Reviews by:
@the_owlseyes
RATE THIS SERIES
6
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“Yet, we must remember that even White privilege is not distributed evenly among Whites. Many White people never get a piece of the pie. This fact, sadly, instead of making them unite with other marginalized and oppressed American employees, it makes them unload their rage and disappointment on the already suffering low-income, refugee, or poor ethnicities, accusing them of ‘stealing our jobs’, or ‘destroying our country and values’. In doing so, they miss the chance of working together with a significant number of allies for real change. Furthermore, they vote for and side with their oppressors thinking that voting for racist and supremacist candidates will change this ugly reality. What they fail to realize is that politics is literally a nasty business that is fed by the masses’ hatred and, once in power, that business never thrives by changing the way the business is done. If all these supposed problems are solved, where will future politicians get their fodder to feed hatred to masses who will bring them to power?”
Louis Yako
PLOT
"Set in a tropical resort, it follows the exploits of various guests and employees over the span of a week" or "Holidays aren't always good and fun".
SCRIPT
It's witty and almost every character get to shine. Each one of them is used to make some kind of social commentary. There's a minor character which is removed after the first episode and seems like an afterthought. I think that this series manages to be entertaining, fascinating and striking without becoming cheesy or corny. I like how they set up the series relevant moment and delivers it with a funny, dark and unexpected plot twist. This show is weirdly creepy and comedy is used to create satyrical moments, which are a bit off putting. Here the themes are particularly relevant, like White privilege, colonialism, imperialism, consumerism, grief, marriage, friendship, porn, wealth, social coservatism, inclusiveseness, ...there's a lot to unpack. Most of the time it's sharp and subtle but sometimes it's a bit on the nose. Another interesting fact about this show is that just some characters get an arch, which is used to underline the fact that our society doesn't change a lot, not even when bad things happen. It's a cynical way of seeing our society but this is how it is. I think that society is the villain here and this is why we're able to empatize for most of the characters.
Script: 9/10
ACTING
The cast is made of a lot of talents like Sydney Sweeney, Connie Britton, Steve Zahn, Jennifer Coolidge and Alexandra Daddario. I think that everyone does its best and every performance, even the ones by minor characters, are top notch. I think that the best players are Steve Zahn and Jennifer Coolidge, because they bring their natural comedy to the table and make every scene funnier. A shoutout to Alexandra Daddario who delivers the most heartfelt performance, indication that she can be a very good actor when she has the right material in her hand. Murray Bartlett is the most surprising aspect of this series and I want to see more of him in the future because he's a funny and entertaining actor.
Acting: 8/10
PHOTOGRAPHY
There're a lot of remarkable shots, light and shadows are used well and colours have some relevance, even though they aren't always used in a symbolic way. You will be able to appreciate the beautiful landscapes of Hawaii and admire the sea's undertow. There's even a scene, in the last episode, when you'll get to see what's under the ocean and it's just majestic. I'm more than satisfied by this show in terms of visuals.
Photography: 8/10
EDITING
Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's remarkable and sometimes it's forgettable, overall the series delivers a mixed quality of editing. In the end it doesn't damage the experience but it lowers the general quality of an interesting series. I've expected more from an HBO production.
Editing: 6/10
SPECIAL EFFECTS
There's so little of them that they're imperceptible, as it should be. Nothing more to say about them, because this is a show about characters.
Special Effects: 6/10
SOUNDTRACK
It's original and sometimes it's impressive. I like how the composer has been able to integrate aspect of the Hawaiian culture in it. It's interesting because it's a bit off putting and create a strong sense of uneasiness and tension. The process behind its creation is remarkable and I think that this one of the strength of this series, even though sometimes it drags a bit and it seems a bit repetitive.
Soundtrack: 7/10
COSTUMES
Nothing interesting about them. They fit the characters but there isn't anything interesting about them. They are enough.
Costumes: 6/10
CONCLUSION
Script: 9/10
Acting: 8/10
Photography: 8/10
Editing: 6/10
Special Effects: 6/10
Soundtrack: 7/10
Costumes: 6/10
AVERAGE: 7,14
This is an interesting series which adresses real issues in a clever and comedic way. I think that everyone should watch because everyone could learn something.
Director: Mike White
Screenplay: Mike White
Cast: Murray Bartlett, Connie Britton, Jennifer Coolidge, Alexandra Daddario, Fred Hechinger, Jake Lacy, Brittany O'Grady, Natasha Rothwell, Sydney Sweeney, Steve Zahn, Molly Shannon
Soundtrack: Cristobal Tapia de Veer
Running Time: 60 minutes
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