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Indian Express
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Deep Cover movie review: Bryce Dallas Howard, Orlando Bloom starrer is funny and self-aware when it's not
There's something inherently ridiculous about the idea of using improv actors to infiltrate a London crime syndicate. In theory, it sounds like the fever dream of a writer who's watched MacGruber, Johnny English, and an old rerun of Whose Line Is It Anyway? back-to-back. But then again, that's the exact tightrope Deep Cover chooses to walk – with the wobbly confidence of a performer mid-scene, unsure whether to commit to the bit or bail with a quick 'yes, and…'. What results is a film that's a lot more likeable and amusing than it probably has any right to be. And when it's not funny? Well, at least it knows it. Bryce Dallas Howard leads the operation as Kat, an improv instructor who hasn't exactly made peace with her stalled career. She's roped into a MI5-adjacent operation by a grim-faced but quietly bemused Sean Bean, who plays Detective Sergeant Billings with the kind of weariness that suggests he's seen one too many undercover ops go sideways. His brilliant idea? Use Kat and her two least promising students – Marlon (Orlando Bloom) and Hugh (Nick Mohammed) – as decoys in a sting operation. To the film's credit, it doesn't pretend this idea makes any real-world sense. In fact, the characters are baffled too. But the movie's charm lies in how earnestly it sells this silliness. There's a commitment to chaos, and it works more often than it doesn't. As Marlon, Bloom sheds the seriousness that has often weighed down his career (and a fair share of chainmail) and steps into pure comedic territory. He's genuinely funny – sometimes in a self-deprecating way, other times with the energy of a guy who's finally found a role that doesn't require him to pretend to be an elf, a prince, or a vaguely rebellious heartthrob. Nick Mohammed, meanwhile, isn't reinventing the wheel. His Hugh feels like a gentle cousin to Nate from Ted Lasso – nervy, eager, prone to overthinking everything, and occasionally stumbling into brilliance. It's familiar, but it works. If anything, Hugh might be the film's emotional compass, even when the plot doesn't really ask for one. Even Sean Bean gets to crack a few smiles before, inevitably, looking like he's either going to die or arrest someone. (No spoilers, but if you're playing the Sean Bean Death Bingo, don't cash in too early.) The narrative itself is serviceable – a stitched-together crime plot that exists mostly as a backdrop for the gags and character moments. There are double-crosses, mistaken identities, and a few scenes of genuine tension. But don't go expecting The Departed. The stakes feel intentionally low – a strength and a weakness. On one hand, it makes the film breezy and easy to digest. On the other, there's a certain aimlessness that creeps in during the second act. The movie is funny. And when it's not funny, it's at least self-aware. There's something refreshing about a film that doesn't try too hard to be clever. It knows its limits, doesn't overreach, and winks at the audience just enough. But occasionally, you do wish it pushed past the wink – into full-blown satire or surprise – but its restraint is part of its charm. There's also a whiff of Delhi Belly here – particularly in how regular, slightly idiotic people get swept into high-stakes criminal drama and somehow bluff their way through. The film doesn't indulge in toilet humour, but it shares that anarchic DNA. That same sense of 'Wait, how are they still alive?' runs through much of the story. Deep Cover isn't as sharp as The Nice Guys, or as madcap as The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. But it's the kind of movie you see with zero expectations, and find yourself laughing 15 minutes in. Deep Cover Deep Cover Cast – Bryce Dallas Howard, Orlando Bloom, Nick Mohammed, Paddy Considine, Ian McShane, Sean Bean Deep Cover Director – Tom Kingsley Deep Cover Rating – 3/5
Chicago Tribune
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Whose libretto is it, anyway? Chicago opera company takes on improv
We're at a pizza parlor, listening to 'The Perversity of Captain Morgan.' This opera has everything: drunk pirates, 'horny fish,' a preteen stowaway from Colorado, and a character referred to only as Peasant Susan. Musically, 'Captain Morgan' sounds a bit like Mozart's handiwork — and it's highly possible the potty-mouthed composer himself might have snickered at the absurd plot. It has an overture, with a lighthearted onstage pantomime. It boasts a mix of aria and recitativo secco, or recitative accompanied by the harpsichord (in this case, an electric keyboard playing with a patch). It even ends with a Mozartean, all-cast finale. But this opera isn't from the 18th century. It's very contemporary — as in, it's being made up on the spot. Welcome to Chicago Fringe Opera's 'Op*erratic.' Every Wednesday night at Borelli's Pizzeria in Lincoln Square, cycling troupes of singers improvise a half-hour-long opera based on audience suggestions. George Cederquist, the company's producing artistic director, says he's long used improv as a teaching tool in North Park University's theater department. After honing his skills further through a summer intensive at Annoyance Theatre, he wondered what it might look like to apply what he learned to opera. 'Improv is essentially putting on your own mask before assisting others,' Cederquist told me between sets at Borelli's. 