46 | SEPTEMBER 19 • 2024
J
N
WOLFS, COMEDY/THRILLER;
SUPER-REVIEWED FILM;
SACKS, 2X; MORE
Wolfs, a comedy-thriller, opens
in theaters on Sept. 20. It starts
streaming on Apple TV+ on Sept.
27. Here’s the premise: George
Clooney and Brad Pitt play
professional fixers who deal with
dangerous and chaotic events
that bother their wealthy clients.
These guys don’t normally work
together, but they were sent, by
their respective employers, to
the same murder scene. They
are hired to deal with the messy
murder scene and find out “who-
done-it.”
Austin Abrams, 27, plays
a mysterious character only
called “The Kid.” An advance
review describes “The Kid” as
an overly nervous young man
who is an unlikely third wheel.
His importance to the murder is
gradually revealed. The same
review says Abrams’ character is
the source of much of the film’s
humor, and Abrams is a very
good comedic actor. (Veteran
character actor Richard Kind, 57,
shows up late in the film as The
Kid’s father).
Abrams’ credits include the
TV series Euphoria (main cast)
and The Walking Dead. His film
credits include Paper Towns
(2015) and Jewtopia (2012). He
grew up in Sarasota, Florida. His
parents are both doctors.
His Three Daughters opened
in a few theaters on Sept. 9 (to
qualify for Oscar nominations)
and will begin streaming on
Netflix on Sept. 20. It was
written and directed by Azazel
Jacobs, 51. His three previous
feature films got generally good
reviews, but didn’t get released
to theaters (Terri, The Lovers) or
only had a very limited release
(French Exit).
I have been rooting for
Jacobs because his father Ken
Jacobs, 91, taught cinema at
my university, and I took two
enlightening classes with him.
Well, I guess my psychic
rooting has paid off. Many
reviews came in after the limited
theater opening and they are
all glowing — for Jacobs and
for the cast (Washington Post,
L.A. Times, Boston Globe, the
Hollywood Reporter and more).
Premise: The “three” are
estranged, very different sisters
who come together to help their
dying father. They are played
by Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olsen
and Natasha Lyonne, 43. The
Hollywood Reporter said: “The
film is free of mopey melodrama
that often makes the dying
parent/estranged sibling screen
subgenre so dire. It’s [Three
Daughters] wry, vivid and moving
in unexpected ways.”
It seems like Jewish actresses
have a friend at Sunday Morning,
the very good CBS program.
On Aug. 18, they profiled Carol
Kane, 72, and, on Sept. 1, they
profiled Lyonne. Her profile
focused on Lyonne’s multiple
talents, which includes directing.
(Google CBS Sunday Morning
and you’ll find both video profiles
on the home page; also on
YouTube).
Brilliant Minds is an NBC series
that premieres on Sept. 23 (10
p.m.). It is based on several
books by Dr. Oliver Sacks (1933-
2015). This British neurologist
wrote engrossing case studies
of patients with “interesting”
symptoms related to a brain
injury or disease.
Sacks’ close relatives included
Abba Eban, the famous Israeli
diplomat; Robert Aumann, 91, an
Israeli American mathematician
who won the Nobel Prize; and
Jonathan Lynn, 81, a film and TV
director/writer (My Cousin Vinny
and many other hits).
Sacks’ first book (1973), a
memoir, became the basis of
Awakenings (1989), a critical and
box-office smash. Robin Williams
played a doctor modeled on
Sacks. In the NBC series, the
lead character, Dr. Oliver Wolf, is
also modeled after Sacks (Wolf
was Sacks’ middle name). Dr.
Wolf is played by Zachary Quinto.
Awakenings didn’t disclose
or incorporate three things
about the “real” Sacks: that
he was Jewish, he worked in
a Jewish hospital and that he
was gay. In real life, Sacks got
his medical degree from Oxford
(1958), but he interned at a San
Francisco Jewish hospital. In
the early 1960s, he took a post
at a Bronx Jewish hospital.
There he pioneered treating
long-comatose patients with a
new drug (L-Dopa). Awakenings
was based on the story of this
treatment.
Sacks disclosed in his 2015
autobiography that he was gay
but had been celibate for a large
part of his life. In Awakenings,
the Sacks’ character is “shy,”
but at the film’s end, he and a
very supportive nurse (played by
Julie Kavner) signal that they are
about to turn romantic.
I can hope, but I doubt, that Dr.
Wolf, the NBC character, will be
openly Jewish and/or gay.
Here are the Jewish winners
at the Creative Arts Emmys
(Sept. 7-8): Guest actress,
Comedy Series: Jamie Lee
Curtis, The Bear; Guest actor,
Comedy Series: Jon Berenthal,
The Bear; (Male) Performer in
Short Comedy or Drama Series:
Eric Andre, The Eric Andre
Show; (Same category) Female
Performer: Maya Rudolph, Big
Mouth; Original Music and Lyrics:
Benj Pasek and Justin Paul,
Only Murders in the Building.
Paul and Pasek, U-M alumni, got
the coveted “EGOT” title with
this Emmy (winners of an Emmy,
Grammy, Oscar and Tony).
CELEBRITY NEWS
NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST
ARTS&LIFE
HARALD KRICHEL
Austin Abrams
Natasha Lyonne
Dr. Oliver Sacks
PEABODY AWARDS
MARIA POPOVA