BETWEEN TWO FERNS: THE MOVIE (NETFLIX) (2019)

SYNOPSIS: Armed with awkward questions and zero self-awareness, Zach Galifianakis hits the road to find famous interview subjects for his no-budget talk show. 

MOVIE REVIEW:

Between Two Ferns is a talkshow originated from the internet that features celebrities (liked Ben Stiller, Brad Pitt and even Obama) being grilled by host Zack Galifianakis. It’s often funny, edgy and awkward and it’s made up of jokes that are consider not safe for television. Don’t just take my word for it, just go to YouTube, do a search and you can basically binge-watched all the episodes. 

In the movie version, Zack Galifianakis and his four misfits crew namely his assistant Carol (Lauren Lapkus), his cameraman Cam (Ryan Gaul) and boom operator Boom (Jiavani Linayao) are taking the Between Two Ferns show on the road after Zack "temporarily killed" Matthew McConaughey in his dilapidated studio. Tasked by Will Ferrell who promised a network talkshow for him, Zack must deliver ten sessions of celebrities interviews to him at his Funny Or Die office before the stipulated time. Without a concrete plan and with funds running out, will Zack and his crew succeed in their mission?  

Unlike other expanded or reimagined “movie version”, Between Two Ferns: The Movie works perfectly fine on Netflix. In fact, it’s the best platform out there for comedy writers and filmmakers to put up their stuff without breaking the bank. The movie version continues to grill celebrities with cringe-worthy and embarrassing questions liked asking when did Brie Larson had her first period to why Paul Rudd has to hide his Jewishness to insinuating Benedict Cumberbatch is a bad actor if not for his English accent. 

The jokes are offensive but if you are a fan of the original web series, you will love every minute of it. Inbetween the interviews, the road trip is padded with mostly the mistrust issue the crew had with Zack. There is a bit of story and message hidden within the laughs but they are too brief to make much of an impact and honestly, fans are here for the interviews if you get what I mean. All in all, the flick is wonderfully directed and written by Scott Aukerman, the same guy who did the web series. Between Two Ferns: The Movie guarantees an 82 minutes of pure silliness and outrageous one-liners that you should check it out like right now.  

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee