Coastal Elites

The actors just keep on talking and talking. Nothing else happens. They seem to make a political statement, but I have no interest in it.

Long since done with the Austin Powers and Meet the Parents franchises, Jay Roach has spent the past twelve years directing political-themed movies: "Recount" (about the 2000 election), "Game Change" (about the 2008 election), "The Campaign" (depicting a heated campaign for a congressional seat), "Trumbo" (about the blacklisting of Dalton Trumbo), "All the Way" (about Lyndon Johnson's efforts to pass the Civil Rights Act) and "Bombshell" (about the women at Fox News who exposed Roger Ailes as a sexual predator). Now he gives us "Coastal Elites", in which five people give monologues describing their displeasure with the Trump presidency and the coronavirus.

Opinions of this movie will almost certainly be split along ideological lines. Personally I found Sarah Paulson's character's monologue the most impressive. The movie isn't any sort of masterpiece, but I enjoyed it.

This HBO film, a series of five blistering monologues (comedic with an edge) about the current state of politics, the pandemic, etc. was written by Paul Rudnick. Each of the five actors plays a character dealing with life in 2020 America. Each character talks to a camera while in quarantine. And no it's not static; it's a lively and engrossing 90 minutes (or thereabouts).

Bette Midler starts things off superbly as Miriam, a woman who has been booked for attacking a man in a coffee shop. She talks about her life in New York as a middle-class Jewish woman and the things that are important to her. Next is Dan Levy as a gay actor in LA trying to get a role in a gay superhero movie and dealing with gay stereotypes.

Third is Issa Rae as the daughter of a wealthy Black businessman who has political ties through her years in boarding school and who talks about the politics of wealth and privilege. Fourth is Sarah Paulson as a meditation guru who talks about her visit back home with her working class family and the blindness of political fervor. Last is Kaitlyn Dever as a NYC nurse dealing with the day-to-day grind in a hospital flooded with pandemic patients and the loss of one special patient.

Tough, trenchant, and funny.

Excellent theatre, well written and performed by all concerned, and I am totally on the same page as the writer!

Hopefully, there is to be an additional monologue to come, and it will be from a person who danced on the grave of Trump!

I wish I could have danced on the grave of Margaret Thatcher, and I feel the same about Trump and Johnson, the two most divisive fascists since Hitler!

God Bless, Miriam.

From Director Jay Roach and Screenwriter Paul Rudnick. Based off a Play.

HBO throws down the gloves in a brave and bold stand against the current administration (my apologies for refusing to say his name). They are largely preaching to the choir I suspect at this point.

Each actor delivers a fictionalized story which is meant to represent most importantly a conglomeration of actual people.

All the stars gave great performances in my opinion. Bette Midler, Dan Levy, Issa Rae, Sarah Paulson, and Kaitlyn Dever. I have to admit I was seriously surprised to see Kaitlyn Dever who is a young still on the rise in the show.

Everyone should watch it though I would rate it PG13 for language.