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Arts
Tuesday, September 27, 2016 — 5
Since “Parks and Recreation”
and “Parenthood” left the air in
2015, NBC’s lineup has been miss-
ing
shows
that
carry their ban-
ners. NBC started
programming
more mainstream,
plot-based content
like the procedural
“Chicago”
fran-
chise and dramas
like
“Blindspot”
and “The Black-
list,”
but
were
missing shows that were warm,
sweet and incredibly enjoyable to
watch on a weekly basis. It took
18 months, but NBC might have
found something to fill those holes
in their lineup with “This is Us.”
The pilot episode contains char-
acter development and emotional
payoff that suggest a show that
will effectively go for the jugular
each week, and will only become
more effective as time goes on.
“This is Us” follows a few dif-
ferent groups of people as they
move through their lives. There’s
Jack (Milo Ventimiglia, “Heroes”)
and Rebecca (Mandy Moore,
“Tangled”), who are about to
become parents as Rebecca gives
birth in the first episode; Kate
(Chrissy Metz, “American Hor-
ror Story”), an overweight woman
who starts to attend a weight loss
support group where she meets
Toby (Chris Sullivan, “Stranger
Things”), an overweight man who
she begins dating; Kate’s brother
Kevin (Justin Hartley, “Small-
ville”), an actor who stars on a
multi-cam sitcom; and Randall
(newly anointed Emmy Award
Winner Sterling K. Brown, “The
People vs. OJ Simpson”), a success-
ful professional who tracks down
his biological father.
These stories are simple at the
surface, but “This is Us” excel-
lently digs into them. The drama
isn’t necessarily for
plot
significance;
instead, it’s focused
on developing its
characters.
That’s
what’s most suc-
cessful in this pilot.
Until the last few
minutes, the hour
is about getting to
know the people
who the show will
be following, setting up what they
need to do to grow on a week-to-
week basis. It’s a classic character-
focused format, and it’s something
that’s been sorely missing from
NBC’s lineup.
Much like “Parenthood,” “This
is Us” goes for the emotional
jugular in its emotional payoffs.
Each story ends with some sort of
moment where the music swells
and the characters share some sort
of “moment.” Whether it’s Jack and
his wife’s elderly OBGYN (Gerald
McRaney, “House of Cards”) hav-
ing a heartfelt conversation as the
doctor tells Jack about what hap-
pened during the birth, or Ran-
dall bringing home his biological
father to meet his grandkids, the
last ten minutes are filled with
effectively treacly scenes. There is
an element of emotional manipu-
lation; because this is only the first
episode, and I’ve only spent 40
minutes with these characters, it’s
hard to care for them as strongly
as I did for the Bravermans toward
the end of “Parenthood,” which is
how the show seems to expect me
to feel. Hopefully, this will become
easier as the show goes on and they
spend more time growing these
characters.
It’s impossible to talk about “This
is Us” without discussing the huge
twist at the end of the pilot. If you
don’t want to know what happens,
stop reading here, go watch it and
come back.
The last moments of “This is
Us” reveal the children Jack and
Rebecca have are Kate and Kevin,
and they adopt Randall after he’s
brought into the hospital by a fire-
man and they lose their third trip-
let in the birth. So, this is a show
that will be taking place across
two different decades, with Jack
and Rebecca in the ’70s and their
now adult children in the present.
It’s a compelling bait-and-switch
that’s only matched in this week’s
premieres by creator Dan Fogel-
man’s (“Galavant”) other drama,
“Pitch.” This could easily become
a gimmick, where the drama relies
on the twist to force its emotional
payoffs (especially because it
doesn’t reveal the fates of the par-
ents in the present). However, if
used well, it can connect the les-
sons the parents learn in the past
with what the kids are doing in the
present. The trick will be to not
force ties between past and pres-
ent where they don’t belong.
