FILM: QUIZ LADY ANSWERS SOME LIFE QUESTIONS
BY IRVIN RIVERA
How do you embrace you own quiks?
Jessica Yu's Quiz Lady (2023), Distributed by HULU is a wild ride that teaches us to chill, let go and let flow, and to embrace our own uniqueness.
The film follows Sandra Oh and Awakwafina, sisters Jenny and Anne who got reunited when their mother exited (and also got kicked out) the hospice to elope with her man. Initially, they thought their mom died, which became the compelling plot point of the sisters meeting up, but eventually learned otherwise. Anne, Awkwafina, was then forced to host Jenny, Sandra Oh in her apartment. This started a series of flashbacks where we learned about the siblings' dysfunctional family and how Anne used her obsession with a television Quiz Show to emotionally cope with whatever she's dealing with. We learned how Jenny left Anne in their early years, with her dog Mr Linguini to pursue her dreams.
Mr Linguini then became the film's macguffin, when he was stolen and used as collateral for their mother's debts from a gang. Strapped with cash, and distraught by the loss of Mr LInguini, Ann and Jenny need to figure out a way to raise enough money to pay ransom and save their pet.
Jenny (Oh) tried different things, even suggesting to sell Anne's kidney but one day, made her sister Anne viral online by posting a video of her answering the Quiz Show's question perfectly- that's what got her the moniker "Quiz Lady."
Anne initially disliked her newfound fame but eventually succumbed to the fact that they had to do something to make money and her skills may really come in handy. And so their adventure begins.
This is a sweet story about two damaged people finding ways to fill in their cracks to create a better, more harmonious relationship after they figured out and accepted their shits. It's not one of those in your face laugh out loud comedies but Sandra Oh and Awakwafina's chemistry here is a match made in heaven. I like it as a relatable family drama that can tug into your heartstrings every now and then. If you want something light and feel good to watch on a chill night, this is your film.
