42 | AUGUST 8 • 2024 
J
N

OLYMPICS MEETS A 
‘MOCKUMENTARY’ AND 
THREE VERY DIFFERENT 
FILMS
The Olympics (July 28- Aug. 
11) are being shown on 
NBC and on Peacock, a 
streaming service owned 
by NBC. The all-star U.S. 
Men’s Basketball team is 
very likely to appear in the 
gold medal game (Aug. 10) 
— and a case can be made 
that the best player on the 
team — or on the planet — 
is Stephen (“Steph”) Curry, 
36. He plays point guard for 
the Golden State Warriors.
It’s no accident that a new 
Peacock series, co-starring 
Curry in his acting debut, 
premieres on Aug. 8. This 
six-episode comedic “mock- 
umentary” series is titled 
Mr. Throwback. Here’s the 
premise in the words of 
NBC: “A down-on-his luck 
memorabilia dealer (Adam 
Pally, 42) looks for redemp-
tion by reuniting with his 
sixth-grade teammate 
[Curry].” 
The official trailer 
offers more detail: Danny 
Grossman (Pally) was the 
basketball team star when 
he and Curry were in mid-
dle school. He was also the 
coolest kid in the school 
and something of a men-
tor to Steph. But things go 
south for Danny. The trailer 
referred to Danny, as an 
adult, as a “trainwreck.” I 
gathered, from the trailer, 
that a documentary is being 
made about Curry, but he 
insists that Danny, his old 
friend, be a major character 
in this documentary.
Of course, Danny 
Grossman is a very Jewish 
name. But I don’t know if 
he’s identified as Jewish in 

the series. I can say that the 
guys “behind the curtain” 
are Jewish. 
The series was created 
by, and was written by Pally, 
David Caspe, 45, Matthew 
Libman, 45ish, and his 
brother, Daniel Libman, 
also 45ish. All six episodes 
were directed by David 
Wain, 54. 
I live in the San Francisco 
Bay Area and Curry is just 
idolized here. He’s almost 
perfect: a great player 
who is always courteous, 
a model family man and a 
generous philanthropist. 
Bay Area Jews got excited 
when Curry got a tattoo in 
Hebrew on his arm in 2015. 
Turns out, it was a quotation 
from the New Testament 
that translates “love will 
never fail.” When asked, 
Curry said he didn’t read 
Hebrew. However, his moth-
er, a devout Christian, did 
study Hebrew for at least 
four years. 
Borderlands is a sci-fi, 
action-comedy film that 
opens in theaters on Aug. 
9. It was directed by, and 
co-written by Eli Roth, 52. 
(The film’s script is based on 
a video game series of the 
same name). Roth is best 
known for his hit horror films 
(Cabin Fever and Hostel are 
the most famous). 
Cate Blanchett plays Lily, 

an infamous outlaw who 
forms an unexpected alli-
ance with a team of misfits 
to find the missing daughter 
of the most powerful man 
in the universe. Her “crew” 
includes Claptrack, a robot 
(voiced by Jack Black, 54); 
Dr. Patricia Tannis (Jamie 
Lee Curtis, 65); and Mad 
Moxxi (Gina Gershon, 61).
One note: Ariana 
Greenblatt, 16, an up-and- 
coming actress, plays 
another “crew” member. 
I didn’t just “miss her.” I 
know Greenblatt is a “very 
Jewish” name. Ariana’s 
paternal grandfather was 
her only Jewish “grand” and 
that seems to be her only 
Jewish tie. 
It Ends with Us also 
opens in theaters on Aug. 
9. It is based on a best-
selling 2016 novel of the 
same name. As the film 
opens, Lily Bloom (Blake 
Lively) has just moved to 
Boston to open her florist 
shop. Just before her move, 
her mother tells Lily that 
Lily’s late father secretly 
physically abused her.
In Boston, Lily meets Ryle, 
a handsome neurosurgeon. 
By coincidence, Allysa 
(Jenny Slate, 42), Ryle’s 
sister, goes to work for 
Lily and they become best 
friends. 
Long story short: Ryle 

turns out to be a wife 
abuser, too. Lily forgives 
him the first time he gets 
physical with her, and she 
ultimately marries him and 
has a child with him. I won’t 
disclose how things go 
after they marry. I will reveal 
that Allysa supports Lily 
throughout her “problems” 
with Ryle. 
One Fast Move is an 
original Amazon film that 
begins streaming on Aug. 
8. The lead character is 
Wes Miller, a dishonorably 
discharged soldier who 
reconnects with his 
estranged father in pursuit 
of his dream to become 
a pro motorcycle racer. 
Along the way, he meets 
two important people: a 
small-town singer who 
becomes his love interest 
and emotional support, and 
a motorcycle shop owner 
who mentors Wes in life and 
racing. 
KJ Apa, 27, plays Wes. 
This New Zealander is the 
son of a Samoan father and 
a European mother. Eric 
Dane, 51, co-stars as Dean 
Miller, Wes’ father. His many 
credits include playing 
Mark Sloan on Grey’s 
Anatomy and Cal Jacobs 
on Euphoria. Dane’s mother 
is Jewish. He was raised 
Jewish, and he had a bar 
mitzvah. 

CELEBRITY NEWS

NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST

ARTS&LIFE

PHILIP ROMANO

Adam Pally

GAGE SKIDMORE

Jamie Lee Curtis 

MINGLE MEDIA TV

Jenny Slate