'When you go into a scene making a really strong choice, that allows everybody else in the scene to know what's going on.' After two preliminary improv classes at North Park University earlier this year, 18 singers rehearsed together from March through mid-May to prepare for this summer run of shows. A few participants — like mezzo-soprano Molly Clementz, the matriarch of last week's brood of 'horny fish' — had improv experience. Others didn't. All, however, were fusing opera and improv comedy for the first time. For some cast members, the experience scratched a secret itch. Mezzo-soprano Evita Trembley tried out for her high school improv team but didn't make the cut. (She got some of the evening's biggest laughs as a misbegotten shark-slash-mermaid.) Soprano Allison Mann says she used to play a DIY version of 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?' in her childhood living room. 'So, of course, I jumped on this opportunity,' Mann says. Though Chicago Fringe runs on a tiny budget, it offered the classes to participants for free — an important tenet for Cederquist, who sees the company as counteracting industry 'gatekeepers.' That alone made the risk worth taking for singers like Trembley. 'They made it really accessible to singers — especially now, when everyone's having a hard time financially,' she says. 'In opera, we're all just gigging it out here.' 'Op*erratic' was originally billed as an hour-long improvised opera. That proved to be a lift, so the final version — presented now through July 2 — presents popular short-form improv games, like 'Freeze,' 'Park Bench' and 'Sex with me is like …,' before launching into the main event. Through it all, Brian Rasmussen mans the keys with quick-thinking brilliance. During a 'Freeze' set that involved a giant crab, he breezily plunked out the hook to 'Under the Sea.' Later, as the fish improvised an aria with a falling two-note refrain ('… very , he echoed the same motif in his accompaniment. Rasmussen is already an experienced improviser, mostly in the musical theater world. Improvising like Mozart, though? That was new. 'A lot of times when I'm improvising, it's either a lot of pastiche, or it's just what I would do as a composer. Here, we're imitating a certain style,' says Rasmussen, himself an operatic tenor. 'I'm doing, like, music theory analysis in my head while I'm playing.' Once the cast gained confidence — whether in the idiom, or in improv itself — the next challenge was, ironically, holding back. Singers had to listen closely to make sure they weren't stepping on each other's toes. 'It's just in our nature,' Trembley says. 'We all want to sing, and we want to sing big.' The cast throws all hesitation to the wind by show's end. Like so many great Mozart finales, the finale to last week's show teemed with vocal polyphony. Lines danced in fugue, or interlaced in duos and trios. The central refrain of that grand chorus, by the way? 'She secreted.' Depending on what night you go to 'Op*erratic,' the bodily fluids invoked may vary. But the laughs? Sempre forte. 'Op*erratic' runs 7:30 p.m. every Wednesday through July 2 at Borelli's Pizzeria, 2124 W. Lawrence Ave.; $15 suggested donation, Hannah Edgar is a freelance writer.
Hamilton Spectator
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Mike Myers, Colin Mochrie to perform at charity comedy show in Toronto
TORONTO - Mike Myers will take to the stage in Toronto as part of a comedy fundraiser for a local cancer charity. The Canadian comedian will perform standup as part of 'It's Always Something: Open Mike' at The Second City Toronto on May 12. 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?' star Colin Mochrie will also perform, and improv comic David Shore is set to host. The show will also feature Shore's 'Monkey Toast: The Improvised Talk Show.' The event is being hosted by Gilda's Toronto, a charity named for the late comedian Gilda Radner, an original cast member of 'Saturday Night Live.' The organization offers support to cancer patients and their family members. Myers was born in Toronto and got his breakout on 'SNL.' He's returned to the show in recent months to portray Elon Musk, and made headlines for wearing a T-shirt on stage defending Canada's sovereignty in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's comments about making the country the '51st state.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 2, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Mike Myers, Colin Mochrie to perform at charity comedy show in Toronto
TORONTO – Mike Myers will take to the stage in Toronto as part of a comedy fundraiser for a local cancer charity. The Canadian comedian will perform standup as part of 'It's Always Something: Open Mike' at The Second City Toronto on May 12. 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?' star Colin Mochrie will also perform, and improv comic David Shore is set to host. The show will also feature Shore's 'Monkey Toast: The Improvised Talk Show.' The event is being hosted by Gilda's Toronto, a charity named for the late comedian Gilda Radner, an original cast member of 'Saturday Night Live.' The organization offers support to cancer patients and their family members. Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. Myers was born in Toronto and got his breakout on 'SNL.' He's returned to the show in recent months to portray Elon Musk, and made headlines for wearing a T-shirt on stage defending Canada's sovereignty in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's comments about making the country the '51st state.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 2, 2025.
