TL;DR – While deeply predictable, there is still a fun charm to the absurd proceedings.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that viewed this film.

Quiz Lady Review –

As we get to the end of the year, I get a drive to start catching up on the films I have missed during the year, but also a need for something less serious. It is the time for comedies of all kinds, and on that front, we start with two siblings who could not be further apart.  

So to set the scene, Anne Yum (Awkwafina) had a very dysfunctional childhood, but the one good thing in her life was Can’t Stop the Quiz hosted by Terry McTeer (Will Ferrell). Her one only relationship is a hostile daily barb with her neighbour Francine (Holland Taylor). But when her sister Jenny Yum (Sandra Oh) comes back into her life and films her rattling off quiz answers. The video goes viral, which is mortifying for Anne, even more so when a gangster (Jon “Dumbfoundead” Park) kidnaps her dog, Mr. Linguini (Crosby Cookie), to pay for the gambling debt of Anne and Jenney’s mother. She has to get $80,000 quickly, which means doing what she dreads: being in front of people.

I should probably make it clear that there is not a surprising thing in the narrative from the moment Anne gets the call to go on the quiz show. You know, the fights that are going to happen, the obstacles that get thrown in the way, and also that whole third at is just going to be an episode of the show. However, I am not entirely sure that this matters at all. Because you are kind of here for the journey rather than the final destination.

On that front, Awkwafina and Sandra Oh work particularly well as two siblings who could not be more different. It is a fractious relationship that is primed for conflict and for reconciliation. They both swing for the fences, with Awkwafina trying to hold on as a roller coaster explodes through her life while Sandra Oh is chewing every bit of scenery. It is the perfect combination for a film like this. You need it to be there for every blow-up they can have, but also believe that as sisters there is always the hope for improving things.

As someone who likes Quiz shows, I think the framing device rings true. In reality, there is no way they would film one show a night live on air. Those suckers get made in batches, but you kind of don’t care about the practicalities. I could see Will Ferrell being the kindly quiz show director who remembers all of the contestants that come on his show and has a hallway full of ties that feels charming rather than terrifying. Jason Schwartzman gets to be the epitome of someone who pretends to be nice, but you know that turn is coming. Also, it was nice to see Tony Hale there, even though I thought he would turn out to be the murderer.

In the end, do we recommend Quiz Lady? Well, you will not see anything new here from a narrative perspective. But on the flip side, you will get a fun ride from start to finish. You also hope that you won’t get a single thought of how close your life is to the protagonists at all … … … …. If you liked Quiz Lady, we would recommend to you No Hard Feelings.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

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Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Quiz Lady
Directed by – Jessica Yu
Written by – Jen D’Angelo
Music by – Nick Urata
Cinematography by – Adrian Peng Correia
Edited by – Nat Sanders & Susan Vaill
Production/Distribution Companies – 20th Century Studios, Gloria Sanchez Productions,     Artists First, Hulu & Disney+
Starring – Awkwafina, Sandra Oh, Will Ferrell, Holland Taylor, Jason Schwartzman, Tawny Newsome, Paul Reubens, Jon “Dumbfoundead” Park, Camrus Johnson, Angela Trimbur, Tony Hale, Matt Cordova, Alan Heitz, Amy Tolsky, Joe Chrest, Crosby Cookie & Phil LaMarr
Rating  – Australia: M;