Marco Castaneda is a graduate student at the California State University, Los Angeles. He is currently pursuing his Master of Fine Arts Degree in Television, Film, and Theatre, and expects to graduate in the Spring of 2023. He has a strong passion for creating stories as well as reading them. Marco believes that art helps people to give a unique perspective of our lives and the lives of others. He is also currently a substitute teacher for K-12th grade and hopes to teach students how to use their creativity through all aspects and subjects of their lives and not to be afraid of using their talents.
Jan 8, 2023
Photo: ‘The Drop’
There have been some shows that cover melodramatic stories such as ‘‘The Slap,’ which has been famous for portraying a family drama that shows from one small scene where a male adult slaps a couple’s misbehaving child which causes family tension and other harbored negative secrets. The hit comedic show ‘Pen15’ has this absurd humor of showing two female actresses who are in their thirties that play seventh-grade middle-schoolers and experience their struggles of fitting in as teenagers in the 2000s. In this new full-length comedic film ‘The Drop,’ the ‘Pen15’ star Anna Konkle and Jermaine Fowler (who appear in Coming 2 America and Sorry to Bother You) both play a young adult couple who attend a wedding on a tropical island. One of them holds a newborn baby and accidentally drops it. The baby seems perfectly unharmed, but the witnesses, which are their friends, are not too forgiving of what just happened. For the viewer who is interested in seeing a cringe-worthy comedy that is done with a flair for the purpose of the comedic stakes to be raised and to show some exciting consequences of what can happen when someone unintentionally drops a newborn baby.
Director Sarah Adina Smith co-wrote the film with Joshua Leonard. The movie is executive produced by Jay and Mark Duplass, who directed other comedies such as ‘Cyrus’ and ‘Jeff, Who Lives at Home.’ ‘Jeff, Who Lives at Home’ tells a story that deals with a slacker brother who is willing to discover his destiny in life by relying on signs of the universe because he watched the film ‘Signs.’ ‘Cyrus’ is a dark comedy that deals with a middle-aged man (played by John C. Reilly) who attempts to get romantically involved with a beautiful middle-aged woman (played by Marisa Tomei) who raises her son who is in his twenties (played by Jonah Hill). Now the Duplass brothers are producing another romantic comedy. Besides the fact that Anna Konkle of ‘Pen15’ stars in it, the male actor comes out as the male of the relationship. They both appear as a couple who believe that they have their lives planned out perfectly as they start to make plans of making a family of their own.
Lex (played by Anna Konkle) and Mani (played by Jermaine Fowler) operate an artisanal bakery in Los Angeles. However, their goals take a different turn when one of them unintentionally drops a friend’s baby. This consequence is supposed to poke fun at what would happen if someone actually drops a baby at a place of celebrating a couple who is willing to get married. This incident is supposed to show the passive-aggressive actions that come from the people at the wedding and is supposed to make the couple rethink their future together.
The film does a good job of raising the stakes due to the fact that it is a comedy that is supposed to make one cringe at something that wasn’t supposed to be done by adults who claim themselves as individuals with common sense that are supposed to know better. ‘The Drop’ demonstrates that even adults can be very childlike when it comes to a simple mishap. It’s a thought-provoking comedy that has done a good job of making sure to raise some questions for the viewers. Was it right for the friends to overreact to an incident that the couple had not seen themselves coming? What would it be like if one of the young couples had not dropped the baby? Was it right or wrong for the couple to wait for the incident to occur and to reveal resentful feelings towards one another? Do the couple’s friends film’s messages will even question the viewer’s choices about how they will associate with their own friends and acquaintances. The story is fascinating with human behavior and the unpredictabilities of the art of consequence.
The movie has an interesting cast of other comedic performers with recognizable faces. Jillian Bell from ‘22 Jump Street’ has delivered some laughs. She was also the star of the film ‘Brittany Runs a Marathon,’ playing the title character. Utkarsh Ambudkar, who also appeared in Jillian’s movie, also stars as one of the cynical friends in the movie. Robin Thede (of the hit show ‘Insecure’) makes an appearance as Shauna. Aparna Namcherla (‘A Simple Favor’) plays Mia, the mother who witnesses her baby being dropped. Joshua Leonard (who also co-wrote the film with the director) plays a character named Josh. Jennifer Afleur (from Jordan Peele’s ‘Nope’) and Elisha Henig (from the show ‘The Sinner’) make his appearance as Levi.
