I’ve been here for two weeks to comment on a sweet film, perfect for the end of the year and which brings together two great actresses of American cinema, Awkwafina and Sandra Oh: Quiz Lady. The unpretentious comedy is directed by Jessica Yu and stars Jason Schwartzman, Holland Taylor, Tony Hale, and Will Ferrell in supporting roles so the stars shine on their own.

Sandra and Awkwafina are sisters with opposite personalities, Anne and Jenny, raised in a dysfunctional family and who grow apart as adults. Anne is the responsible, introverted one who finds practical answers to difficult questions on a talk show that has aired on TV for decades. It’s the paradox of being a walking encyclopedia while not having the answers to your own loneliness and unhappiness. Jenny, on the other hand, embraced the chaos of throwing herself into challenges that always end in failure, also always asking herself her purpose in life.

When their mother runs away from the Elderly Retreat, they discover that they “inherited” a debt of 80 thousand dollars from her. It gets even worse: the dog (supposedly Jenny’s that she never cared for) that is Anne’s life, is kidnapped as collateral. They have just a few days to raise the amount or they will lose the dog. The alternative? Force Anne to overcome chronic shyness so she can participate in the game show and win.

In this well-known and simple proposal, which mixes road movies with family reunions, the actresses take milk and stone and manage to work. First, they look like sisters and Sandra’s timing, after years in the dense Killing Eve, is extremely welcome. Screenwriter Jen D’ Angelo says she was inspired by real situations to create the story, using her own family to build the sisters’ dynamics and it works because there is a connection between the two in the paradoxical world of trivia competitions.

A sweet, unpretentious, and perfect film to close the year!

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