The Afterparty
Phil Lord & Chris Miller's latest venture into television is a whip-smart murder mystery comedy that cleverly plays with genres
Phil Lord and Chris Miller have become two of the biggest names in the industry after turning questionable ideas into some of the best and most memorable comedies of the 21st Century. From animated fare such as “The Lego Movie,” “Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse,” and “Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs;” to clever action comedies in “21 Jump Street” and its sequel “22 Jump Street;” and high-concept television in “The Last Man On Earth.” The filmmaking duo have proven to be a hot-ticket in the business and after proving the skeptics wrong time and time again, anything they churn out definitely deserves your attention.
The Apple TV+ series “The Afterparty” is their latest venture into television with Miller directing all eight-episodes of the first season. The series begins with the murder of superstar Xavier (Dave Franco) who was thrown off the balcony of his Malibu mansion during an afterparty for his high school reunion. Xavier’s former classmates, including the adorkable Aniq (Sam Richardson), the meathead Brett (Ike Barinholtz), the dream-girl Zoë (Zoë Chao), the aspiring celebrity Yasper (Ben Schwartz), the alcoholic Chelsea (Ilana Glazer), and the oft-forgotten Walt (Jamie Demetriou); are all suspects in the murder. Enter Detective Danner (Tiffany Haddish), who takes on the case despite being urged not to, and takes it to herself to interview each of the suspects. The twist is: each suspect recaptures the story of their reunion leading to the murder in the form of a different genre, including as a romantic comedy, a “Fast & Furious” like action movie, a pop-filled musical, and so on.
“The Afterparty” isn’t just another murder mystery, its also an examination of genre filmmaking. In his direction, Miller applies different techniques, from lighting, wardrobe, and cinematography, to capture the feel of the respective genre he’s taking on. From the overly self-seriousness of the action genre filled to the brim with neon colors, fast cars, and quick cuts to the cutesy and gentle touches of a romcom and even the trendy aspirations of the modern musical, Miller shows true commitment to the craft and is well-versed in the genre.
Lord and Miller’s signature brand of humor is ever-present throughout the series, from Xavier starring with Channing Tatum in a melodramatic Hall & Oates biopic as well as starring with Will Forte in a film adaptation of the board game “Hungry Hungry Hippos,” as well as running joke about nobody remembering Walt. The duo’s meta form of comedy proves to be a great fit for the story being told. The mystery itself is also surprisingly engaging with plenty of twists and turns that'll keep the audience guessing.
The entire cast is clearly having a blast with their roles, Haddish forgoes her typical schtick but carries over her large amount of charisma to the role of Danner, acting at times as the audiences eyes and ears as each of the suspect’s stories are presented. Yet, Haddish still gives Danner shades of mysteriousness in a way that will certainly leave viewers raising their eyebrows. Richardson finally is given the proper spotlight he has deserved for quite some time in the premiere episode honing in on his charm, likability, and relatability. Schwartz and Barinholtz are also big standouts and show complete commitment to the shifting genres, with Barinholtz going action-hero mode and Schwartz trying to bring in a mix of “Hamilton” and “The Greatest Showman” into his character.
Not every single joke lands successfully and there are times where the meta nature of the show can become a bit too on-the-nose for some, but the entertainment value never ceases.
With three episodes under the belt “The Afterparty” is showing a lot of promise for what could already be one of the best new comedy series of 2022. Only time will tell if the remaining 5 episodes will continue to bring the goods.