Florida Man Review: A Noir Dramedy Series That Could’ve Been So Much More

Here’s the Florida Man Review as the new crime comedy-drama series came out on Netflix on April 13 with its 7-part storyline. Starring Edgar Ramirez as Mike Valentine, Anthony LaPaglia as Sonny, Abbey Lee as Delly West, Otmara Marrero as Patsy, Lex Scott Davis as Iris, Emory Cohen as Moss Yankov, Clark Gregg as Deputy Sheriff Ketcher and others, the limited series is created by Donald Todd. He is also one of the show’s executive producers alongside Jason Bateman, Michael Costigan and Miguel Arteta. Each episode has a runtime ranging between 50-54 minutes, and the Agents of SHIELD actor Clark Gregg has even directed the final two entries.

Netflix’s official logline for the show reads:

A disgraced cop in debt is forced to return to his home state of Florida or a shady mission only to get swept up in a wild – and deadly – treasure hunt.

-Florida Man Review Does Not Contain Any Spoilers-

Mike (Ramirez), an ex-cop, who is now also an ex-gambler, strives to get hold of any and every means possible to pay off his massive gambling debts to Moss, a Philly mobster who’s trying his best to live up to his infamous father’s name. A new gig pops up when his girlfriend, Delly (Abbey Lee), escapes to Florida, the American state where Mike is originally from and is reluctant to return to. However, he’s left with no choice but to move back as per Moss’ orders to find Delly (and as could’ve been predicted well ahead of time, the two have also been hooking up behind his back).

While his interest in the issue arises as a driving force that pulls him back to the Sunshine State, he also draws this as an opportunity to wipe his slate clean and escape Moss’ territory. When he reaches his old home state, he has no option but to reunite with his family – his sister, Patsy and his father, Sonny (with bad blood and old trauma governing his relationship with the latter). He’s soon followed by his ex-wife, Detective Iris, on the mission, and so begins the game of cat and mouse with Moss keeping him in check as well.

The Netflix limited series heads forward with its noir comedy style that is best translated on screen through Clark Gregg’s character, the ultimate secondary comic relief of the show. His chapter is separate from the overall story, but the eventual connection proves that life is a circle, drawing up even more laughs. Besides that, the comedy falls short, but Ramirez’s Mike kept me hooked. His complex relationship with his family, especially with his father (Anthony LaPaglia), became the ultimate fuel for the show.

Emory Cohen as Moss was an intriguing choice as the antagonist. His subtle villainous arc has much to do with the context of being brought up in an estate that his father previously ruled, the kind of mobster who made the hair on your back rise. Although his reputation is only based on hearsay, it solidifies Cohen’s portrayal of the character governed by his underlying insecurities to match what is expected of him in the underworld. However, more time is needed to consolidate his multi-layered characterisation, but the series soon pulls away from the contextual build-up.

This brings us to Abbey Lee’s Delly, the most important character in the mix next to Mike. Unfortunately, her story culminates with her having to state loud and clear how “All of you guys thought I was just some character in your stories, but this is my story” in the last episode instead of the show putting the idea across through its storyline. Moreover, Delly’s chemistry with Mike never made me wholeheartedly root for them, either.

At some junctures, the show strives to flesh out the dark impulses that take over our innate human responses; however, some of those outbursts, like that of Patsy, drop out of nowhere. In the end, such moments emerge as forced entries in the series to introduce a form of comedy that hopes to shake you, and shake it does, but never with much consideration and feeling for its other characters.

As highlighted in the title, the series leads with the case for its meme-ish identity. Some similar bizarre happenings occur during the run but ultimately turn into mere punchlines in the background that don’t add up much to its comical palette. The 7 episodes also stretch the mystery content quite far out, which drags the narrative’s pacing. The first episode starts out with a bang, but the manufactured heist plan somehow sucks away all the energy initially exuded by the show’s aura.

Florida Man Review: Final Thoughts

Regarding the infamous titular meme, Netflix Tudum had introduced the show alongside the tagline that it would “go beyond the meme”, and Donald Todd’s noir comedy action crime story picks up on the idea, but only briefly. It only softly touches upon the idea of normalising and humanising the context fuelling these absurd situations that have been horrors for one party while a joke to laugh at for another. 

The series is constructed to take the shape of many things, including a heist story. However, to be as truthful as possible, Ramirez is the only highlight of the show keeping the light on till the end. In the perennial and overflowing sea of Netflix content that could’ve easily been wrapped up for a shorter runtime or even as a movie, Florida Man becomes yet another one of many shows that are like Welcome billboards you swiftly pass by on the highway, remaining behind as a mere fleeting memory.

All 7 episodes of Florida Man are now streaming on Netflix.

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