On our Streaming Radar this week, you have the return of one of the most talked about and critically acclaimed shows in recent memory, and you have a throwback comedy film coming to Netflix that might be the beginning of a shift when it comes to comedies of a certain era.
But first, let’s talk about The Bear.
The Bear has made stars out of much of its cast, including Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and has been a force at awards races over the last several years, winning multiple Emmy Awards during its run.
Carmy, the world-class chef who’s cooking up a storm in Chicago, returns for another season, and audiences are once again invited into the pressure cooker that is his world.
It’s definitely a bingeable favorite if you’re late to the game.
But here’s the thing: this isn’t a show about cooking. It’s not a show about a restaurant. It’s not even a show about Chicago.
It’s a show about people trying to overcome personal tragedies and balance them with professional accomplishments. It’s about people who have a passion and want to see it through, whether that passion is culinary or something else entirely. Sometimes it seems that the back end is complete chaos in terms of this show, but the people at the center of it are all striving toward something greater.
When the final entrée is finally set upon the table, ready for its recipient to dig in, audiences will indulge in whatever comes next for these characters and this story.
The Bear will be discussed as one of the best television shows of the 21st century. It’s in the top fifty. I don’t know if it’s top ten, I don’t know if it’s top twenty-five, but it’s definitely in the top fifty.
And it does what great shows do. It keeps us hooked from season to season, elevates each time out, and somehow finds a way to deliver performances that feel even better than the year before.
It also creates stars who can go on to have incredible careers, which is no doubt where Jeremy Allen White has already started to float to, with acclaimed performances as Kerry Von Erich in The Iron Claw and his upcoming portrayal of Bruce Springsteen.
Hopefully this latest season is another memorable course in what has already been a tremendous meal.
Also streaming this week on Netflix is a new comedy called Little Brother.
Little Brother stars 17-time world champion John Cena, fresh off his retirement from WWE, alongside Eric André in an R-rated comedy that harkens back to the movies many of us grew up watching in the mid-2000s.
The premise is simple. Cena plays a successful New York real estate agent whose life gets turned upside down when his former little brother from a Big Brother-style mentorship program suddenly re-enters his life after years apart. That little brother is played by Eric André, who in this movie is absolutely going for it every second he’s on screen.
The reason I wanted to spotlight this one is because I think this film could be important.
I had the opportunity to see it at the premiere in New York last week, and this reviewer included, the audience absolutely loved it. They laughed throughout, and they seemed genuinely happy to be watching a comedy that was unapologetically trying to make them laugh.
Where this film becomes interesting is whether it finds an audience on Netflix, because people are starving for comedy.
I’d say over the last decade, stand-up comedy has definitely seen an elevation. That’s where people have been going to get their comedy. Traditional R-rated comedies, meanwhile, have become far less common than they once were.
Growing up, it felt like there was always another comedy around the corner. Whether it was Wedding Crashers, The Hangover, or films from an earlier era starring Eddie Murphy like Beverly Hills Cop, 48 Hrs., and Harlem Nights, these movies were readily accessible and became part of the culture.
Recently, they haven’t been.
That’s why Little Brother caught my attention.
John Cena has made quite the career for himself outside the ring and has really honed in on his unique comedic sensibilities. In a similar way to what Arnold Schwarzenegger did when he transitioned from action star to comedy, Cena has discovered something many people didn’t know he had.
The difference is, I actually think Cena is a naturally gifted comedic actor.
It’s not just the big strong guy being silly. John Cena is funny. Real-world funny. He understands timing, he knows how to play a moment, and he consistently finds ways to elevate the material.
Eric André matches that energy perfectly, and the chemistry between the two is what makes the movie work.
I actually got the chance to sit down with both Cena and André in New York City last week to talk about the film, and you can check out that conversation below.
Little Brother begins streaming on Netflix this Friday, and it’s definitely one I’d add to your queue.