The film will be available to stream exclusively on Hulu starting on Friday, January 13. The trailer is also available at IMDb.com andYouTube. With the ordinary everyday comedic life that the Duplass brothers have shown throughout the years, they collaborated well with Anna Konkle to do an absurd comedy that will be memorable to Hulu. The R-rated comedy’s tone will resonate with people who can identify themselves in an uncomfortable situation that brings other problems for the young couple. Regardless of how the characters are in their early thirties, they will act like high schoolers who have harbored a lot of resentment towards one another. All it took was an accidental drop to reveal the truest intentions of the adults who have claimed themselves as well-off individuals. It may be a cringe comedy that will demonstrate different reactions from the audience. However, the fans of the melodramatic show ‘The Slap’ and the awkwardly funny show ‘Pen15’ will understand the movie’s intentions. The viewers will be glad that Anna Konkle has chosen to play a character that’s her age. The movie will have the same 0ff-beat humor which has proven to be thought-provoking. Mark and Jay Duplass might not have been directors of the project, but it sure feels like they chose the right cast and crew for the project.
By Marco Castaneda
Click here to read The Hollywood Insider’s CEO Pritan Ambroase’s love letter to Cinema, TV and Media. An excerpt from the love letter: The Hollywood Insider’s CEO/editor-in-chief Pritan Ambroase affirms, “We have the space and time for all your stories, no matter who/what/where you are. Media/Cinema/TV have a responsibility to better the world and The Hollywood Insider will continue to do so. Talent, diversity and authenticity matter in Cinema/TV, media and storytelling. In fact, I reckon that we should announce “talent-diversity-authenticity-storytelling-Cinema-Oscars-Academy-Awards” as synonyms of each other. We show respect to talent and stories regardless of their skin color, race, gender, sexuality, religion, nationality, etc., thus allowing authenticity into this system just by something as simple as accepting and showing respect to the human species’ factual diversity. We become greater just by respecting and appreciating talent in all its shapes, sizes, and forms. Award winners, which includes nominees, must be chosen on the greatness of their talent ALONE.
I am sure I am speaking for a multitude of Cinema lovers all over the world when I speak of the following sentiments that this medium of art has blessed me with. Cinema taught me about our world, at times in English and at times through the beautiful one-inch bar of subtitles. I learned from the stories in the global movies that we are all alike across all borders. Remember that one of the best symbols of many great civilizations and their prosperity has been the art they have left behind. This art can be in the form of paintings, sculptures, architecture, writings, inventions, etc. For our modern society, Cinema happens to be one of them. Cinema is more than just a form of entertainment, it is an integral part of society. I love the world uniting, be it for Cinema, TV, media, art, fashion, sport, etc. Please keep this going full speed.”
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Marco Castaneda is a graduate student at the California State University, Los Angeles. He is currently pursuing his Master of Fine Arts Degree in Television, Film, and Theatre, and expects to graduate in the Spring of 2023. He has a strong passion for creating stories as well as reading them. Marco believes that art helps people to give a unique perspective of our lives and the lives of others. He is also currently a substitute teacher for K-12th grade and hopes to teach students how to use their creativity through all aspects and subjects of their lives and not to be afraid of using their talents.
Marco Castaneda is a graduate student at the California State University, Los Angeles. He is currently pursuing his Master of Fine Arts Degree in Television, Film, and Theatre, and expects to graduate in the Spring of 2023. He has a strong passion for creating stories as well as reading them. Marco believes that art helps people to give a unique perspective of our lives and the lives of others. He is also currently a substitute teacher for K-12th grade and hopes to teach students how to use their creativity through all aspects and subjects of their lives and not to be afraid of using their talents.
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