In Judd Apatow’s latest film, The Bubble, hilarity ensues when a group of actors and crew members attempt to film the latest installment of a lagging franchise during the Covid quarantine.
Carol (Karen Gillan) is an actress who left the Cliff Beasts franchise for greener pastures after completing the fourth film. But when her latest film is a complete flop, a humbled Carol has to return to the franchise to save her dying career. Although she manages to muster up some enthusiasm to play the role of Dr. Lacey Nightingale again, her cast mates are still holding a grudge because she skipped out on the fifth installment. What ensues is two hours of over the top dramatics and meta commentary on the state of Hollywood.
The film is loosely based on the making of the film, Jurassic World: Dominion. In March 2020, the film’s production was threatened by the Covid shutdown. In a controversial move, those in power decided to continue production on the movie and forced the cast and crew of the film to quarantine for two weeks before resuming production. This was an unprecedented and dangerous decision, and initiated a dialogue about dangerous working conditions for actors. Is it really worth putting their lives on the line because of money?
This movie answers with an emphatic yes. It not only parodies the events of the Jurassic World: Dominion shoot, but pokes fun at other common occurrences in modern Hollywood. For example, Cliff Beasts 6 director, Darren (Fred Armisen), enjoyed a meteoric rise to fame after winning the Sundance Film Festival with a movie he shot on his iPhone about working at Home Depot. As most of us film aficionados know, the ‘from indie film to big budget blockbuster director’ pipeline is real. We also have the film’s screenwriter, Dustin (David Duchovony), who is eager to shoehorn some real world social commentary into the film no matter how unnatural it feels. His long-suffering wife, Lauren (Leslie Mann) is on the verge of filing for divorce.
There’s also Sean (Keegan-Michael Key) who has developed a lifestyle brand that inches closer and closer to sounding like a cult the more he talks about it. Krystal Kris (Iris Apatow), is a TikTok star whose ability to create viral content has landed her an acting role she is ill prepared for. Pedro Pascal and several others round out the remaining cast.
To say there’s a lot going on in this film is an understatement. Many sub-plots are introduced and dropped throughout the film’s two-hour runtime, and while it’s downright laugh out loud funny during many moments, one can’t help but feel a little hollow by the time the credits role.
The best way to enjoy this film is to prepare for and embrace and spontaneity and randomness that was clearly present during the writing and filming of the movie. Will you walk away wishing it had offered more in-depth commentary about the Hollywood stereotypes in calls out? Yes. But ultimately, it isn’t necessary to enjoy a silly film about the ridiculousness of Hollywood film productions.
The Bubble is currently available to stream on Netflix.
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Writer. Video Essayist. Film/TV Critic. Pop Culture Enthusiast.
When he isn’t writing for Geek Vibes Nation or The Cinema Spot, Tristian can be found typing away at one of the novels or screenplays he’s been working on forever.