The twist in “This is Us” has
somewhat overshadowed discus-
sion of the other aspects of the
pilot. It’s a very good twist, but
it wouldn’t work without all the
convincing character work earlier
in the episode. “Parks and Recre-
ation” and “Parenthood” are two
of my favorite shows, and compar-
ing them to “This is Us” is setting
an awfully high bar for the new
series to cross. However, if this
drama reaches its full potential, it
will easily be up there as one of the
best on network television.
NBC
“Don’t die. We’re only 1 percent to 100 episodes.”
NBC’s ‘This Is Us’ fills the family
drama hole vacated by ‘Parenthood’
New pilot comes with big emotions, big twists and big talent
All it took was six seconds.
This small blip of time was
enough to launch Shawn Mendes
from his popular
Vine account to
releasing two solo
albums. Working
with the basics
of popular songs,
Mendes
covered
others’
tracks
while
putting
his own acoustic
spin on them. The
newest of his albums, Illuminate,
steps outside the realm of young,
male pop stardom and into more
mature, complex territory.
As would be expected, the
album deals almost exclusively
of love, of heartbreak, budding
physical intimacy and how to
handle a relationship gone sour.
Instead of focusing on the gooey
center of a fresh relationship,
Mendes often chooses to tackle its
hardened end. Tracks like “Three
Empty Words” and “Don’t Be a
Fool” hint that Mendes is wise
beyond his years; he confronts
the imminent end in his relation-
ships rather than unnecessarily
stringing them out. Echoing art-
ists like John Mayer, the open-
ing song “Ruin” allows Mendes’s
voice to echo as the guitar rolls
and drawls on with him.
Though much of the album is
well developed in sound and lyr-
ics, there are moments when the
talk of romance and relationships
becomes too much. Slipping into
repetitive territory, sections of
the work are plagued by lulls.
Never spanning more than three
tracks, these low
moments are char-
acterized by recur-
rent
reassurances
that Mendes wants
only what is best for
his
soon-to-be-ex
and that the break-
up isn’t any easier
on him than it is the
other party. While
all is well and good, when used
in excess these traits become
stretched and slightly unbeliev-
able. “Like This” and “Don’t Be a
Fool” are two songs that unfortu-
nately fall victim to this phenom-
enon.
Despite its low points, Illumi-
nate is made up of successes. Play-
ing on his various vocal abilities,
Mendes pairs his dynamic voice
with an equally as varied instru-
mental scape. Slower tracks fea-
ture drawn out, ringing guitar
while others, like “Patience,” use
strum and slap techniques paired
with round, atmospheric tones
to create a lively sound. On these
lighter tracks, Mendes’s voice
shifts from that of a more serious
ballad to a spry, soft delivery.
Following in those nimble
footsteps, the most notable tracks
are those that played into some
element of the pop-tune machine.
Songs like “Mercy” and “No
Promises” have choruses fea-
turing energetic backup vocals
and lyrics that are easy to catch
on to. Scratching the surface of
the playboy pop persona, “No
Promises” depicts a no-strings-
attached relationship.
Even though the album is
filled with talk of love and pas-
sion, Mendes barely touches the
topic of sexuality and, as this is an
album penned by an 18-year-old-
boy, its absence leaves something
to be desired. That being said, the
one track that does tackle this
topic head first, “Lights On,” does
it very well. Feeding Mendes’s
“good guy” persona, “Lights
On” is playful as Mendes sings
of appreciating his lover’s body.
One can almost hear the longing
sighs of dedicated fans as Mendes
croons, “I can’t deny I want your
body.” In directly addressing
physical intimacy, “Lights On”
branches out from other tracks
while pointing toward the poten-
tial future of Mendes’s sound.
The mature nature of Illu-
minate is even more impressive
when considering this is only
Mendes’s
sophomore
album.
Though young, Mendes’s tal-
ent is undeniable — spewing out
vocal riffs far more soulful than
his years and perfectly executing
Ed Sheeran-esque instrumenta-
tion. Having only recently turned
18, the possibilities for the young
Canadian are multiplying by the
minute.
