There is no denying that Rebel Wilson broke onto the entertainment scene in a big way last year. As a newbie, she pretty much stole the show in Bridesmaids and Pitch Perfect. What’s not to love about her? She is has amazing comedic timing, her Australian accent is to die for, and she is genuinely comfortable in her own skin (which not a lot of people can say about themselves). As some one who personally quotes Rebel multiple times a day, you could accurately compare me to the little girl on the AT&T commercial. “We want more, we want more. Like, you really like it, you want more!”
Luckily, ABC gave us what we’ve all been craving: more Rebel! Unfortunately, there was hardly any Rebel to be found in the thirty minute, not-so-funny comedy, Super Fun Night. There were some familiar faces like Matt Lucas, who plays Rebel’s English brother in Bridesmaids, and a Pitch Perfect co-star who I can’t find on IMDB, but there was no Rebel! The actress ditches her Australian accent to play Kimmie Boubier, an American Lawyer who is searching to have a more exciting social life.
In the premier episode, Kimmie (Rebel) and her two “square” roommates pick at random a “crazy” thing to do that night. This week the girls picked to sing in a piano bar completion and the moral of the episode is that Kimmie must sing to get over her fear of public speaking/performing (which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense because she is a lawyer, and lawyers are constantly speaking in front of judges and clients). In the end, Kimmie loses the singing competition to a skinny, pretty, and competitive fellow lawyer who is biding for the affection of the same man as Kimmie. But Kimmie ultimately wins as she has gotten over her fear of public performance and gets the guy, who comes over to eat “condolence pizza” to support her loss.
Honestly, the show was a let down to all the Rebel Wilson fans out there. The new comedy that was overly hyped up, but ABC doesn’t deliver. Its uncomfortably not funny, is full of bad acting, and most importantly we don’t get to see the actress that we know and love so much. Okay yes, Rebel Wilson is literally acting in this show, but figuratively, the hilariously unique performance that we are used to seeing just doesn’t come through in her new role. It deeply saddens me to write such a review, but in the true spirit of love, I will give the show a second chance in the hopes that it will improve. In the meantime, or in the case that the show does not improve, I always have Fat Amy and her seriously awesome New York Times issue to fall back on.
B Williams
I was truly displeased with the premeire of Super Fun Night! After much anticipation due to Rebel Wilson’s comedic chops and Conan O’brien at the helm as executive producer, I was sure this was going to be a hit. If the show doesn’t improve, It’s going to lose viewers, and I’ll be one of them.