'Quiz Lady' Delivers Familiar Yet Effective Laughs
Game shows and siblings learning to come together. Jessica Yu directs a female, Asian-driven comedy that delivers laughs from jokes we've seen in comedies before. That's not to say the film isn't funny. Above its formulaic approach, the movie is a good bit of fun to watch. Awkwafina plays opposite to her usual role as the bubbly, energetic friend. That role goes to Sandra Oh, who's the standout of the film. Oh plays an older drifter of a sister who can't quite get her life together.
The movie isn't very clever. It pulls all its laughs from tropes and situations that are similar to most comedies. There's the typical annoying sibling, the drug trip, and a cross-country journey that ultimately brings our two main characters closer together. It's a by-the-books comedy about a dysfunctional family that is a joy to watch. It's heartwarming, if not a bit generic, but who cares? Not everything has to be completely original, and I'm aware of that. For what it is, there's enough charm for the film to get by.
Anne Yum (Awkwafina) has spent her whole life escaping from reality by watching "Stop the Quiz." The show is a spin on Jeopardy with a few more bells and whistles attached to it. As a little girl, Anne's family life would come apart around her, but when Stop The Quiz came on, she'd be able to tune them out while she stayed tuned in. Her mother is a neglectful, degenerate gambler, and her sister's apple doesn't fall very far from the tree. Jenny (Sandra Oh) is a deadbeat socialite who clings to cheap career options that don't require a lot of work to get by. Of course, when challenged, Jenny fails at whatever career option is in front of her as she doesn't have the natural talent a singer or actress would have. When it comes to the father, he was an alcoholic who died an embarrassing drunk's death when the girls were young.
Anne is the exact opposite of her screw-up family. She's a hard-working, highly intelligent woman. Also, unlike her family, who likes to party more than work, she's an introvert who never goes out. Suffering from a high level of social anxiety, Anne is pulled into an alarming recent event that will force her to come out of her shell. Anne's mother has gone missing. Thinking that the mother has died, Jenny comes rushing to meet with her sister. Jenny is a crying, hysterical mess who acts like the world has ended, only to crassly condemn her mother when she finds out from Anne that their mom isn't dead. The switch from "Oh my God, mom is dead" to "that fucking bitch" is a funny, concise way of establishing how Jenny feels about her mom. She neither loves nor hates her. It's more complicated than the two emotions.
It turns out Mom has gone on a run since she owes a chunk of gambling money to some Asian mafia men. The mobsters capture Anne's dog, Linguini, as leverage to get their money back from Anne since their mother is missing. With no viable way to figure out how to get the money back, Jenny comes up with the idea of putting her sister on Stop the Quiz. Anne's chances of winning are grand as she's a genius at the show. She can guess every answer to each question on the spot as she answers them in rapid succession. Being a social recluse, appearing on national television is a terrifying idea. But it doesn't stop Jenny from forcing her sister on the show against her will.
The film's humor comes from its heart. Although Jenny is a screw-up, the movie makes us still root for her. Anne's existential issue of never letting herself be social because of her deadbeat family, who should have spent more time hitting the books instead of interacting at parties, is the heart of the story. Awkwafina does a fine job in her role as the girl who wants to be left alone. She's subdued to the point where it's not exaggerated or played up. Awkwafina's a good yin to Sandra Oh's yang, who's an explosive bottle of energy. For as downplayed Awkwafina is, Sandrah Oh overplays everything. She's annoying, but she's supposed to be. It's only fitting for Jenny to be an irritating character. The only problem is how obnoxious Jenny is to the point where we get that's her character, but it's too much to bear watching on several occasions.
Usually, someone who would annoy me in movies is Will Ferrell. The incoherent screaming he usually does has been toned down lately, and he's all the more charming for it. First, Ferrell is a polite CEO in Barbie; now, Ferrell plays Stop the Quiz host Terry McTeer. McTeer is a kind, cuddly guy whose sweetness radiates on screen. Much of the film's sentimentality works, and thank goodness it does, or else Sandra Oh's character and the film's familiar jokes could have sunken a comedy ship that mostly stays ashore.
Quiz Lady is a delightful comedy that has something to say about women being looked up to in the world. At one point, Anne tells Jenny that the world doesn't like to see women being smart when expressing her fear of being a female contestant on the show. It's a telling moment that expresses in a male-dominated world, nobody wants to see women as intelligent or funny, although they very well are. Quiz Lady isn't the deepest or smartest comedy, but is sentimental enough to win audiences over.
