A Futile and Stupid Gesture (2018)
TV-MA
Starring Will Forte, Martin Mull, Joel McHale, Domhnall Gleeson,
Directed by David Wain
The Story:
With the success of the Harvard Lampoon and their impending graduations coinciding with one another, Doug Kenney (Forte) persuades Henry Beard (Gleeson) that instead of moving on with their lives as expected, they go National with the Lampoon brand. It wasn't easy, but it sure was funny.
When paired with the amazing documentary National Lampoon: Drunk, Stoned, Brilliant, Dead (Review: http://talesfromthequeue.blogspot.com/2016/05/their-impact-on-pop-culture-cannot-be.html )
The two pieces compliment each other very well. Both streaming on Netflix, this Netflix Original fictionalizes a lot of what (and who!) will be found in the documentary on the life and troubled times of Doug Kenney.
In this version, an older, wiser Doug (Mull) laments on what happened to him in his life.
The cast gets the daunting task of retelling the story as comedy legends of the 70s and 80s as they try and channel the styles and mannerisms of those they attempt to portray.
Joel McHale? He nails it. :)
The big revelation, at least to me, is Domhnall Gleeson in a comedy.
I'm racking my brain, but I don't think I've ever seen that yet, and he's got really good timing.
Anyway, it's a bittersweet tale of the man who helped shape generations of comedians and actors and helped redefine what was funny for the latter half of the 20th Century.
Final Grade: B+
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