Staff Picks: A deviously clever reality show and a film prescription from Dr. Robby

William Hughes: Last One Laughing UK

I regret to inform you all that my addiction to U.K. panel shows has only been getting worse in recent months, as ideal gateway drug Taskmaster has given way to algorithm-guided clip binges of Would I Lie To You? and 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown. On that count, I guess I should be grateful that there are only two seasons so far of Prime Video’s Last One Laughing UK, meaning the deviously clever reality show passed through my system in a fairly quick two-day marathon a couple of weeks back. The idea (lifted from a Japanese series called Documental) is absolutely ingenious: Place 10 extremely funny comedians in a room together for six hours, then ruthlessly eliminate anyone who smiles or laughs. Part comedy showcase, part psychological experiment, the series produces both genuine comedy—with casts that’ve so far included people like Richard Ayoade, Diane Morgan, David Mitchell, and more, it’d be hard-pressed not to—and incredibly odd moments of human behavior. (There’s something endlessly fascinating, for instance, about watching a comedian drop a seemingly innocuous line in the midst of a conversation, then seeing a whole crowd of people scatter away like birds, fleeing the forthcoming “attack.”) Among other things, I’ve rarely seen a TV show use the inherently invasive, slightly cruel nature of reality TV to such excellent effect. Maybe it’s just more fun to watch the extremely funny suffer. [William Hughes]

Monica Castillo: Inside Moves 

As a habitual viewer of Turner Classic Movies and a fan of The Pitt in the middle of my first thorough ER watch, I was thrilled to see Noah Wyle stop by the channel’s ongoing Two For One series. Wyle’s first pick, Fat City, is a wonderful classic, but his second choice, Richard Donner’s Inside Moves, was an even better surprise. I never had the chance to see the movie Donner made after his first two Superman films, and they couldn’t be more different. Inside Moves follows Roary (John Savage) on the road to recovery after a suicide attempt leaves him with a disability. He soon finds a friend, Jerry (David Morse), and a gaggle of fellow bar flys with disabilities at a local watering hole that becomes their second home. After an operation returns Jerry to playing basketball with the Golden State Warriors, Roary and his chosen family wonder if they’ll be left behind at the bar for more famous friends or will they be allowed to celebrate their friend’s accomplishments courtside. Inside Moves is an incredibly modest yet emotional movie, packed full of great performances from Savage, Morse, and their costars. Donner left the Man of Steel special effects behind for a tender personal story about finding friends who will celebrate your wins, support you when you’re down, and rally together through life’s tougher challenges. It’s a romantic movie about friendship and how lucky we are to find that kind of love in our life.