and planting the seeds for one of the funniest seasons of sitcom comedy in years.

After this methodical start, the writing starts firing on all cylinders in the second season and the show embarks on this creative hot streak, picking up steam with each passing episode, all while hysterically fleshing out every character and finding the perfect tone. If the term "jumping the shark" describes when a show unofficially reaches its expiration date, maybe a new phrase should be instituted to describe when it really finds its groove creatively and there's no looking back. For Parks and Rec it happens toward the end of the first season in an episode entitled "The Banquet." In it, Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) the Deputy Director of the Pawnee Parks Department in fictional Pawnee, Indiana arrives at a dinner honoring her mother in a suit with a boyish haircut and her embarrassingly overdressed friend Ann (Rashida Jones) while her boss, Parks Director Ron Swanson (Ken Offerman) proceeds to deliver a speech based entirely on fact ("It is true that you have won this award."). From that moment and the next 25 episodes that followed I couldn't stop laughing once, but to explain to someone who hasn't seen Parks and Rec what makes it so great is difficult. There's definitely a "you had to be there" vibe to this kind of humor that, like Arrested Development, won't hit the mark with everyone and the ratings already reflect that. Comedy is probably the most subjective of all genres, but for those who like it really dry, this hits huge.

The first season mainly centers around a pit that upbeat do-gooder Leslie wants to turn into a park after Ann's freeloading boyfriend Andy Dwyer (Chris Pratt) falls into it, breaking both legs and temporarily derailing his aspiring music "career," which he enthusiastically describes as "Matchbox Twenty meets The Fray." If I ever accidentally fall into a pit I can only hope nurse Ann is there to serve my lazy ass pancakes on the couch and I get to write a song about about my experience as memorable as "The Pit," which Andy eventually performs with his band "Mouse Rat," or whatever they're known as that week, since he continuously changes their name. Leslie's unmotivated local government underlings are initially only window dressing in a first season that focuses on Leslie's social ineptness and overall cluelessness, especially when it comes to her dating life or any kind of decision making. Again, not to say the first six episodes are worthless, but they only serve as an introduction to the workplace setting and a surface glimpse into some of the personalities. It's only when the writers figure out how to flesh out the supporting characters' crazy personal lives and humanize Leslie that the show takes off to absurd heights. There's Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari), wannabe club impresario, self-proclaimed ladies' man and "Miss Pawnee" judge who landed a wife way out of his league because she would be deported back to Canada. He's also discovered the most creative use yet for the Roomba vacuum. Look up "deadpan" in the dictionary you'll find a picture of apathetic, eye-rolling college student April Ludgate (Aubrey Plaza), Ron's eventual assistant who after learning her lesson the hard way now knows to schedule his meetings for "Marchtember Oneteenth." Even seemingly the most minor and hapless of supporting characters, like the clumsy and frequently mocked Jerry Gergich (Jim O' Heir), who's spotlighted in two of the seasons funniest episodes, one involving the design of a new mural (or "murinal" as he mistakenly calls it) and aother centered around his alleged mugging.

Mustachioed legend Ron Swanson is who everyone will justifiably be talking about by the end of the second season, largely because of the performance given by Nick Offerman, who needs an Emmy handed to him right now. To even call this a performance wouldn't do it justice. As the stoic ant-government libertarian he spends most of the first season grimacing behind his desk which happens to be equipped with a loaded rifle. But by the time the second season opens I can't even begin to describe the direction this character takes. Whether he's moonlighting as saxophonist Duke Silver, nursing his unhealthy obsession with breakfast foods, feuding with crazy ex-wife Tammy (guest star Megan Mullally), dressing like Tiger Woods, accepting his "Woman of the Year" award, being aroused by a shoeshine or demonstrating his woodworking skills, Ron Swanson is, quite simply, an American hero. In contrast to his initial appearances as merely a cranky antagonist to Leslie, it's at the start of the second season when Offerman is let loose to lighten up and go in a million different crazy directions with the role, eventually becoming the linchpin of the entire show. And only you see an interview with the actor out of character do you realize how little he resembles the strangely feline-looking man he plays and just how much of a departure it is for this gifted comedian to bring that creation to the screen. 

