Feature Story
Fingers on buzzers! Which streamer premieres a brand-new comedy film starring Awkwafina (“Renfield,” 2023) and Sandra Oh (“Grey’s Anatomy”) on Friday, Nov. 3? The answer is Hulu, and the film in question is “Quiz Lady,” a buddy comedy about two sisters who come together to win a quiz show and save a dog.
Awkwafina is Anna, the reliable, type-A sister who is called away from her work as an accountant when her mom’s senior living facility reaches out to let Anna know that they had lost her mom — but not to the afterlife. The attendant corrects herself in the trailer, telling Anna, “Sorry, that was terrible phrasing. I meant we don’t know where she is.”
After making it to the facility, Anna is joined by her estranged and distraught sister Jenny, portrayed by Oh, whose purple highlights, oversized sunglasses and flamboyant personal style contrast with Anna’s head-to-toe grey wardrobe. Anna is clued in to her mother’s whereabouts when a bookie informs her that her beloved pet pug, Mr. Linguini, has been kidnapped and is being held hostage over her mother’s massive gambling debts.
With the debts creeping up her back and seniors home infractions stacking up, Anna and Jenny’s mom flees to Macau, leaving them to sort out what she owes and be reunited with Mr. Linguini. Anna’s salary isn’t quite generous enough to settle their mother’s $80,000 tab, and Jenny’s constant search for her latest passion hasn’t resulted in financial stability. Two weeks is all they’re given to cough up the funds.
The siblings are at a loss for ways to get rich quick until Jenny sees Anna participate in her favorite game show, “Can’t Stop the Quiz,” from her sofa. The show is must-watch television for Anna, who tunes in daily, usually accompanied by her canine companion, and effortlessly answers every single question correctly. Seeing Anna in her element turns on a light bulb over Jenny’s head.
It’s decided, then, that the pair will travel to Los Angeles, get Anna on “Can’t Stop the Quiz,” and all their problems will be solved when she wins. Leaving the safety of her routine life in Philadelphia behind, Anna joins Jenny on a wild road trip across the United States and embraces her sister’s chaotic, adventurous way of life. Neither of them is completely certain that Anna’s trivia skills will transfer from the comfort of her couch to the pressure of the game show’s set, but this is the best chance they’ve got to scrape together enough money to bring Mr. Linguini home unharmed.
Having spent years apart, estranged over their differences, Anna and Jenny have a lot of ground to cover — geographically and emotionally — on their road trip. Anna’s strictly balanced life greatly differs from her sister Jenny’s listless pursuit of purpose. They have things to learn from each other, whether it’s how to let loose and go on an adventure or focus enough to successfully achieve a goal.
“Quiz Lady” also stars some recognizable faces in supporting roles. Holland Taylor (“The Morning Show”) is Anna’s neighbor, Tony Hale (“Veep”) is a Benjamin Franklin impersonator, Will Ferrell (“Barbie,” 2023) is the host of “Can’t Stop the Quiz” and Jason Schwartzman (“Asteroid City,” 2023) is Anna’s stiff competition on the game show.
“The element that really attracted me was the sister dynamic,” director Jessica Yu told Deadline at the world premiere of “Quiz Lady” at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. She added, “For one thing, I just haven’t seen a lot of comedies about sisters, and the fact that at the center of this was two Asian-American sisters, made me think, ‘Oh, this will be really fun to explore.’”
The slowly healing bond between Anna and Jenny is of course the heart of the film, but “Quiz Lady” is, after all, a comedy. An Academy Award-winning director for her 1997 short film “Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mike O’Brien,” Yu has directed episodes of some of TV’s most popular dramas, including Showtime’s “The Affair,” Netflix’s “13 Reasons Why” and Prime Video’s “Citadel,” in addition to some very funny stuff like the 2017 standup comedy special “Maria Bamford: Old Baby” and an episode of the comedian’s Netflix sitcom, “Lady Dynamite.”