The words ‘satire’ and ‘irony’ can put some strange ideas in people’s heads. Under the right circumstances, they are the bedrock for attitudes behind some of the greatest works of art across many mediums. But under the wrong ones, they’re just an excuse for utter laziness. The Internet is basically a carwash that scrubs all manner of context from whatever is placed on it, and in that scrubbing, there is all manner of satirical humour that operates under the impression that, if you just admit that you’re lazy or just being a dick, that magically makes it okay and “the point” of doing so. But it’s one thing when the average layman tries their hand at something like this, which is usually embarrassing but nothing more than that; it's quite another when Hollywood money is being thrown at it.
Inspired by the behind-the-scenes of Jurassic World: Dominion, the latest film from Judd Apatow shows the tumultuous production of the film-within-a-film Cliff Beasts 6, with the titular Bubble referring to the quarantine conditions of the shoot. The cast is absolutely chockers, from the main actors to the oodles of cameo appearances, and if nothing else, I’m sure that they all had fun on-set. At least, I’m hoping that they had fun on-set, because they are likely the only ones who could with this material. For two solid hours, Apatow and co-writer Pam Brady see fit to wring out every single joke they can muster to do with life under COVID-19 and just general Hollywood egotism, whether they’re even remotely fresh or otherwise. Films that are openly inspired by this period of history are already dated as is, but this film seems to be trying even harder to make itself instantly behind-the-times. Seltzerberg would be proud.
It doesn’t help that the attitudes espoused by the script and general tone of the film are mesmerizingly smug and self-satisfied. Satire of this nature in the mainstream admittedly runs into some immediate problems because it is, by definition, the result of the better-off pointing out problems with their own privileged existences. And here, that takes the form of the isolating and stressful schedule of working on a film, something that already is prone to issues that are exacerbated by this once-in-a-lifetime plague. Except, while it tries to cover itself by claiming to be in on the joke, a lot of it comes across as petty, mean-spirited, and more than a little annoying to deal with for this length of time.
This actively feels like a hybrid of all the elements that have made up the very bottom of my Worst Of The Year lists for the last few cycles. Like Locked Down, it’s a bunch of superstar actors coming together to seemingly just make a quick relevancy buck without giving anything of substance. Like The Prom, it tries to create a sense that celebrities care about the hardships that the rest of us have to deal with, but is so transparently self-serving that it fails to be at all genuine about it. Like Ride Like A Girl, it’s an inside-out depiction of an entertainment industry that puts an uncomfortable amount of effort into hiding away the real problems within said industry, all while pretending to be taking all comers. And like the Death Wish remake, any of its attempts at commentary are hindered by the fact that it itself is guilty of every one of those actions, as if being cutesy about it makes it any easier to sit through.
Without question, this is the worst film Judd Apatow has ever directed, and possibly the worst he’s ever been involved with full stop. Where films like Tropic Thunder won points for actually being daring in what they have to say, and being accurate about the problems within the film industry and its stardom culture, this makes light of the industry in about the most self-serving way possible. I won’t go full hyperbole and say that this is worse than actually having COVID… but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t worryingly reminiscent of that experience.
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