By Nate Bloom
Contributing Columnist
It’s almost always something of a mystery why a film didn’t open in theaters, despite having a name actor star and good film festival reviews. This is the case with “Am I Ok,” a comedy-drama that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in Jan. 2022.
It was positively reviewed by major publications, including the Hollywood Reporter (which loved “OK”) and the Guardian (mostly loved the film). But no film company decided to take on the financial costs (publicity, etc.) of opening “OK” in theaters.
Well, HBO/Max is giving the film a second life. “Am I Ok” begins streaming on that channel on June 6. Here’s the basic premise: Jane (Sonoya Mizuno) and Lucy (Dakota Johnson) are women in their early 30s. They have been best friends since they were in high school.
Something in Lucy cracks when Jane tells her that she (Jane) has accepted a job in London. Jane’s news prompts Lucy to tell Jane that she’s attracted to women. How these women sort out all of this is the theme of most of the rest of the film.
MOLLY GORDON has a supporting role as Kat, an annoying, phone addled co-worker of Jane’s who becomes friends with Lucy. Jane doesn’t like this nascent friendship — maybe because she likes Lucy in a romantic way???
Gordon, 28, has been acting since she was a child, but she got on most people’s radar when she joined the cast of the hit series “The Bear” in the show’s second season (2023). She plays Claire, the doctor girlfriend of Carmy, the series lead character.
“Am I OK” was written by LUCY POMERANTZ, 45. She has long been out of the closet. She was Emmy-nominated for writing a sketch for “SNL” and she won a daytime Emmy for her writing for the Ellen DeGeneres talk show.
In 2017, Pomerantz married writer Elizabeth Clark (the granddaughter of best-selling writer Mary Higgins Clark) in a secular ceremony. The NY Times featured the wedding in its “Vows” section. The couple now have two children.
Last week, Apple+ announced that “Time Bandits,” a comedy/fantasy adventure series based on the hit 1981 movie of the same name, will begin streaming on July 24. This series is the blockbuster of Apple’s new program offerings for this summer. LISA KUDROW (“Friends”), 60, stars as the leader of the “Time Bandits.”
There is no premiere date, yet, for “No Good News,” a Netflix comedy series about three couples trying to buy the same house. Kudrow also co-stars in this series, as does ABBI JACOBSON, 40 (“Broad City”). “No Good News” was created by LIZ FELDMAN, 46, a top comedy writer who also created the hit Netflix series “Dead to Me.”
Actor Jason Biggs, 44, and his wife, comedian JENNY MOLLEN, 44,will host “Dinner with a Movie” on TBS (starts June 1). It’s a revival of a TBS series which ran from 1995-2011. Each Saturday, the “Dinner” hosts talk a bit about the big hit film they are showing that night. Before the movie runs, and during breaks, the hosts get into food-related stuff. The hosts welcome Food Network stars and other celebs during these breaks. These guests bring recipes and tasty goodies.
Biggs and Mollen were married in 2008 and they have two sons. Biggs has a mostly Italian background and he was raised Catholic. He is well aware that most people think he’s Jewish. He looks Jewish and he has played a number of Jewish parts (“American Pie” films, “Modern Orthodox,” “Saving Silverman”).
Mollen is the daughter of a Jewish father and a non-Jewish mother. She wasn’t raised in any religion, but firmly identifies as Jewish as an adult. Her sons had a religious bris ceremony and the couple toured Israel in 2020. Biggs posted pics of one bris, and their Israeli tour, on social media.
Believe it or not, the Roku channel will actually premiere a series entitled “Celebrity Family Food Battle” (starts on May 31). The title is hype. It’s not a re-make of a Three Stooges pie-throwing short film.
Here’s the gist of the show’s publicity release: Celebs like Sofia Vergara (“Modern Family”) and HOWIE MANDEL, 68, team-up with their family members in a new cooking competition. The winning team will win (in the words of the publicity release) “the coveted Golden Fork.”
I seriously think that a lot more people would watch a series in which celebrities and their family members throw cream pies and other (soft) food into the faces of other celebs and their family members. In other words, a real family food battle.