How registered nurse Ann finds the time to hang out at city hall all the time (even long after the pit is filled in) and becomes Leslie's BFF is kind of a hilarious mystery, but her relationship with city planner Mark Brendanawicz (Paul Schneider) does open the door for the bizarre antics of the now fully recovered Andy Dwyer in season 2, who for my money not only tops Ron as the show's most hilarious character, but qualifies as the funniest character on TV today. If Offerman deserves an Emmy he should cut it in half and split it with Chris Pratt, who some might remember from his stints on Everwood and The O.C. if not for the fact that he's now gained almost as much weight as DeNiro did for Raging Bull. To say he's "let himself go" for this role as 29-year-old with a 5-year-old's brain would be understatement but the transformation isn't just limited to packing the pounds on as he reveals himself to be a brilliant comic actor capable of so much with just a quick physical gesture or expression. Stalking your ex-girlfriend and harassing her current boyfriend should be creepy but Pratt makes Andy seem endearing and almost child-like in his obsession, making all the uncomfortable laughs comfortable. When he actually gets a "real job" as a shoeshinist at city hall in Season 2 it seems like the profession Andy's always been waiting for, second only to his brief stint as FBI agent Bert Macklin.  The romance between he and another character in the second season is brilliant for just how unexpectedly it develops over the course of just a few episodes.

The idea of characters talking to the camera is used much more effectively here than it ever was on The Office, mainly because here it actually seems like they're letting us in on something no one else knows about. Occasionally you'll catch Plaza giving April's "you can't be serious" look of disgust right into the camera while Azari flashes his mischeivous grin that lets you when know Tom is up to no good or hatching a perverted scheme, which is pretty much all the time. It also gives Ron an opportunity to share his anti-government views while delivering some of the show's most quote worthy lines.  Given that there's such a gigantic leap in quality from the first to second season you may wonder what the point is of even watching the first. I don't have an answer for that. No one would be lost with what's happening if they skipped it but for background purposes its advantageous if you're tolerant of giving a show time to grow and come into its own. And truthfully, 6 episodes is quicker than it takes most sitcoms to gain their footing. Most sitcoms never find it. While there isn't an ongoing narrative requiring the level of commitment that was needed for similarly ratings challenged Arrested Development, some of humor does come with the expectation viewers are familiar with previous storylines and inside jokes so I wouldn't recommend just hopping on board mid-run expecting to be blown away. Also like Arrested Development the series thrives on memorable guest stars that actually add something worthwhile and are incorporated seamlessly. In addition to Mullally, just the first two seasons alone have featured appearances from Louis C.K. Fred Armisen, Will Arnett, Andy Samberg, Pamela Reed, Justin Theroux, John Larroquette, Paul Scheer, Michael Gross and most memorable of all, former Indiana Pacer Detlef Schrempf.

If there's one character on the show that always seemed disposable it was Paul Schneider's Mark, so the writers made a reasonable call eliminating him at the end of the second season. That's not a slight on the actor who's laid back coolness provided a nice contrast to the rest of the cast but he really wasn't doing much and could conceivably return in a guest role down the line. The jury's still out on the addition of Rob Lowe and Adam Scott as auditors sent to rescue the Parks department from bankruptcy in the final few episodes and become regular cast members in season 3, but I keep hearing nothing but positives about both of them so it should be interesting to see what they can offer. It's difficult thinking the show could possibly get better than this, its catchy opening theme song can leave my head or I'll eventually be able to adjust to watching it in its regularly scheduled time slot instead of on DVD. That after such an incredibly strong run of episodes it was still almost axed and ordered as a mid-season replacement earlier this year proves just how hard it is to hook viewers and how frustrating it can be for fans trying to spread the word. The "best show you're not watching" is one of those terms that gets thrown around a lot but in the case of Parks and Rec it's actually true.