I've noticed an amazing trend the last year with several offerings from streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon: popular 90s film actresses are re-inventing themselves on the small screen! There was Julia Roberts in Amazon's Homecoming and on Netflix, first there was Sandra Bullock in Birdbox, then Uma Thurman in Chambers and now Renee Zellweger in WHAT/IF. What's even more amazing is that I've never been the biggest fan of any of them, save for Thurman from Kill Bill 1, and that's the only thing I ever really liked her in. All of these actresses are now middle-aged and they seem like much better actors than I recall them being 20 years ago. Their experience is completely outclassing all the newbies that they are compelled to work with in these streaming shows. The disconnect between the vets and the rookies is astounding.
Zellweger just eats up the scenery as self-made billionaire Anne Montgomery in What/If to the point that she's the only thing that made it tolerable to sit through. Anne is reminiscent of the classic nighttime soap antagonists from shows like Dallas, Dynasty, Revenge. The "Indecent Proposal" subplot with Anne and the Donovans (played by Jane Levy and Blake Jenner) was THE ONLY ONE worth watching. The subplots involving the minor characters were completely uninteresting and disconnected from everything else. I couldn't care less about any of the stuff involving Lisa's brother or Sean's best friend and their romantic entanglements. They should have replaced that with more writing directly involving the inner workings of Lisa's biotech company. Also, I thought Levy was incredibly monotone as Lisa. Zellweger and even Jenner outacted her in their shared scenes. But that subplot involving the biotech as so intricate and intriguing, it managed to keep the season from completely drowning. Well, that and Zellweger's award-caliber performance. Who knew she could play an unapologetically malevolent witch so well? Someone give this lady an award!
Zellweger just eats up the scenery as self-made billionaire Anne Montgomery in What/If to the point that she's the only thing that made it tolerable to sit through. Anne is reminiscent of the classic nighttime soap antagonists from shows like Dallas, Dynasty, Revenge. The "Indecent Proposal" subplot with Anne and the Donovans (played by Jane Levy and Blake Jenner) was THE ONLY ONE worth watching. The subplots involving the minor characters were completely uninteresting and disconnected from everything else. I couldn't care less about any of the stuff involving Lisa's brother or Sean's best friend and their romantic entanglements. They should have replaced that with more writing directly involving the inner workings of Lisa's biotech company. Also, I thought Levy was incredibly monotone as Lisa. Zellweger and even Jenner outacted her in their shared scenes. But that subplot involving the biotech as so intricate and intriguing, it managed to keep the season from completely drowning. Well, that and Zellweger's award-caliber performance. Who knew she could play an unapologetically malevolent witch so well? Someone give this lady an award!