ISLAND/UNIVERSAL
“Can’t a Vine star get a cab in this town?”
CARLY SNIDER
Daily Arts Writer
‘Illuminate’ takes Mendes into more mature, complex territory
B-
Illuminate
Shawn Mendes
Island/Universal
A Vine star grows up on
Shawn Mendes’s new LP
ALBUM REVIEW
TV REVIEW
ABC has added yet another
series to its roster of formulaic
family sitcoms, but this one’s a
little
different.
“Speechless” cen-
ters on the DiMeo
clan –– a fam-
ily with a special-
needs child named
J.J. (Micah Fowler,
“Labor Day”). J.J.,
who has cerebral
palsy (as does the
talented
young
actor who portrays
him),
is
quickly
revealed to be an audacious teen
in his own right, not unlike his
two siblings Ray (Mason Cook,
“The Goldbergs”) and Dylan (Kyla
Kenedy, “The Walking Dead”).
In the series premiere, the three
teens are forced to change schools
yet again as their mother, Maya
DiMeo (Minnie Driver, “About
a Boy”), relentlessly searches for
a school that will accommodate
J.J. Maya fights the commonly
futile struggle against a system
that fails to provide the neces-
sary resources to students like J.J.
The latest pretext in their series
of moves is a school that provides
a “voice” for J.J., a cloyingly chip-
per school staff member who is
constantly at J.J.’s side to help him
communicate with those around
him. Though the “voice” is a win
for Maya, she soon finds another
cause for protest: the school’s
handicap ramp is the same ramp
used to load and unload trash. In
a hilariously piercing comment,
Maya asks the school principal
what kind of disabilities the trash
being carried out has, pointing out
the neglectful injustice in her son
being required to use such a ramp.
Driver executes her role as
the unfettered advocate for her
son’s rights with such moxie that
it’s impossible not
to find her feroc-
ity
charming.
Her
indignation
at every obstacle
faced by her son
is
heartwarming,
yet the show estab-
lishes that her char-
acter is as strong as
she is endearing.
The town’s police
seem to agree ––
when she speeds past a parked
cop car no less than two times, a
seasoned officer stops his partner
from pursuing her, simply shak-
ing his head and saying, “Not her.
Life’s too short.”
Though the title would have you
believe otherwise, “Speechless” is
actually full of sharp, unfiltered
dialogue wielded primarily by
the charming-as-ever Driver. The
family’s unconventional, outspo-
ken matriarch adds a refreshing
dose of brazen quirkiness to the
stale family dynamic seen in most
of the network’s sitcoms. That
isn’t to say that everyone is eas-
ily persuaded by Maya’s persistent
charm. J.J.’s younger brother Ray
questions whether his parents’
decision to move into a shabby
home along the bustling high-
way is a necessary change or just
another rash solution to the perva-
sive issue of J.J.’s schooling.
John Ross Bowie (“The Big
Bang
Theory”)
plays
Jimmy
DiMeo, Maya’s equally eccentric,
yet complacent parenting partner.
Without being overshadowed by
Maya, Jimmy complements her
character with a subtle quirkiness
and grounding acceptance. He and
Ray also share a bond that deepens
the audience’s relationship with
the DiMeo family through yet
another lens into what feels like an
authentic family dynamic. Though
Ray’s maturity and determina-
tion to be heard in his parents’
decision-making process borders
on absurd at times, as do Maya and
Jimmy’s antics, these qualities feel
like exaggerated personifications
of their real-life counterparts.
While the resonance of the
series is partly due to creator Scott
Silveri’s (known for “Friends”)
own experiences growing up with
an older brother with cerebral
palsy, it has all the components of
a great comedy. Poignant moments
are countered with warm humor,
making the plot and its charac-
ters feel familiar. The show pro-
vides insight into what it’s like
to live with a disability without
overtly politicizing the subject
matter. Simply, in a time where
network television has fallen
under criticism for failing to accu-
rately portray diversity on screen,
“Speechless”
has
successfully
found its voice through an identity
that has rarely, if ever, been repre-
sented in the media in an accurate
and relatable manner.
