Quiz Lady

Recently, Disney+ began giving access to select Hulu shows and movies; I'm not signed up for any bundle with Hulu. So I was able to watch the Awkafina/Sandra Oh movie Quiz Lady that came out last year. It's a funny but also touching tale about two sisters needing cash to save their kidnapped dog Mr. Linguini. The dog was kidnapped because their gambling addict mother owed $80,000 to a loan shark. So the timid Anne needs to go on the Quiz show to win the money. From the trailer, I was expecting that the free spirit sister Jenny would be lazy, selfish, and callous toward her straight-laced sister Anne, but it wasn't like that at all. She genuinely cares about Anne, and when the dog is kidnapped, her first instinct is outrage at their mother for running off, and Jenny calls their mother trying to demand payment of the ransom. "I'm not going to let her ruin your life," she says. So that was a pleasant surprise even if Jenny does manipulate her sister regarding the Quiz show, because she wants to be a life coach.

There are also cute surprises, like Tony Hale as a Ben Franklin impersonator, and the loan shark loving dogs. Holland Taylor plays a cranky neighbor, but isn't used very well in the plot, in my opinion. Will Ferrell as the game show host was sincere, not annoying or over the top. It was enjoyable fun.

I also watched the first episode of Reservation Dogs on Disney+ (it was originally an FX show I think), but I'm not sure I want to see more of the gang warfare plot. I don't know why they named one character after Elora Danon on Willow, either.