In flashbacks Gloria (played as young woman by Erika Henningsen), cringes and shies away from the moments where the girls are paired up with boybanders. Pell’s Gloria opens up the discussion of not just the sexuality of young women in these groups, but the emphasis on situating them as heterosexual. Pell and Philipps are also wonderful as Gloria and Summer. If Peacock were smart they’d start campaigning for Goldsberry to get closer to that EGOT. Goldsberry is a comic genius as the diva of the group she has a remarkable way of taking a turn of phrase and creating a side-splitting joke out of it (“I get paid….by the goose!”) She’s also a great physical comedienne, as evidenced by a trip to the CVS that almost turns tragic. The various Girls5Eva songs are cringeworthy, reminiscent of when we all learned the lyrics of “Semi-Charmed Life.” When the women sing the song “Dream Girlfriend” its lyrics include dated digs about how female comics aren’t funny and that they’re damaged because their dads are dead (but don’t worry, they had a cool uncle with a boat!) (Though it’ll be hard for any song to top “New York Lonely Boy,” an acoustic indie hit Dawn hears when she thinks of her son growing up an only child in the city.)īareilles is a solid straight woman for the series, especially because she’s surrounded by so many big personalities who could easily overshadow her.
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The songs assembled for the series feel like stuff you’d hear on the radio - and that you’ll eagerly want to grab on Spotify. During the group’s success Dawn dreamed of writing original songs, so when the group reunites but is unable to perform their own music it’s up to her to write them a hit that’s relatable. Bareilles obviously has proven her songwriting prowess before a Grammy winner and multiple time nominee, she wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway hit “Waitress.” But the series gives her a chance to be funny as the Tina Fey of the group (and it’s no surprise that Fey also makes a guest appearance at one point). The most perfect element within “Girls5Eva” is that cast, with absolutely no one feeling out of place. For Dawn, she finds purpose outside of being a mother and working in her brother’s Italian restaurant Summer (Busy Philipps), the breathy Britney Spears-esque member of the group, actually starts to enter adulthood Gloria (Paula Pell) has recently lost her wife while Wickie desperately wants the attention fame brought her. The four current members of the group - there’s a humorous explanation for why the band’s name isn’t current - are all going through different struggles, but immediately see a chance to reunite as a way to fix everything. In fact, “Girls5Eva” is a fantastic critique of the girl group craze of the millennium, a plot that runs alongside a fun musical about the way the band can transition into being fully dimensional women. When we first see Girls5Eva during a “TRL” performance, golden-voiced Wickie (“Hamilton” star and Tony winner Renee Elise Goldsberry) talks about being discovered by a man in his hotel room, a hint of the dark background that surrounded most girl groups. Though executive produced by “30 Rock” alums Robert Carlock and Tina Fey, Scardino’s tone feels similar to her work on Netflix’s “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” - albeit far more pointed. Nearly every element of this series is funny, sweet, and fresh. 'The Lost Symbol' Review: Dan Brown's Novels Come Together in Bland Peacock AdaptationĮmmy Predictions: Best Actor in a Drama Series - One More for Porter, or a First for O'Connor? 'Halloween Kills': Here's How You Can Watch the Grisly Slasher Film at Home