Breaking News in Yuba County
WHAT WE’RE WATCHING WITH WALTER WILLIAMS 🍿
As a journalist and talk back radio host “Breaking News in Yuba County” is in my wheelhouse.
This story was on my turf having covered so many missing persons stories in my Radio Career.
It’s darkly comical with just the right mix of humour and violence…not too heavy, not too light…just right! You guessed it the Goldilocks of dramedy.
Over 90 minutes a trampled woman, wife and sister raises herself up to be noticed by a world that has largely ignored her for her entire life.
Allison Janney as Sue Buttons becomes a local celebrity after her husband mysteriously disappears. Was Matthew Modines’, crooked, cheating Banker Karl Buttons kidnapped, killed or simply vanished from the planet? Either way Sue has one killer story she wants to share at any media conference that will bring her the admiration she so strongly wants from family, friends, co-workers and the general public. Modine and Janney have played opposite each other before on “The West Wing”.
The only gripe I have with this movie is the casting of Mila Kunis as Allison’s sister. For a start their story of walking to school together doesn’t hold water given their 24 years age gap in real life, plus they don’t share one molecule of DNA.
Laura Dern was originally cast in Kunis’ role and would have made way more sense on so many levels.
Director Tate Taylor set the movie in Natchez, Mississippi after directing Janney before in “The Help”, “Girl On The Train” and “Ma”, which also starred Juliette Lewis.
Lewis plays Daytime Talk TV Host Gloria Michaels in this collaboration.
It’s a brilliant cast overall with the addition of Ellen Barkin and the wonderful Wanda Sykes.
Regina Hall as Detective Cam Harris gets to deliver some of the funniest lines in this darkly outrageous comedy along with Sykes.
Actress and rapper Awkwafina from “Crazy Rich Asians” is one messed up dumb criminal as Mina.
If you’re looking for a blend of laughs, crime and drama this could be the box office ticket for you.
I want to see it again with its many layered onion script from writer Amanda Idoko!
4/5*
