Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Getty Images |
The most powerful weapon in Reggie Dinkins’ arsenal is its rate of jokes per minute: Nearly every sentence that comes out of characters’ mouths is either a setup or a punch line. Like its predecessor 30 Rock, that constant patter defines the show’s tone by heightening its world into near absurdity, all while remaining grounded in the emotional realities of its characters. They’re all defined by a desperate need for love, whether from football fans or documentary viewers or one each another, and that drive gives the writers the tools they need to pay off both jokes and pathos, sometimes in the same moment. Like Reggie Dinkins himself, the show is simply one of one, and that’s worth celebrating.
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Roxana Hadadi on The Little Sister, in theaters in NYC now: |
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Nadia Melliti is a star in the lovely, heartbreaking The Little Sister, based on Fatima Daas’s semi-autobiographical novel The Last One. Melliti plays the Algerian-French Fatima, caught between her attraction to women and her tight family; filmmaker Hafsia Herzi beautifully frames Melliti's increasing confidence as Fatima realizes she's falling in love. Coming-of-age stories about Muslim women that don't follow a generic "girl from this religion chooses to take off her headscarf" narrative are rare, but The Little Sister is special for more than just novelty. Melliti's first performance ever won her 2025’s Best Actress award at Cannes, and it’s unforgettable.
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John Early’s directorial debut, in which he plays a food influencer with an eating disorder, is a strange, delightful homage to TV movies. |
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Whether you’re looking for an intimate drama or a comedy about a lesbian fight club. |
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My dad loved obituaries. I thought that unless the New York Times announced your death on the front page, you hadn’t really lived. |
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Plus slam pigs on WWHL and Kerry Washington’s parenting tips. |
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