The Guardian
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Jordan Shea: the 10 funniest things I have ever seen (on the internet)
I grew up pretty much without the internet until its apparent boom in my teenage years, around 2007-2008, at which point I hijacked my family's very limited bandwidth to watch the evolution of Tony award openings, and reruns of Whose Line Is It Anyway? Other experiences included picking up our landline to be met with the unholy screech of dial-up and ripping a CD on LimeWire, causing the monitor to slightly combust. Now, as a high school teacher, I battle the internet. Often my students refer to content that sends me to Google or my teacher WhatsApp group in search of understanding. But in the dressing room, my co-stars, who all have done their honours in The Internet, are teaching me, allowing me to feel less in the way and more part of the crowd. So, here are my 10 funniest things on the internet. Not ranked, just off the top of my head. This whole clip sums up the hilarity, stamina and pacing that anyone in a Mel Brooks musical requires to deliver the goods. It certainly was my own education while rehearsing The Producers! This article includes content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click 'Allow and continue'. Led by Mama LuLu, this Filipino family from the Bay Area thrive on making content dedicated to affectionately bullying each other. They are all hilarious, representing contemporary Filipino culture in America, with commentary on social issues, cooking, politics – and every single video they put out kills me. Mama LuLu refers to her children by their nicknames: Bottom, Apple and Lesbean – so I never knew their actual names until about two months ago. The family talk really seriously about issues, then pivot to total ridiculousness and screaming. Any video on their page is worth a watch. Here we see Mr G, in my opinion one of the best comic creations in Australian television, clearing the office of the school's head of drama. She's gone to New Zealand for about six weeks, and he clears the office like she's never coming back and he's replacing her. The way Mr G drops someone else's items into boxes so carelessly shows a contempt for teaching hierarchy that is totally believable. My best friend and I always quote 'Shit, crap, useless. You could use that couldn't you?' when we are in an op shop. The former Liberal candidate Jaymes Diaz appeared out of his depth when interviewed by Channel 10 ahead of the 2013 election. This was the first election I voted in, and I remember this resonating with me, because I thought the Liberal party were particularly callous in sending out someone so unprepared. The aesthetic of a candidate standing there, blanking entirely to a reporter, between two people who seemingly nod along with him, is like something out of Fast Forward. Fortunately, Diaz paid himself out a little later. I personally just love anyone screaming loudly in a comic way – on stage or on screen. Don Rickles is one of my favourite comedians ever. He was in his late 80s here but still shot some barbs that were extremely funny. The full version of this Larry King interview is worth watching, but this clip shows him acting like he has no idea who Justin Bieber is while also dismissing him completely, without saying anything at all. I will read this usually once a month, because it reads me to filth. Studio 10 is fascinating. Live audience numbers and applause are as slim as my bank account and waistline when I was in theatre school. The segments were extremely diverse: from political issues to segments on Darling Harbour. In this segment, veteran performer Denise Drysdale and blue tongue lizard aficionado Craig Bennett prepare a full three course meal for $82. It's full of zingers, and everything from thinning out soup with a bit of stock to Mark Trevorrow donating a super sweet 'Gary Sweet' prosecco. Just watch it. If I ever get extremely wealthy and have lots of free time, I want to track down the creative director and cast members and pitch to McDonald's the revival of this 1983 ad campaign. It is excellent, and brings a genuine smile to my face. I also have it on good authority that this was recreated by a McDonald's team in western Sydney. Jordan Shea is appearing in The Producers at Riverside theatres 15-18 May.
