Must-See TV

Must-see TV: Orange is the New Black is a binge-watcher's delight

They say admitting your problem is the first step. So, I confess: I'm addicted to Orange is the New Black. It's quirky, brilliant and so all-consuming that it's hard not to watch all 13 episodes in one sitting. With House of Cards, Arrested Development and now, Orange is the New Black (or OITNB), Netflix has reinvented television and made binge-watching easy, as all episodes of a series are released on the web at the same time.

My affection for the Internet streaming provider began when I found it had all seasons of The Office, Frasier (don't get me started, it's genius!), Parks and Recreation and 30 Rock. While watching these shows, I noticed the commercials for OITNB, but thought, "Who wants to watch a bunch of girls in prison?" Within a week after its premiere, however, friends told me I had to watch it.

I just didn't realize it would happen all in one day.

I started the first episode at 10:30 a.m. and didn't stop until I reached the inevitable end late that night. I have no regrets wasting a perfectly good Sunday.

At times the show is truly terrifying, but it's also funny and thought provoking. Not to mention, isn't Regina Spektor's "You've Got Time" the perfect intro song?

Before watching the show, I failed to see prisoners as real people—a mother, someone's daughter, best friend, sister, or even grandmother. During the past decade, nearly 95,000 women have been locked up for non-violent drug offenses. Author Piper Kerman pleads for reforming the criminal justice system in her memoir, Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison, which served as the basis for the TV series.

In the series, Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling), an upper class Smith College graduate, is sent to prison for carrying drug money for her former girlfriend, Alex (Laura Prepon). Though Piper is the show's focal point, it's the amazing cast of inmates who are the most intriguing. Rather than creating a docudrama of Kerman's experience, creator Jenji Kohan (who is also the mastermind behind the Showtime series, Weeds) weaves an original story of friendship and the human condition.

While watching the show all at one time, some random thoughts entered my mind (admittedly, they don't make sense, unless you have actually seen the show, but if you have, you know what I'm talking about):

Who would have thought American Pie hottie Jason Biggs, who plays Piper's boyfriend, could snag a serious role and be good at it?
Favorite friendship: Taystee (Danielle Brooks) and Poussey (Samira Wiley). They are hilarious together and heroines in their own right.
I have a love/hate radical evangelist 'Pennsatucky' played by Taryn Manning, who always seems to play this type of wacky/trash character so well (remember 8 Mile?)
Absolute shit list character: the Pornstashe guy (Pablo Schreiber). He haunts my worst nightmares.

No, you don't have to watch it all in one day, but I promise, you won't want to hit pause.

For those who don't get Netflix, OITNB will end up on DVD very soon. And the cast is already filming the season two of the hit series, which is due out next year.

I can't wait.

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Movie Review

An all-star cast delivers clever laughs in new comedy The Invite

Photo courtesy of A24

Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz, and Edward Norton in The Invite.

Once upon a time, well before scandal embroiled him, Woody Allen made great comedies aimed at adults. That type of film — which is different from the raunchy, R-rated comedies of the 21st century — has fallen out of favor in Hollywood, but as the new film The Invite proves, when done well it can be as funny as anything else out there.

Joe (Seth Rogen) and Angela (Olivia Wilde) are an unhappily married couple living in San Francisco. As we meet them, Joe has arrived home to Angela preparing for a visit from their upstairs neighbors, Hawk (Edward Norton) and Piña (Penélope Cruz), who have moved in relatively recently. Their impending arrival starts a new round of arguing between Joe and Angela, something they can barely contain once the other couple comes to their door.

What proceeds is a getting-to-know-you process that is mostly awkward as Joe and Angela continue sniping at each other while Hawk and Piña put in their two cents in a much calmer manner. A sticking point between the two couples — the loud sex Hawk and Piña have on an almost nightly basis — turns the film on its head with an unexpected invitation.

Directed by Wilde and written by Will McCormack and Rashida Jones, the film is a fast-paced chamber piece that takes place almost entirely in Joe and Angela’s apartment. Wilde, the writers, and the actors speed the story along not with action but through almost non-stop dialogue that often has the characters overlapping each other’s lines. The rapidity of the speech fuels the humor of the situation and establishes the differing personalities of each person.

Sex is very much top of mind for each of the characters for most of the film, but the filmmakers approach the topic in such a way that it never feels salacious. Each of the characters is a rational adult who can talk about sex in a mature manner while also acknowledging their unique feelings on the matter. And it’s the discoveries each of them makes along the way that brings about the most comedy.

But, like any comedy for adults, the film also has a dramatic tilt to it, and Wilde edges the story back-and-forth between the two tones extremely well. Joe and Angela fighting is played for laughs at times, but the sadness of their relationship comes through loud and clear. Hawk and Piña are much more intimate with each other, but the funniness of their openness is juxtaposed with a depth that arises through their conversations.

In the 2020s, Rogen has managed to make the transition from goofy stoner to stoner with real acting chops. In a stacked cast, he is the one who sells every moment the best. That’s not to say that Wilde, Norton, and Cruz don’t measure up, though; each of them inhabits their respective roles magnificently. The four actors play off each other as if they had been working together for years.

While The Invite will likely play better to those who have experience with long term relationships, its insights — and occasional bawdiness — make it a comedy that can be appreciated universally. With four actors at the top of their games and a razor-sharp script made even better by some well-done improv, it proves that you don’t need to go low to get great laughs.

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The Invite is now playing in theaters.

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