Sarah Cooper is a standup comic and comedy writer who made her breakthrough this year with a series of internet videos that feature her lip-syncing comments made by Donald Trump. She isn't the first person to notice that simply quoting verbatim the ridiculous words that come out of our president's mouth is a form of comedy and political criticism, but Cooper has great cheekbones, and her videos caught on. She became an instant sensation, and landed herself this Netflix comedy special.
Instead of a traditional standup special, “Everything's Fine” is more like a sketch show. Cooper plays a fictional morning-TV-show host, also named Sarah Cooper, who struggles to maintain her sunny smile while reporting on current events. Meanwhile, her producer (Fred Armisen) tries out different masks and social-distancing strategies, while the weather girl (Maya Rudolph) melts down. The show is interspersed with fake commercials and cameos from a variety of stars like Jon Hamm and Helen Mirren.
The comedy is a bit hit-and-miss, things sometimes drag, and it's just a very weird show. In its better moments, it reminds me of “Portlandia” or the 2019 found-footage piece “VHYes.” The best bit is a segment recreating the Access Hollywood bus debacle where Trump bragged about grabbing women by the pussy. Cooper does Trump's lines, of course, and Helen Mirren lip-syncs Billy Bush's lines, and the results are funny and disturbing.
“Everything's Fine” is definitely not for everyone, but if you like your comedy weird, and you don't mind a little chaff with your wheat, you should check it out.
3 stars out of 5
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