Though “Speechless” has the
feel of a network TV sitcom, it
tackles a reality far beyond the
grasp of most network shows cur-
rently on air with refreshing heart
and humor. The new show is more
than a deftly executed series with
a stellar cast, it’s a win for both
ABC and for network television
comedies.
SHIR AVINADAV
Daily Arts Writer
‘Speechless’ premiere shows how
to transcend an average TV sitcom
B+
“Speechless”
Series Premiere
ABC
Wednesdays at
8:30 p.m.
FILM REVIEW
A woman’s struggle to balance
her career and family is well-trod-
den ground in narrative cinema,
but “Mia Madre”
goes beyond the
surface
to
illus-
trate one woman’s
own
experiences
in nuanced — albeit
dull — detail.
The film cen-
ters on Margherita
(Margherita
Buy,
“A Five Star Life”), a film direc-
tor having difficulties shooting a
film about labor rights while deal-
ing with her distant relationships
with loved ones. The driving force
of the movie is her elderly mother
Ada (Giulia Lazzarini, “Piazza
Fontana: The Italian Conspira-
cy”), who is being hospitalized and
is slowly dying after pneumonia
enlarged her already weak heart.
Though this sounds quite dra-
matic, the film buzzes around so
many other people in Margherita’s
life (her crew, her daughter and ex-
husband, her new boyfriend) that
it never gives Margherita time to
truly share her feelings and let the
viewer feel what’s going on inside
her head during these difficult
times. She’s too busy, no thanks to
her American leading man Barry
(John Turturro, “Barton Fink”)
delivering his lines in bad Italian
and accommodating Margheri-
ta’s firm directing decisions with
unwanted interjections.
Barry’s first meeting with Mar-
gherita makes it
clear that he’s an
asshole. After being
personally
picked
up by her from the
airport late at night,
he tries to sleep
with her and then
claims he’s joking
when he’s rebuffed.
This immediately establishes him
as an unlikable character from the
get-go. Though he doesn’t try any-
thing that problematic for the rest
of the movie, he does pull these
“jokes” after making diva demands
on set one too many times to be
totally likable. Thankfully, Barry
and the rest of the crew become
more likable after respecting Mar-
gherita’s directorial choices to a
fault and listening to her concerns
about her mother. This not only
adds depth to secondary charac-
ters, but gives Margherita a cru-
cial sense of authority that avoids
the stereotypical “bossiness” that
might have been come across oth-
erwise.
Unfortunately, the same tech-
nique is used to convey how
Margherita conflicts with her
family, with less effective results.
Her family tells her she isn’t
around enough and make her feel
bad when they display a stronger
connection to her mother. But the
director is never shown choosing
to film over spending time with
her loved ones, making the true
cause of their frosty relationship
unclear. Plenty of people have a
full plate at work, and as a result
spend less time with their family
than they would like. Is Margher-
ita upset now because she didn’t
consider the long-term conse-
quences of living like this before?
For such a dedicated woman, this
seems unlikely. Since we only
see what she can see, it’s impos-
sible to understand the effect her
busy work schedule has on those
around her. There’s no way to tell
how valid her family’s complaints
of her distant relationship with
them are.
Though the plot gets a little
murky as it tries to incorporate
the struggles of the many people
who populate Margherita’s life,
the pacing is swift and the actors
are engaging. The focus of the
movie could have been narrowed
to give Margherita enough time to
give meaning to what’s happening
in her life. But it still manages to
portray her existence realistically,
giving her complexity and life,
which is no easy feat.
‘Mia Madre’ is a dull but well-made,
mature film with realistic detail
B+
“Mia Madre”
Michigan Theater
Music Box Films
A-
“This Is Us”
Series Premiere
NBC
Tuesdays at 10 p.m.
TV REVIEW
ALEX INTNER
Daily Arts Writer
ANA LUCENA
Daily Arts Writer