WATCHING AT HOME: Hollywood

by Josh Sewell

Courtesy of Netflix

Hollywood, the latest project from Ryan Murphy (creator of shows including Glee, American Horror Story and Pose), is a seven-episode Netflix series that takes a unique look at the Golden Age of show business. Like most of his work, the tone is all over the place, with the angel and devil on his shoulders fighting for dominance. Fortunately, the good side eventually wins, but it takes a while to get there. Those with the patience to stick it out will find themselves rewarded with a surprisingly earnest, optimistic tale.

Set in and around the film industry shortly after World War II, Hollywood mimics the melodramatic, cheesy tone of that era’s films. But it also incorporates modern sensibilities – including plenty of sex, language and refreshingly frank characters who push back against society’s restrictive and bigoted norms.

The show interweaves several compelling stories about people who want to make it in the movie business, including a handsome veteran (David Corenswet) with leading man potential; a young black actress (Laura Harrier) who’s stuck playing maids despite her incredible talent and model looks; her director boyfriend (Darren Criss) forced to hide his Filipino heritage to succeed; and a black, gay screenwriter (Jeremy Pope) who refuses to cower in the closet.

Along the way, they cross paths with fictionalized versions of real-life stars (including Rock Hudson, Anna May Wong and Hattie McDaniel), as well as mostly made-up power players (cast with big names like Rob Reiner, Patti LuPone, Mira Sorvino, Holland Taylor, Dylan McDermott and Jim Parsons) who can make or break their careers.

The first half of Hollywood is almost confrontationally off-putting. There are lots of graphic sex scenes, as well as seemingly predictable narrative tropes that lead viewers to expect tragedy for characters who are incapable of happy endings at this particular moment in history.

We meet an Asian actress who should already have an Oscar, drinking herself into oblivion. We witness young men with dreams of stardom forced to prostitute themselves for a bit part. We see men who are attracted to other men hide those feelings in self-destructive ways to avoid being ostracized or – even worse – subjected to violence.

Courtesy of Netflix

But something intriguing happens to Hollywood at the halfway point – Murphy takes a page from Quentin Tarantino’s alternate history playbook and asks what the film industry, and perhaps all of American society, would look like if a studio actually gave women, minorities and members of the LGBT community a shot in the 1940s, supporting them instead of just paying them lip service?

It’s a compelling question with a poignant, hopeful (and, yes, kind of preachy) answer, if viewers can hang around for three-and-a-half episodes to get there. I’m honestly not sure if Netflix viewers with notoriously short attention spans will make it that far.

If they do, the performances will be a huge reason why. Practically everybody gets at least one big, scene-stealing monologue, but the clear standouts among the younger cast members are Harrier, Pope, and Jake Picking. Spoilers won’t allow me to get into the specifics of the latter’s character, but he plays a handsome, lunkheaded actor who gradually evolves from welcome comic relief in the early episodes to being at the center of the show’s most emotionally affecting relationship.

LuPone (as a risk-taking studio boss) and Parsons (as a predatory agent whose behavior is light-years away from Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory) probably have the flashiest, most entertaining roles among the more seasoned cast members, while Sorvino deftly portrays a character with some heartbreaking parallels to the actress’ real-life history with the monstrous Harvey Weinstein.

Veteran actor-director Joe Mantello (as a complex studio producer) and Taylor (as his longtime colleague and friend) are also terrific. But the actor who put the biggest grin on my face is McDermott, flat-out awesome as a failed actor who runs a gas station known for offering its customers something extra with their fill-ups.

He knows exactly what kind of show he’s in, chewing scenery when it’s called for and reining it in for more serious scenes. It’s impressive to watch him modulate his performance along the way.

Hollywood may be too much of a slow-burn for some, and its subject matter will certainly alienate others. However, those accustomed to Murphy’s previous work are in for an interesting ride. The series certainly has its flaws, but they’re ultimately smoothed over thanks to strong performances and a great big heart.

Hollywood is rated TV-MA for sex, nudity, language, and smoking. Available on Netflix beginning May 1.

Grade: B-