In ‘Fool,’ Estrada down and out, but not completely, in LA
“This fool” is such a great slang, usually meaning something along the lines of, “This clown over here ... ” But my favorite is when it simply refers to the person next to you who isn’t necessarily doing anything out of the ordinary. Just the act of existing in this ridiculous world means we’re all “this fool” at various points in our lives. And if you can’t find the humor in that, what are we even doing here?
“This Fool” is also the title of the single-camera Hulu comedy series starring comedian Chris Estrada. Set in the working class environs of a Mexican American community in South Central Los Angeles not unlike Estrada’s own, he plays Julio, a 30-something who is the opposite of cool — he’s often the butt of the joke — but if you squint, he has his own kind of cool.
He’s a caseworker at Hugs Not Thugs, a nonprofit that offers support for former gang members and ex-cons — one of whom is his cousin, Luis (Frankie Quinones). By temperament, the pair (both live with Julio’s mom and grandmother) could not be more different, and this comedic tension is ongoing throughout the season.
Julio has a touch of Ted Lasso in him. Maybe a sliver of Fred Armisen’s deadpan instincts too, which is ironic since Armisen is an executive producer here (and shows up in a cameo as well). Estrada isn’t the show’s straight man so much as a mostly grounded presence around which so much chaos can orbit. Julio’s upbeat disposition is masking plenty of unresolved issues, but he’s fairly comfortable with who he is and not terribly concerned with fitting into rigid ideas about masculinity.
By contrast, Luis is impulsive and caught in a trap of puffed-up macho posturing, and Quinones plays him as simultaneously exasperating and endearing. Fresh out of prison, Luis is stumbling through his new reality, half annoyed, half willing to give it a shot. Early on, he decides to take down an old nemesis, and he tries hitting up his boys to form a crew, but strikes out again and again — one has died, one has a bad sciatic nerve, another just doesn’t feel like it. Luis himself has pulled a muscle in his neck and is battling acid reflux.
Turns out, his nemesis is in no shape to fight either. The old days this is not ,so these would-be combatants find themselves bonding as they turn to watch a couple of nearby teens pummel each other in the park instead. If nothing else, “This Fool” doesn’t pretend hypocrisies and shifting alliances aren’t a daily part of life. Flaws and contradictions are ever-present and a source of considerable humor here.
Shot in warm, sunny tones, the show folds the high jinks of a sitcom into a indie cinema framework. Visually and thematically it comes together beautifully, except for the portions involving Julio and his on-again/ off-again girlfriend Maggie (Michelle Ortiz). Theirs is a sour, unhealthy dynamic, which would be less of an issue if you believed they were even attracted to one another amid their dysfunction.
Otherwise, the show is filled with thoroughly realized supporting characters. The performances on the show are full of small but sly moments, and even actors with supporting or one-off roles are given room to bring a little extra something.
Classism and money are ever-present themes, and they become overt when Armisen turns up in a later episode as a billionaire would-be donor who makes everyone’s lives more complicated, with the help of his equally twisted wife, played by Eliza Coupe. It’s a wonderfully savage depiction of the way nonprofits are forced to tap dance for folks writing the big checks.
Where to watch: Hulu