Movies

In ‘Your Friends & Neighbors,’ Jon Hamm is back in Don Draper territory

BBG News

On Apple TV+, starting this Friday, you can watch “Your Friends and Neighbors.” In this show, Jon Hamm portrays Andrew Cooper, or Coop, a successful hedge fund trader who gets fired for apparently breaking a company rule about interoffice relationships. His wife Mel (played by Amanda Peet) had previously left him after he found her with his best friend Nick (Mark Tallman), a three-time NBA champion. He’s also struggling to connect with his children – Princeton-bound tennis player Tori (Isabel Gravitt) and drum-playing sophomore Hunter (Donovan Colan). What ties them together is their difficulty in expressing themselves effectively.

In an affluent area near New York City, where Coop, Mel, and their high-class associates reside in an exclusive community, there seems to be an intricate web of relationships. To maintain harmony within this complex network, it’s revealed that Coop is involved with Sam (Olivia Munn), whose spouse has departed for a younger model. It’s plausible that such situations are not uncommon in the surrounding areas, hinting at the potential storylines beyond this narrative.

Despite having left their grand family home for a modest rental (which, let me assure you, carries its own share of gloom), Coop continues to maintain his family’s lavish lifestyle – a decision that leaves him questioning the limits of such material comforts. The weight of his secret dismissal from work adds to his burden, as he struggles to find employment in his field and grapples with the fact that his former boss, Jack (played by Corbin Bernsen), is holding onto funds Coop considers rightfully his. Yet, deception, its intricacies, and the repercussions it brings are essential elements in drama and comedy, genres that thrive on characters who hesitate to reveal the truth.

Television

The actress recently shared her plans to join the ensemble of the Apple TV+ dramatic series where she stars alongside Jon Hamm and Amanda Peet, all while discovering she had breast cancer.

The behavior and power dynamics among these individuals seem outdated, with Coop’s choice to steal instead of admitting unemployment being a prime example of toxic masculinity. Mel is given brief moments to demonstrate her occupation as a teen therapist, while one character is portrayed as the top defense lawyer in New York. However, the female characters, primarily wives and ex-wives, are generally depicted as reliant on men. Despite this, both males and females predominantly spend their time at an expensive country club, socializing by the pool, golfing, playing tennis, working out, practicing yoga, attending self-defense classes, and attending numerous parties. This doesn’t necessarily imply they’re enjoying themselves.

During one such gathering, while most guests were outside, Coop starts rummaging through the host’s home. He discovers a hidden trove of costly watches and secretly takes an exceptionally pricey one. This habit of his, stealing from houses filled with forgotten riches that lay idle in drawers, benefits no one, becomes more common for him. The narrative at this juncture hints at a trajectory similar to John Cheever’s style – think of his tale “The Swimmer,” where a man traverses Westchester County using neighboring pools as stepping stones, but with the addition of burglary.

Coop’s ill-gotten gains evolve into a consistent income source, leading him to rub shoulders with some risky individuals. Given this predicament, “Breaking Bad” feels like an apt analogy. There comes a point where he acknowledges that he might be enjoying the circumstances, despite their precariousness – “Perhaps I was simply taking pleasure in it.

In order to make it clear that you won’t need to figure out the series’ themes independently, the narrator Coop speaks in a way reminiscent of Joan Didion. He says, “Out here, scotch was almost like a faith; whenever someone offered you a drink, they’d feel compelled to deliver a sermon about the scotch. Then someone would inevitably share memories of a long-lost bottle and continue on. It seemed as though it slowly became clear to everyone that this was all there was – these homes, these spouses, these careers – this would be the grand finale of their lives. Their destinies were already etched, and so the struggle to ward off the void began; scotch, cigars, smoked meats, custom golf clubs, high-end companionship services, entire industries thriving on the quiet melancholy of prosperous middle-aged men.

In a familiar narrative style, “Your Friends and Neighbors” starts off with a thrilling incident of peril, only to flashback later on and explain how it unfolds. Similar to a series titled “The White Lotus,” there’s an unnamed corpse found, hinting at impending violence, perhaps even the involvement of law enforcement. Given that the show revolves around theft, one might anticipate police presence nonetheless.

From a compassionate perspective, the only truly appealing outcome seems to be Coop and Mel reconciling, as events leading towards this resolution feel fulfilling, while those moving away from it appear bothersome. However, I didn’t personally feel emotionally attached to the outcome; rather, I was more intrigued from an analytical standpoint. The show weaves various storylines, such as Barney’s (Hoon Lee), who is Coop’s financial advisor and grapples with his wife’s renovation plans and critical old-world Korean in-laws (Barney himself being Korean but not fluent in the language). These subplots serve to divert focus from the primary plotline we are supposed to be most invested in, although they do add depth to a narrative that spans nine hours.

In a similar vein to Don Draper’s introspective struggle in “Mad Men,” the character Hamm finds himself grappling with a profound spiritual dilemma. Unlike Don, however, Hamm isn’t the most captivating figure, and Coop is less engaging than Mel. Introduced is Ali (Tony-winning actress Lena Hall), Coop’s troubled sister who deals with mental health issues. We encounter her playing a guitar and singing Radiohead’s “Fake Plastic Trees” on the ex-fiancé’s lawn. The band performs Matthew Sweet’s “Sick of Myself,” emphasizing the disillusionment of suburban life through its lyrics. Aimee Carrero, as Elena, a young Dominican housekeeper, adds diversity and depth to the narrative, joining Coop in his adventures.

Based on the seven episodes I’ve seen, I can’t predict exactly where creator Jonathan Tropper (“Banshee”) will take this story next. The characters may find themselves in a tight spot they need to escape from, or they could be left dangling at the end of the season, but the narrative doesn’t seem to require additional episodes to wrap up or convey its messages effectively. I would enjoy seeing more of Ali/Hall, but I hope their resolution comes sooner rather than later.

Read More

2025-04-11 22:32

Previous post You Won’t Believe the 2 Symptoms That Led to Teddi Mellencamp’s SHOCKING Brain Tumor Diagnosis
Next post Harry Potter Star Nick Moran Faces Life-Threatening Condition After Emergency Surgery!