Set in a “party house” in Brooklyn during COVID lockdown in 2020, this romp, centred around a July 4th BBQ, is a veritable laundry list of all that does or could possibly ail us: divorce, sudden injury, finding the magic dust for a novel, opportunistic sex, not-quite-up-to-snuff cooking, sudden hots for a delivery boy, petty theft—everything stirred together with copious helpings of “What do I do now?” and “Where do we go from here?”
Comedian John Early playing Terry Goon (you can’t make this up) engagingly anchors the ensemble cast even as he hobbles on a crutch from scene to scene wearing a variety of keep-the-pandemic-away-from-me masks. Reinforcing the limb challenges, nephew Bahul (camera favourite and newcomer Qaher Harhash—cheers to future projects) sports a cast (broken leg) of his own, vacillating between a modelling career or writing the next great Moroccan novel.
Binding everything together is transgender with many attitudes Carla (Hammel in a knockout performance), who delights in expressing her opinions, readily bags liquor while visiting and lures the eager and willing takeout purveyor, Ronald (saucily done by Faheem Ali), even as he exchanges getting a ride for losing one. Lurking in the narrative weeds is Terry’s ex, Leo (John Roberts happy to rule as needed from his party house roost) alongside next fiancé in waiting, Hamadou (the perpetually smiling Davidson Obennebo, gaily lights up all his on-screen moments).
For some, the madcap events (from burning Old Glory, to a fire hydrant photo op going very wrong, through the life and times of a supersized, gleaming disco ball along with a poignant moment of hand holding by co-patients in a blaring ambulance), might seem a tad confusing or perhaps plot point overkill. For the rest, it’s the nonstop mayhem during the early, deadly wrath of COVID-19 that is the focus as our planet’s population stressed out in countless ways all the while asking, “Am I next?”
A viewing is encouraged for all of us who survived that scary time even as we await whatever global calamity comes our way next. JWR