I’m back again this week for another movie review. There are a few things still running in theaters that I wanted to watch, but time and a busy schedule prevent those days from happening sometimes, so I opted for a charming new streaming film instead. This week’s choice is “Quiz Lady” a Hulu original film.
I have to admit that I looked it up after to see if this was based on a true story. Sadly, it is not, but that didn’t make it any less enjoyable to watch. I also have to admit that if you haven’t watched this yet and don’t want to be spoiled, please don’t read any further, but feel free to come back later and read it after you have seen it. In the meantime, check out some other reviews here: Reviews Archives – 1guysmindlessmoviereviews.com There won’t be a quiz on it, so you are safe.
“Quiz Lady” is a fun and funny film directed by Jessica Yu. The main stars are Awkwafina and Sandra Oh who play sisters Anne and Jenny Yum respectively. We learn pretty early on that both of them are in a place in their lives where they are not happy (even if they don’t know that yet). Anne is living alone and doesn’t have any friends or family around. She doesn’t even talk to anyone at her work. Her older neighbor (played by Holland Taylor) is the only person she communicates with every day and even most of that is her complaining about stuff that Anne has no control over. Her biggest passion in life is watching her favorite TV quiz show called “Can’t Stop the Quiz”.
Her life gets turned upside down when their mom escapes from the nursing home and flees the country with some guy they never met. Anne and Jenny get re-united when this happens and find out that their mother owes $80,000 in gambling debt when Jenny releases a video of Anne answering all the questions from Can’t Stop the Quiz the night before. Because of the video, the people who are after the money track down Anne and steal her dog Mr. Linguini. Jenny thinks the only way to get the money to save the dog and pay off their mom’s debt is to get Anne on the show.
This is really when the movie starts going from funny to hilarious. Jenny tricks Anne and traps her in the trunk of her own car since she doesn’t want to go try out on the show. Along the way, we learn a lot more about the characters and their backstories both together and apart from each other. Either of the actresses could easily carry this movie by themselves, but they absolutely shine when they share the screen. Playing off each other’s emotions and actions is a fun ride the whole way through. It has a really good mix of both humor and heart.
The side cast of characters, which also play a role in each of the star’s individual journeys is a mix of delightful (Will Farrell’s Terry McTeer, Tony Hale’s Ben Franklin, and a great cameo by Paul Reubens in his last ever appearance in front of a camera) and aggravating (Jason Schwartzman’s Ron and Camrus Johnson and Angela Trimbur as Anne’s co-workers). Oddly enough, their mother never once appeared on screen, only hearing her voice through a phone. I figured she would make an appearance since she was the catalyst behind the sisters getting re-acquainted.
In the end, despite her overwhelming anxiety about being on the show and being seen on TV by everyone, Anne makes it as a contestant on the quiz show that she has loved for years, gets to meet Terry and his bowtie collection, and even takes down Ron as the reigning champion who ended up being a sore loser about it. We find out that Anne herself goes on to become the winningest player in the history of the show and she and Jenny move into a mansion together after Jenny’s lawsuit comes through.
This was one of those films where the trailer didn’t do it justice and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. There are a few parts that seem unnecessary though in my opinion. I can’t figure out what the main purpose of Francine (Holland Taylor) was supposed to be. Every time I thought they were going to do something with her, it ended up changing. So, I guess they just had her there as comic relief. The parts with her thinking Paul Reubens was Alan Cummings were pretty good.
So, I hope you paid enough attention to this review, there may just be a quiz after you are all done reading! In my gamebook, this gets a winning score of 7 out of 10 and is worth a re-watch at some point.
So, until next time, I will be right here!
