Yes, it’s silly, self-indulgent and about half-an-hour too long, but The Bubble isn’t trying to be big or clever, it’s just trying to put a smile on people’s faces during these difficult times – and on that basis, I feel it succeeded.

Premise: At the start of the 2020 global pandemic, the all-star cast of the sixth instalment in the popular ‘Cliff Beasts’ blockbuster film franchise are quarantined in an English country hotel, in the hope that they can continue filming. But the isolation, pressure from the studio, and personal tension between the cast all soon begin to take their toll on everyone’s sanity.

Review:

To be absolutely clear from the outset, The Bubble is not making light of the Covid-19 pandemic, but what it is trying to do is find something to laugh about from the events of the last two years – and what it’s targeted are a bunch of (fictional) self-absorbed actors who think that being stuck in a luxury hotel for a few months is the worst thing that could have happened to anyone during the pandemic. I should also make clear from the outset this this is not a ‘subtle’ comedy, or a wry mockumentary – this is a broad spoof of a comedy, that’s not afraid to throw in the occasional piss or vomit gag.

This film has been generally panned by critics, and while I don’t want to give the impression that it’s a comedy masterpiece (it’s no Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar), for what it is it did keep me amused and chuckling throughout. Yes, it’s silly and stupid for the most part (co-written by director Judd Apatow and South Park veteran Pam Brady), and yes, the film is arguably more of a series of connected sketches and vignettes than it is a coherent movie, but it still made me smile – which the film itself reminds the audience several times is all it’s really trying to do.

“…has a great ensemble cast, led by Karen Gillan…”

The film admittedly probably wouldn’t work half as well if it wasn’t for its great ensemble cast. Leading the cast is Karen Gillan as Carol, an actress who previously left the ‘Cliff Beasts’ franchise to pursue solo projects, but who has now come back with her tail between her legs after starring in a, shall we say, problematic and culturally insensitive solo movie. Karen Gillan plays up her character’s sense that she’s better than the rest of her castmates, and her reluctance to be back on set with them. Alongside her is David Duchovny as Dustin, a veteran actor of the franchise who also fancies himself as a script doctor, and who’s in an on-again-off-again relationship with co-star Lauren (played by Leslie Mann).

Pedro Pascal plays Dieter, a “serious” award-winning actor who joins the cast for this latest instalment. Pedro Pascal has fun playing up the stereotypes of his character, from his sex addiction to the allegation that his serious acting is really “just mumbling”. Keegan-Michael Key is also a lot of fun as Sean, a returning cast member who is promoting his wellness brand that sounds suspiciously like a cult.

“…put a smile on my face…”

Alongside the bigger names, you have a host of great comedians in the supporting roles, from Americans like Fred Armisen as the indie director brought in to make ‘Cliff Beasts 6’, Kate McKinnon as the studio head, and Rob Delaney as a Hollywood agent, to British talent like Peter Serafinowicz as the film’s producer, Guz Khan as the ‘Cliff Beasts’ comic relief character, and Samson Kayo as one of the hotel’s staff who’s at the cast’s beck and call. Iris Apatow may have (with all due respect) got her role through nepotism, but she’s actually great as the Tik Tok influencer parachuted into ‘Cliff Beasts 6’ by the studio to make the film appeal to a younger demographic. There are also a few surprise cameos which I won’t spoil here, but which all put a smile on my face.

And really, that’s all this film is trying to do. The plot is wafer thin, and the film could really do with losing about half-an-hour from its 2-hour runtime, but the episodic, sketch-like format of the movie means that even if one scene doesn’t really work, the next one is just a few moments away. And while it won’t change your life, watching the petty squabbles and breakdowns of these fictionalised, self-obsessed and pampered actors did keep me amused as they plough on with what, for them, feels like a traumatic film shoot on an Apocalypse Now level.

“…it feels like there’s some truth behind the heightened humour…”

Overall, the comedy may be broad and not to everyone’s tastes, but there’s also a sense that less exaggerated versions of these comedic incidents have actually taken place on film sets, which makes the spoof elements of the movie work. From actors trying to rewrite scripts, to commercially-driven studio interference, and from pretentious directors selling their “vision”, to motion-capture artists being left hanging on wires and ignored by the “main” cast between takes, it all feels like there’s some truth behind the heightened humour. Although hopefully the piss and vomit gags were entirely fictitious.