Weekend Watchlist | Comedies

We’re past the halfway point of the semester, and could all use a pick-me-up between midterms, finals and trying to choose classes for the spring semester. So this week, the Pitt News Staff is recommending some comedies to help you take your mind off of everything for a little while.

Lovebirds (Netflix) // Sinéad McDevitt, Digital Manager

This was a film I had to wait for since the pandemic delayed its theatrical release, but it was worth the wait. Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae star in this romantic comedy about a pair of lovers whose relationship is on the rocks when they accidentally get implicated in a murder and have to prove their innoncence.

Rae and Nanjiani have amazing comedic and romantic chemistry, pulling off quick back-and-forth bickering and several tender scenes. The various set pieces as they try to solve the crime before the police catch up to them are gut-busters and tense towards the end. On top of that, some actors who only have short scenes, such as Anna Camp, make the most of their time, leading to some very memorable moments.

It’s not necessarily the greatest film ever, but it’s a fun one to kick back and watch with friends, family or even a partner.

Miracle Workers (HBO Max) // Rachel Bachy, Staff Writer

The anthology series “Miracle Workers” answers the question, “What if Steve Buscemi were God?” With the first season set in corporate heaven, the second in the middle ages and the third in the wild west, “Miracle Workers” takes you on three hilarious journeys through surprisingly relatable dilemmas. You’ll find out that the search for love is just as hard for a prince and that everyone (even God) is disappointing their parents.

The first season, set in Heaven Inc., follows Craig (Daniel Radcliffe) and Eliza (Geraldine Viswanathan) as they work in the thankless miracles department. Craig is content to work his little miracles, but Eliza wants more. When they arrange a bet with God (Steve Buscemi), Craig and Eliza find out that to win the bet, they’d need a miracle.

Season two takes us to a picture of the Dark Ages that feels all too familiar. Alexandra “Al” Shitshoveler (Geraldine Viswanathan) wants nothing more than to leave her dead-end village, but her dad, Eddie Shitshoveler (Steve Buscemi), and brother, Mikey Shitshoveler (Jon Bass), convince her to work in the family business: shovelling shit. Can she get out of her small town, or is she destined to shovel shit forever?

Season three journeys to the Oregon Trail with Reverend Ezekiel Brown (Daniel Radcliffe). And, yes, this is the season where Daniel Radcliffe dresses in assless-chaps and sings “She’ll Be Coming Around the Mountain.” This season just wrapped up on cable, so it’ll be coming around the mountain for streaming very soon.

Kaguya-sama: Love is War (Hulu) // Sinéad McDevitt, Digital Manager

What do you get when two very smart students at a prestigious academy fall in love but they’re both too proud to make the first move? You get this show, which is adapted from Aka Akasaka’s manga of the same name.

Each episode is a series of vignettes about Miyuki Shirogane and Kaguya Shinomiya, the student council president and vice president respectively, and their various attempts to get the other to confess their feelings first. Various other members of the cast end up roped into the shenanigans, leaving you with a show that will either melt your heart with sweet moments or have you rolling on the floor laughing.

Even if you generally prefer subtitles, you might also want to check out the dub for the sheer hamminess of Ian Sinclair as the narrator. If you’re in the mood for laughs, this is the show for you.