Dear friends,
Here is how the Dallas Morning News summarized today’s pick, and I couldn’t agree more, especially that Armando Iannucci who directed it also directed Veep:
The Death of Stalin is actually a lot like Veep, except with gulags and executions.
The Death of Stalin
New on Netflix U.S., Canada, and the UK this week.
This is a hilarious political comedy starring the ever-great Steve Buscemi. Set during the last days before Stalin’s passing, it satires the chaos and random assassinations that were common at the time in the Soviet Union.
Think of it as Veep meets Sacha Baron Cohen’s The Dictator. Although to be fair, its dark comedy props are very different: where there are jokes they’re really smart, but what’s truly funny is the atmosphere and absurd situations that end up developing.
Alternatives you might like
For a complete no-brainer (and I’m talking not one brain cell required) Set it Up is rom-com about two assistants in New York who fall for each other while trying to set up their bosses. With Lucy Liu.
And for another dark comedy, Thunder Road on Amazon Prime is about a cop in Texas who goes on a complete meltdown inspired by a Bruce Springsteen song.
Talk on Friday,
Bilal