Apatow’s Netflix comedy has some nice gags about showbusiness, but it’s not enough to carry it through
There are two or three or possibly four laughs in Judd Apatow’s extremely long Netflix comedy about movie celebrity and the pandemic, which features a range of American and British talent. The troubled cast members of a hugely successful action franchise called Cliff Beasts are persuaded to reunite for Cliff Beasts 6: to beat the virus they’ll all have to bubble up for a three-month shoot in a huge English country hotel where greenscreen facilities can be erected to fabricate the real world outside.
These comprise insecure Carol (Karen Gillan), haughty diva Lauren (Leslie Mann), bleary veteran Dustin (David Duchovny), spiritual wellness enthusiast Sean (Keegan-Michael Key), TikTok superstar Krystal (Iris Apatow), light relief Howie (Guz Khan) and borderline-crazy Dieter (Pedro Pascal). They have to be kept in line by their tightlipped Brit producer (Peter Serafinowicz) and visionary director Darren (Fred Armisen).
