"The Bubble" , 2022

Hollywood-style lockdown: a review of Judd Apatow's new comedy "The Bubble"

Weakness and courage chronicle an unabated pandemic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBD8X5zLG4U

At the beginning of 2020, the world plunged into darkness: an unknown Oriental virus killed and isolated people from each other, paralyzed the work of many industries, sent the economy to the bottom and... left the whole world without blockbusters. Worrying about the last point against the backdrop of all the above seems terribly amusing, but it was the coronavirus hysteria of show business that received the highest percentage of media attention during the quarantine period. By early 2022, when people had more or less mimicked the suddenly changed reality, Hollywood expectedly began to reflect on its experiences. Among these thinkers was the acclaimed king of American comedy, director Judd Apatow.

In the midst of an epidemic, a group of desperate filmmakers decide to shoot the next installment of "Cliff creatures," an insanely popular franchise with an impressive cast. To do so, the crew is assembled in a luxury hotel, a so-called "bubble," securely protected from the outside world. Among the actors involved in Sundance winner Darren Eigen's (Fred Armisen) project are a couple of ex-spouses (Leslie Mann and David Duchovny), a young actress (Karen Gillan), a sex symbol with a drug addiction (Pedro Pascal), a tick-tocker (Iris Apatow) and an alpha-star (Keegan-Michael Key). As the plot progresses, the number of viruses discovered on the set grows, and with it the degree of madness of the celebrities tired of isolation.

One would like to believe that The Bubble was conceived as a highly topical satire on society, and particularly on the entertainment industry, which, even in the face of the coronavirus, has cynically focused on box office receipts, completely forgetting about those whose interests should seem to take precedence: the audience. However, in light of recent events "Bubble" looks ruthlessly outdated movie, the realities of which, in fact, in a moment lost relevance. However, Apatow released his comedy a year earlier, the reception is unlikely to be much warmer. And the problem here is not only in the sudden loss of relevance of the events taking place, but also, strangely enough, in the quality of the film sold to the audience.

A firsthand acquaintance with the inner workings of the industry, Apatow makes fun of everyone: arrogant actors, cynical producers, servile extras and even talented independent directors who at the first opportunity are "sold" to big corporations. Behind some of the less than florid characters one can easily guess their prototypes: Keegan-Michael Key with his morbid desire to fly a helicopter is clearly drawn to Tom Cruise, arrogant producer Kate McKinnon resembles Sony head Amy Pascal (who, incidentally, produced "Ghostbusters" in her time), "Cliff creatures" itself looks like an obvious parody of "Jurassic World" - the threequel fantasy franchise was the first film to return to production after lockdown.

The fictional blockbuster is naturally set against a backdrop of prehistoric chromakey, and the deadly dinosaurs are of course portrayed by extras in ridiculous gray costumes.

The gist of every other joke played during the unreasonably long two-hour running time seems so superficial and obvious that by the end you just forget to laugh at it. Clearly, in the director's mind Bubble was supposed to be a kind of goofy comedy, punching the bottom of its own cluelessness time after time, but even within the comfortable confines of such a bezambitious subgenre one must offer something other than an overpowering toothless irony. And, of course, this quality of humor is the last thing you'd expect from the SNL veteran, creator of "Hooligans and Nerds" and "The 40-Year-Old Virgin."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRTZja6IyrM

At the same time, it's hard to call "The Bubble" an unquestionable failure, too, especially against the background of "Morbius", which appeared so timely at the international box office. Yes, the script definitely resembles a set of sketches written on a crank, and most of the actors involved in it do not work out even half of their potential, and yet the rare successful gags along with a plethora of pleasing to the heart cameos partially, but still offset the overall disappointment of the film.

This article was sponsored by John Raymond