Parents' Guide to Quiz Lady

Unfortunately, this comedy, while watchable, still feels like it's trying too hard to be funny. While the two primary performances in Quiz Lady are very good, with both Awkwafina and Sandra Oh turning in solid work, they ultimately can't sustain the movie. The plot is paper thin, and while the supporting cast tries their best to assist the main narrative, their roles are all too brief and supplementary. It certainly feels like the talents of Will Ferrell, Holland Taylor, Tony Hale, and Jason Schwartzman are underutilized here, relegated to flat portrayals that don't allow them to flex, improvise, or be creatively surprising at all. The only explosivity comes from Oh, who is effortlessly energetic, unabashedly shameless, and free as a bird. But she is the only bright source of unpredictability, as the plot is fully formed and predictable 10 minutes in.

And yet there is a clear tenderness, sincerity, and heart to this film. There is a hopeful core inside the themes, if not the plot, that speaks to sisterhood, unflinching belief in destiny, and overcoming self-made barriers. Anne and Jenny are very believable sisters who clearly didn't have the stereotypical Asian American childhood and upbringing. With both parents absent (the father dying prematurely, the gambling addict mother being irresponsible), the two sisters have had to navigate life without a strong support system, and only later in life are they forced to reconcile under a premise that demands that they make sacrifices for their selfish and thoughtless mother. But the severity of their predicament is understandably laughed off because this film really wants to keep things light. Because of this aim, however, the film only dips its toes into serious commentary (on racism, stereotypes, gender roles) rather than going all in.