YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS
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- By STACIE HUNT
I’m torn about this one. Apple TV+’s Friends and Neighbors, starring Jon Hamm, is both crackling and dull at once. The series introduces Hamm’s protagonist—smart and analytical—who can read people (in his bubble) in seconds. Then, flip a switch, and he’s making one disastrous decision after another.
What saves this frustrating premise is Hamm’s fourth-wall-breaking narration with AI-generated “explainers” and poignant moments with his kids, sister, and parents that reveal a profound sadness beneath his facade. Despite her mental health struggles, his sister (Lena Hall) emerges as authentically real. Most compelling is Lu (Randy Danson), the sardonic pawnshop owner who “sees” (through) him for what he is—an amateur fumbling outside his safe bubble.
The writing thuds regarding the female characters, specifically Amanda Peet (Hamm’s wife) and Olivia Munn, who primarily serve as plot devices, in contrast to his troubled yet genuine sister and the perceptive Lu.
You’ll find yourself grinning at Hamm’s performance as a hapless thief despite yourself, as you question the whole premise — perhaps that’s precisely the point.
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