Quiz Lady

I got towards the end of this and didnt want it to leave. It was because I liked these people so much.

Everyone is good in this. But Sandra OH and Ferrell steal the show. Sandra Oh just crushes her character with just enough over the topness, coupled with incredible caring for those people around her.

She loves her sister.

The action is fast, and the continuity is great, the subplots are also really funny with the kidnappers being a real high point.

Watch out for this movie , it will creep up on you, , its seems like fluff but there are a lot of really good messages in this flick.

More like this please. The world needs more like this.

Quiz Lady is a lovely comedy that overcomes its issues with the noticeable gaps between laughs thanks to how warm it feels from the beginning. It celebrates the thankless acts siblings will do for each other as well as how vital it is to have one consistently reliable form of joy when everything else kinda sucks, regardless of it being a game show in this case. Plus the spread out collection of successful jokes are pretty memorable.

Awkwafina does a great job playing the straight man for the most part whilst still finding some time to let loose occasionally and Sandra Oh is having a lot of fun being the more unhinged one out of the two of them with the emotional moments to balance it all out. Will Ferrell is very genial in his small role as the game show host and Jason Schwartzman hides his villainy under a thin veil of kindness really well.

Jessica Yu's direction is always more than competent enough to get the job done but the best creative flourishes arrive in the middle section of the film with a standout sequence involving conflicting hallucinations during a high stakes audition. The comedic timing is generally strong when it's actually utilised because those bits don't overstay their welcome and there are a couple of seriously snappy one liners.

It's a fun entertaining comedy with some good directing from Jessica You and great chemistry between Sandra Oh and Awkwafina. Throughout, the production sets and camerawork is solid and it helps to present the setting and atmosphere pretty well. The narrative is the typical sister bonding comedy blended with game shows and while it is pretty standard, it still holds on pretty well with the two good performances from Oh and Awkwafina who both provided great chemistry and charm together.

There are some solid dialogue moments between the characters and pacing is good. Most of the humor is solid but some of the humorous aspects felt a little forced, especially regarding on internet culture as the internet culture humors felt a bit out of place. The soundtrack is a little annoying at times. Overall, it's nothing too special but it's entertaining.

In fresh, charming comedy "Quiz Lady" nerdy Awkwafina's life centres around her dog and her fave tv quiz show (with host Will Ferrell & smarmy champ Jason Schwartzman) - so when her dog's kidnapped by mobster Jon Park, her sister Sandra Oh & crotchety neighbour Holland Taylor 'convince' her to go on the show to raise his ransom. It's pretty daft & silly, but Jen D'Angelo infuses ample sisterly warmth into her second screenplay, and director Jessica Yu elicits fine comic performances from her impressive cast (including a Paul Reubens cameo in his final movie - RIP). While not the most demanding or high-brow film out there, it's heart-lifting and fun. Good enough.

Both Sandra Oh and Akwafina give great funny/heart warming performances. Never would I think Oh would do such a role. Going into the movie, I was hesitant, but very quickly fell in love with her character. Akwafina plays a more serious role than usual, but still keeps things light. This is one of the few films of recent years that's rewatchable and will produce laughs and cries each time. Great unexpected punchlines on what you think are about to be classic tropes. This movie is worth a watch if you're looking for something to lift your spirits. And if nothing else, Mr Linguine is the best thing to happen to 2023.