‘Platonic’ Series Review: Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen Dazzle in Glorious Coming-of-Age Comedy

Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen in ‘Platonic’ | Photo Credit: Apple TV+

Apple’s new comedy PlatonicThe only misstep is probably in your title; the show is so far from getting through the anticipated best friends-turn-lovers question that one wonders why the creators, husband-and-wife duo Nicholas Stoller and Francesca Delbanco, called it that.

But what the Fantastic 10 Episodes chart is a gloriously self-aware, often hilarious, and yet nuanced journey of two very different people going through their own midlife crises; it’s also a wonderful exploration of turn-of-the-millennial angst, as well as the ups and downs of modern relationships.

Similar to how other programs like Fleishman is in trouble (Jesse Eisenberg, Claire Danes, Lizzy Caplan), Mark Duplass’ Union or Judd Apatow’s criminally underrated Love looked at the changing nature of friendships (and marriages) as we get older, Platonic it raises several lingering questions to 40-somethings struggling to let go of who they were in their 20s, but misleadingly.

College friends, no benefits, Sylvia (Rose Byrne) and Will (Seth Rogen) have had a bad fight a few years back; she didn’t want him to marry her fiancée, but he ended up doing it anyway…and now he’s divorced.

Sylvia is a stay-at-home mom to her three children and successful lawyer husband Charlie, but she misses her law career and often wonders what it could have been. Meanwhile, Will is the brewmaster at a cool local brewery that he runs with his friends, dresses like a hippie, and is considering getting back in the dating game.

They meet again and they are instant sparks, not the romantic kind, but even better, sparks that remind them of who they were in college, when their decisions had little consequence and that life can be fun and crazy. Sylvia can’t help it despite being a responsible adult unlike Will’s youthful self; whenever the duo hang out, they both revert to the people they were when they first met. Best friends tend to have that effect on you.

But it’s not all just chaos; despite all the crazy things Sylvia and Will do, from drinking themselves to death and getting high to snorting ketamine, stealing lizards, and bleaching their hair, Platonic it also offers us a remarkable insight into this deep connection between the two, instantly familiar to anyone who misses their friend. Navigating their respective personal and professional challenges, the two help each other to varying degrees of success (and mess), but thankfully, they never make the mistake of trying to turn this deep bond they have into something it’s not.

As Charlie says once, in what is probably the show’s line, “I know Will and Sylvia aren’t fucking around. But she almost feels like they’re getting turned on by the fact that they might be fucking.”

And this is where the genius of Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen comes into play; It’s an absolute treat to watch these talented actors reach their comedic peak scene after scene and exchange interactions of a relationship so unmatched it should be banned. While Seth plays a character that could conceivably resonate in some way with her real-life personality (which makes her performance more relatable), Rose is equally great as someone trying to deal with her insecurities about being a housewife. , but cut loose when she meets her friend who is more fucked up than she is.

Having starred as husband and wife in the hit neighbors movies (and their off-screen camaraderie shows), their chemistry is even better here as platonic friends, sharing significant hearts and drunken revelry in equal measure, while effortlessly bickering.

The excellent supporting cast also deserves a mention; Luke Macfarlane and Carla Gallo as Sylvia’s husband and friend are so funny in their own right that you yearn to see more of them, while Tre Hale as Andy and Vinny Thomas as Omar deliver some hilarious banter as Will’s coworkers.

But it is writing – Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Neighbors, Brothers) and Delbanco (college friends), which ties it all together, in a delirious mix of dialogue-filled repartee and physical comedy that gives equal importance to its male and female leads. In that sense, Will vandalizing all the rental scooters he sees on the sidewalks of Los Angeles has to be the gag of the year; he had me in splits every time.

Platonic It should rightfully pass as one of the best buddy comedies of all time; At its best, it’s a celebration of rarely seen sides of modern adult friendships (and love) that very few scripts deal with, aided by artists who hit it out of the park and a technical crew who keep it going. sparkling backdrop and program palette. with novelty.

You have a best friend? I miss them? Of course. Go find them and hug them now.

Platonic is currently streaming on Apple TV+, with weekly episodes