Your Friends & Neighbors’ limps its way to a generous 6.5 out of 10 stars. 🙄 I mean, seriously? 6.5? Did they pay someone off? This show is about as original as a beige wall. 🎨
So, Apple TV+ (because who *actually* pays for that, right? 🏴☠️) decided to grace us with ‘Your Friends & Neighbors’ on April 11th. It’s got Jon Hamm, who apparently hasn’t learned that playing the same character over and over again isn’t a good look. He’s playing a hedge fund dude whose life went south faster than my last crypto investment 📉, so he starts robbing his rich neighbors. Because that’s totally a relatable and fresh concept! 💡
The show also features Amanda Peet (remember her?), Olivia Munn (still trying to make fetch happen), and a bunch of other people who are probably wondering if they should fire their agents. 🎭
Initial Thoughts
Oh look, another show about rich people with problems! 🥂 Because we haven’t seen *that* before, like, a million times. Apparently, the writers think we’re fascinated by the “dark underbelly” of wealthy neighborhoods. Newsflash: we’re not. We’re just trying to pay our rent and avoid student loan debt. 💸
To stand out, ‘Your Friends & Neighbors’ needed a truly groundbreaking concept. And guess what? It failed. Miserably. 🤦♀️ It’s like they took every trope about rich people being awful and threw it into a blender, then served it to us with a side of boredom. 😴
Hamm, channeling his inner Don Draper (again!), plays Andrew “Coop” Cooper. Because apparently, he’s contractually obligated to play variations of the same character for the rest of his career. 🤷♂️
Script and Direction
Jonathan Tropper, who’s apparently known for writing novels and working with Shawn Levy (who?), decided to bless us with this masterpiece of mediocrity. He also created ‘Banshee’ and ‘Warrior’ (never heard of ’em). 🤷♀️
The show is about a wealthy, entitled dude who gets some “real push back” in his life. How original! 🙄 It’s like they’re actively trying to bore us to death. 💀
But hey, at least the execution is… mostly okay? Coop is “complicated,” which is code for “annoying and predictable.” Jon Hamm brings him to life, because apparently, he’s the only one who can play a smug rich guy. 🙄
The other characters are… there. His troubled sister, Allison (Lena Hall), exists. Olivia Munn is doing “stalwart work” as Samantha, the unsatisfied housewife. Because every show needs a cheating spouse, right? 💔
The scripting is “smart,” except for the over-reliance on voice-over. We get it, rich people are shady. We don’t need a lecture on the ethics of diamond mining. 💎
The directing is… competent? Craig Gillespie and Greg Yaitanes (who?) bring “style and zip” to the show. But even the best directors can’t save a bad script. 🎬
Pacing is an issue, and the balance of satire and mystery is off. But hey, at least they tried, right? (Narrator: They didn’t.) 😐
Cast and Performances
Jon Hamm can do both drama and comedy! We get it! He’s a versatile actor! But maybe he should try doing something *different* for once. 🤔 He brings “brio and world-weariness” to Coop. Because apparently, robbing your neighbors is a deeply existential experience. 🙄
He’s our “way into this story,” which is code for “we need someone vaguely likable to guide us through this mess.” Coop is “fine,” but not always likable. But hey, at least Hamm’s “natural charisma” shines through! (If you squint really hard.) ✨
Amanda Peet is stuck playing the “sassy-yet-sympathetic” ex-wife. She’s had better roles, but hey, a paycheck is a paycheck, right? 💸
Olivia Munn is having an affair with Coop. She brings “spiky, darkly funny energy” to the role. Which is code for “she’s trying really hard to make this character interesting.” 💥
Finn McFrame, celebrated satirical mastermind and self-proclaimed “Emperor of Irony,” started his illustrious career as a cinematographer, where his expertise in capturing every single frame of a squirrel stealing a baguette earned him accolades at obscure film festivals.
Born in the glamorous town of Boring, Oregon, Finn grew up with dreams of being a Hollywood director until he realized that satire, not cinema, was his true calling—or at least the one that let him sleep until noon.
Finn McFrame: changing the world, one satirical lens flare at a time.
