TRANSITIONS

 

There were so many reasons for me to see the documentary, Will & Harper. A) It’s a road-trip movie and driving across country has been a hobby of mine for years as I have taken at least four weeks to drive from Miami to Los Angeles on the so-called Blue Lane Highways every even numbered year since the mid-1990s … and have even taken lengthy non-cross-country trips along the Eastern Seaboard on some odd number years. B) Harper, she of the main title, was a he for the first 60 years of life, having made the transition to becoming a female late in the game. The transformation from one gender to another is of particular interest to me as one of the closest members of my family has taken this path as well.

Then there was the more conventional reason: I generally enjoy documentaries and this one, in particular, was highly recommended by several in my family as well as some friends and neighbors.

What can I say? I didn’t like it.

Damn. I had such high expectations. The only good thing about sitting through the too-long-by-a-lot one-hour and fifty-four minutes were the end credits which have a song co-written and sung by Kristen Wiig. High speed through the video to that ending if you can (not easy to do on Netflix). The song and the accompanying video are good, but not good enough to sit through 114 minutes of this home movie, improperly documented as something more than that.

To give the project its due, it is well-intentioned: two friends of more than a generation, now re-defining and exploring their relationship while taking a road trip across America. Some really interesting ideas are occasionally touched on in this film, but rarely (if at all) explored. This is not Thelma & Louise. Add to that I am not a Will Ferrell fan (he is the Will of the documentary’s title) and there is nothing here that would change that predisposition. Nothing more to be said. I wanted it to be better. It should have been a LOT better. It is okay … but only just okay.

The Outlaws on Prime Video is something else altogether. For me it did not promise much, but it came along to deliver a pleasurable first season in a series that now has a total of three seasons available.

It is of English origin, and it has that uniquely English humor thing that has always been displayed best for me in the series of animated films starring the Award-winning character named Gromit (of Wallace & Gromit fame). The writing and performing are just off-center enough to be … once you warm up to the thing … (for lack of a better word) charming. A plethora of goofy characters all played nicely by actors with whom I am unfamiliar, except for Christopher Walken as an American ex-patriot/ex-con now sentenced to community service which is where we meet all of Walken’s co-stars.

It takes a while to get into the mood of this thing but give yourself over to it and you will not regret that move. It is a sweet, little television series.

For real American belly laughs, one must wait for Monday nights; for it is only on Monday nights that Jon Stewart returns to the host’s desk on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show.  Jon Stewart is an authentic comic genius, making this Monday night presentation “Must-see TV.”

The laughs during the rest of the week (Tuesday thru Thursday) vary depending on which of Stewart’s supporting group is the night’s host. Personally, I have become a huge fan of Desi Lydic and when she is rotated in, I remain riveted. Otherwise, I flip to my favorite news channel … not a lot of laughs but certainly plenty of fodder for harvesting by Jon Stewart the following Monday.

 

Barney Rosenzweig