The new feel-good sitcom Blockbuster is set around a modern-day movie rental store on the verge of closing down permanently. A pretty ironic setup, given the series, is available to stream on the very cause of its demise. However, you have got to give the OTT platform its due credit for acknowledging the human connection above everything else. Moreover, Randall Park (The Interview, Always Be My Maybe) and Melissa Fumero (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Gossip Girl) lead the ten-part feel-good show tailor-made for every cinema lover.
The sitcom is created by seasoned workplace comedy writer Vanessa Ramos and features the supporting cast of Madeleine Arthur as the cheap yet resourceful Hannah, JB Smoove as the ever-grooving Percy, Tyler Alvarez as movie geek Carlos, Olga Merediz as forever optimist Connie, Kamala Fairburn as the angsty teenager Kyla.
-Blockbuster Review Does Not Contain Spoilers-
The series starts with bad news for movie rental store owner Timmy (played by Randall Park), who finds out that he is the last Blockbuster store owner left in the town. He is a member of a small business community that is dying because of OTT platforms and piracy (the ironic part). And instead of looking out for a stable career, Timmy pulls together his staff in an effort to save the DVD store, which he calls the only medium left for human connection.
In this giant effort to save cinema in its crucial form, Timmy is assisted by his high-school crush cum employee Liza (played by Melissa Fumero), and a dedicated yet occupied staff with a deep passion for horror movies and Spanish soap operas. Furthermore, there is also a classy and cool homie in the form of Percy, who finds the groovy vibe in the series.
The show is filled with a collection of movie references right from the pilot episode. The staff of the Blockbuster store keeps conveying their state of mind through pop culture remarks and movie plot descriptions. In fact, there is a weird lady that keeps appearing throughout the show, who desperately wants a DVD for a flick where Robert De Nero doesn’t get naughty ( Dirty Grandpa).
The structure of the show is quite similar to other workplace sitcoms like Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Office, Parks and Recreation, and Superstore. But is also successful in finding a ground of originality in all of the ten episodes.
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It is interesting that Netflix itself started out as a movie rental company, and later transformed into a huge streaming revolution. Now, with this workplace sitcom, it has finally arrived in a full circle, where it somehow pays an ironic ode to DVDs and the love for movies in general.
Randall Park is awesome as usual in portraying Timmy, and there is simply no role that Melissa Fumero can’t nail in a sitcom. She is convincingly brilliant in every scene of the show and finds a perfect place of her own. Personally, JB Smoove was the biggest highlight of the show for me with his striking funny nuances.
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Blockbuster Final Thoughts
If you are a hopeless romantic about cinema in its crude form, then this feel-good show will definitely strike the right chord with you. It is layered with some great writing and fun parts that are eventually complemented by numerous movie references. And of course, there is also a Tarantino remark in the show.
You can stream the series on Netflix. Let us know your thoughts about it in the comment section below.
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