We watched this because Brooke Hammerling raved about it.
I was aware of the Netflix series, but the reviews said it missed the mark. The first few were negative, the next said the series was fun, but a trifle, and then I saw Brooke mention "Nobody Wants This" in Pop Culture Mondays. You can read it/sign up for it, here: popculturemondays.com
But let me just tell you, it's a lot of stuff. And if you're a social media hater, someone who believes the smartphone is best turned off, you'll scroll what Brooke has to say and be flummoxed, overwhelmed and ultimately dismissive. You see Brooke chronicles social media/internet trends.
Did you see those Frankie Valli videos?
I hadn't, although I did catch some of the aftermath after being hipped by Brooke.
You see Frankie Valli is 90 and still on the road. I heard over a decade ago that he lip-synchs, so I've avoided the show, because I love the Four Seasons, my mother bought "Big Girls Don't Cry" and that was just about the only pop record she ever purchased. And when the Beatles hit, the American acts that persevered, that got not only radio play but jukebox play, were the Four Seasons and the Beach Boys. "Dawn (Go Away)" sat right next to those original Beatles hits. And when summer came around, so did "I Get Around."
So Frankie already seems dead. Mouthing the words as numerous people carry the tune behind him. And one time they introduce him and he's frozen on the steps to the stage and... The internet said it was elder abuse. Frankie responded that he's got all his marbles. He doesn't, at least he can't hear and sing, but he can't give up that hit from the audience, it's even more important than the money.
Anyway, I'd say that "Nobody Wants This is" is the new "Sex and the City," but that's not exactly true. "Nobody Wants This" is less of a fantasy, and it's based on a true story.
So Kristen Bell and Justine Lupe are sisters with a podcast, who hope that Spotify will ink them to a rich and famous deal. As the series progresses, you'll fall in love with Lupe. Because she radiates thickness and sharpness at the same time. I mean you think she's a dumb blonde, but she's not, over the ten episodes you realize she's loyal and dedicated and perceptive. I'd say she's the heart of the show, but really that's about the relationship between Kristen Bell and Adam Brody, the shiksa and the rabbi.
Yes, Adam Brody is a rabbi. Not that Kristen Bell realizes this until after she falls for him, is intrigued. And he's off limits...or is he?
And when you're Bell/Joanne's age, your criteria are different. When you're in your middle thirties if it can't possibly lead to marriage, you nip it in the bud.
As for Bell... I really only know her from "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." And I'm aware that she's married to now podcaster Dax Shepard. But I know her visage well enough to know...she looks different. I know, I know, it's illegal to comment on women's looks, I get it, but it was off-putting. There's a whole thread about it on Reddit. I just couldn't stop thinking about it.
And to the degree I know her, Bell plays against type. She isn't the puppy dog ingenue. She's an edgy woman who is unaware of her foibles who can't have a relationship. Bell definitely plays an adult here. And other than her physical image, it rings true. She's grown up.
As for Adam Brody...
Before the show I couldn't have picked him out of a lineup. I never watched "The O.C.," and in terms of names, I always confuse him with Adrien Brody, even though they're nothing alike. But Brody is masterful here. Because he underplays, which means he acts like someone in real life. He's not so madly in love that he engages in over the top demonstrations, and he will not forgo his rabbinical duties to chase Bell/Joanne and...
He rings true.
Now the dance, the beginning of a relationship, the infatuation, the doubt, is done extremely well in "Nobody Wants This." They nail it. The first two episodes had me over the moon.
As for what came after... I wasn't as enamored, then again was it my mood?
So there's a certain amount of Jewish shtick, that will crack you up if you're a member of the tribe. Brody/Noah's parents want to know where Joanne went to school. Bingo!
And as much as Joanne is reluctant to go further with Noah...
Noah is just out of a relationship. You see his fiancée wanted it too much, was two, if not three or four steps ahead, she had their life completely planned out. Push men at your peril. And although Rebecca is a caricature at first, she becomes fully developed thereafter.
And what does Noah owe Rebecca?
And his brother's wife is her best friend... And both she and he don't completely ring true. Timothy Simons as Sasha Roklov is too over the top, too much comic relief until he ends up connecting with Lupe/Morgan near the end of the show, and then he becomes real.
But one thing is for sure, Sasha's wife Esther, Jackie Tohn, wears the pants in the family.
As for Tovah Feldshuh, she's always great. And will not accept Joanne, that's not what she wants for her boy. Mine were different, but Jewish parents are famous for meddling in their children's lives. I can't tell you how many people I know who became doctors and lawyers because their parents told them to/made them. Hell, even I went to law school! But I jumped the track, or never really laid down in it, but so many lived their parents' lives when really, they wanted to do something else.
And intermarriage is not the huge issue it once was. But if you're a rabbi... And if you are in a mixed marriage, or thinking of entering one, know that it's very important for Jewish people, especially the parents, that the children be raised Jewish.
Now when we dove in a week ago, "Nobody Wants This" was #1 on Netflix. As I write this, it's #3. But this success is not palpable, you can't feel it in the world at large.
Remember when "Friends" was triumphant? There were reams of stories, but that's not how it works anymore. Netflix doesn't need that, it just needs you paying your monthly subscription. And the media is detached from reality. The outlets are all about the new shows on network. I literally can't tell you the last time I watched a series on network, I'm pretty sure it's the last century. You see you can't do visceral on network, and that edge is what resonates with the public.
"Nobody Wants This" is almost a stealth hit.
And it's not a huge commitment. Ten episodes, most of them not even half an hour long. You get to know the characters and you can burn through the episodes and...
This is the way television is supposed to be.
It's hard to do comedy. But you'd expect it on Netflix first, where the sieve is not so narrow, where the suits don't unduly interfere.
I know, the concept seems too artificial, so broad, so ridiculous that you might shy away. Don't.
The RottenTomatoes ratings have come down since we watched, a week ago they were both in the 90s, today they're 95/88. But that's still damn good.
Will you love "Nobody Wants This"? Will you even like it?
I don't know, but odds are you'll prefer it to the rest of the dreck out there.
Check it out.
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