Written by Ben Murchison
It takes a few episodes to get a feel for the unique method of storytelling used by creator Jordan Weiss, which blends satire and fantasy sequences with witty banter full of pop culture references to tell the story of Jules (Kat Dennings) following an unexpected breakup, working to reconnect with the friends she lost touch with over the last five years. Once you see how all the elements fit together, you can start to appreciate some of the risks that the show is taking.
Admittedly inspired by the fantasy sequences in Ally McBeal that allowed you to playfully get inside the mind of its star, Weiss wrote the initially perplexing dream-like portions of the show to show the thought progression that Jules is having while making decisions, without having to voice an inner monologue. The early appearance of a symbolic cat lady (Beth Grant) makes it easy to discern that the events playing out on screen are not actually taking place, then you get a feel for the tone of the show and can make that determination even if she doesn’t show up. These scenes end up including some of the best comedic moments, make fun of stereotypes, and allow the characters to play heightened versions of themselves.
The chemistry between its principal cast is seamless, and there are some standout supporting players as well that contribute some of the biggest laughs along the way. Dennings is returning to live action for the first time since 2 Broke Girls ended, and in addition to excelling as the lead she also serves as an Executive Producer among others including Margot Robbie who briefly pops up in an unexpected cameo. Brenda Song, who has more acting credits in her early thirties than most twice her age, plays the more seemingly stable friend Madison with whom Jules seeks out first after being dumped abruptly by her boyfriend Jeremy (Connor Hines).
The third member of the original friendship triangle is Stella (Shay Mitchell) who is an “it girl” attending celebrity parties and seems to be living her life based on Eat, Pray, Love, but wants to turn a corner and get serious about her future. The standout amongst the cast is Jules’ quirky co-worker Izzy (Esther Povitsky), whom Stella describes as, “if drugs were a person.” Her facial expressions alone are hysterical, and she steals every scene with her off the wall personality, and in turn gives the other girls something ridiculous to play opposite of.
Not every joke works, and there are some moments of the show that are as cringeworthy as the pet name that lends itself to the title, but at its best, Dollface operates in a similar space to the film Someone Great from earlier this year, showing the fun connection and shorthand that friends can share while helping each other navigate life and relationships. At least with the first season, most storylines involving men actually slow things down and detract from what the show is building, although Jeremy is meant to exasperating, and Goran Visnjic and Matthew Gray Gubler do have room to inevitably grow their characters moving forward.
It’s a show that finds its rhythm around the end of its second episode, peaks in the middle of the season and then starts to lose traction towards its finale, but it has enough going for it to make it entertaining and worthy of an easy binge watch. If you don’t enjoy Dollface by Episode 5 entitled ‘Beauty Queen,’ which was a perfect capsule of all its best parts, then you can move on, but it will likely win you over.
