‘Serious People’ Review: L.A. Comedy About Indie Filmmakers Hoping to Work for Drake Has No Follow Through on Its Doppelganger Premise

variety.com:

Siddhant Adlakha In the L.A. comedy-drama “Serious People,” remarkable naturalism and immense absurdity sit shoulder-to-shoulder.

However, as notable as this tension may be, the novelty of the movie’s tonal dissonance eventually wears out, thanks to a story of swapped identities with no real end goal in mind.

The film, from directors Pasqual Gutierrez and Ben Mullinkosson, begins exciting and mysteriously, with a number of unknown Latino actors auditioning for a highly unconventional role: that of the director casting them, Pasqual (played by the movie’s own co-director, Gutierrez).

There are glimpses of prospective hires, who come in different shapes and sizes and with wildly different levels of skill; one of them, bodybuilder and wannabe social media celebrity Miguel (Miguel Huerta), shows up with the right amount of swagger, the perfect forced bravado and a physical resemblance to Pasqual (enhanced by the gleaming shades both mean wear).