In these days of world disasters – too many to list – we are very much in need of something to cheer us up. To that end, I turned to Quiz Lady, a current release which claims to be a comedy. In fact, well-intentioned as it clearly is, it fails to hit the mark.
In many respects the film has lots going for it. It tells the story of a young woman who has been a dedicated follower since childhood of a television quiz show – similar to Jeopardy. As a result of her faithful viewing, she has learned the correct answers to a multitude of questions. When her sister films her doing just this during an airing of the show and posts it on a social media platform, she becomes instantly famous. A lot of what follows is entirely predictable.
One knows that she will inevitably be a guest on the quiz show, which will lead to a largely predictable climax. However, before she gets there, writer Jen D’Angelo and director Jessica Yu take the viewer through an all too familiar series of tropes. The two sisters are somewhat estranged, and decidedly different in lifestyle, which leads to scene after scene of bickering, yelling, and screaming.
On the way, there are jokes about basic bodily functions, the inevitable innocent girl accidentally taking drugs to disastrous effect, and plot developments which, even in a farce, are inexcusable. In the vulgar tradition Bridesmaids, the whole thing becomes crass, coarse, and contrived.
This is decidedly disappointing, because underneath the tedious mess, there is a worthwhile film trying to surface. Not the least interesting aspect of the film is the fact that the two sisters are Chinese, and at times the film actually sensitively deals with the racism they experience – not least of which is that in her work in an office, the leading character is invisible to her fellow workers.
At telling moments, Awkwafina and Sandra Oh are given the opportunity to indicate that this might have been a sensitive exploration of how a Chinese family deals with being members of a racial minority while facing the kind of tensions that all families face, especially when its members take wildly different life paths. It is also good to see Will Farrell playing a game host as a sympathetic character with no flamboyant idiocies to score easy laughs.
Because of its moments of insight and relevance, some genuinely comical moments, and the efforts of the two leading actresses, many viewers may be willing to forgive Quiz Lady its excesses. Others who like their comedy to be largely loud, raucous, and lacking subtlety may indeed find Quiz Lady provides welcome diversion from the ills that beset us. But it didn’t work for me.
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