Judd Apatow: The Return (2017)

The Bubble is a (sometimes funny) comedy film that tries to supply social commentary on a lot of things all at once.  Unfortunately, a few spoonfuls of comedy does not help the heaps of clunky commentary go down smoothly. Like many modern attempts at social commentary from well-meaning, mostly white or white gaze aligned, comedian writers, the film's humor sags under the weight of false neutralism.

The film follows an assemble of characters as they are filming the sixth installment of a dinosaur movie franchise called “Cliff Beasts.” During the 100-million-dollar production of the movie, hijinks ensue as Covid-19 measures and character egos clash. Judd Apatow seemed to be aiming for commentary on the power and hypocrisy in Hollywood. The results are shapeless and better recalled for discussion after the fact.

This is the rare good “bad” movie that is more efficient as a conversation starter than an entertaining watch. Judd Apatow and Pam Brady write and direct a professional, polished cinematic product. The actors are all professionals and work the threadbare script for what it is worth. David Duchovny even manages to make you forget about Agent Fox Mulder from the X-Files as he nails the depiction of the pompous actor rewriting the script in midshoot. From a technical lens, this movie is polished. The humor itself will be funny to a sizeable audience, so even on a commercial level, it will do well most likely. But, from a critical lens. . .

For example, public outrage over a white actor (Carol) playing a character that is meant to be half Palestinian and half Israeli is glossed over. Apatow seems to want to show the clueless way these things happen. He has Carol confront her manager for encouraging her (over her own doubts) to play the character. The moment, however, becomes little more than an inciting incident. Carol literally never has an emotional arc, epiphany, or insight into the situation. Instead, Carol seems to just feel like the whole thing is unfair to her. Essentially, her career is on the rocks because people were upset about this portrayal, even though the movie was good. Carol is ridiculed by the other actors more for the film having a 4% on Rotten Tomatoes and bailing on "Cliff Beasts 5", than the sociopolitical implications of her actions. Zaki, a football player staying in the hotel with the cast, quite literally asks her if she is Palestinian or Israeli. After she replies no, he proceeds with a sexual come-on. Throughout the film, Carol's issue of whitewashing a character is given no real cinematic conversation.