IR TV Review: KEVIN [Prime]
"Kevin" [Prime Video] as an animated series harks back to the late 90s/early 2000s transition of grunge into the mumblecore range. Based on Aubrey Plaza and her former boyfriend's life living in New York in that time period, it is focused not on them at all but their cat Kevin (whom they thought was a mob boss' cat who was placed in rescue at one point). The story of the 8 episodes is simply Kevin's adventures at the rescue in Astoria Queens after he wanted to be independent of his former owners including Dana (Aubrey Plaza) who broke up with her too-laid-back boyfriend who wasn't quite up to her standards. Jason Schwartzman plays Kevin. This casting of course makes a lot of sense considering the time period but it is the supporting characters that are quite interesting. By far the most surprising (since she has not done something like this in a while) is Whoopi Goldberg playing the promiscuous hairless Siamese called Cupcake. She hasn't done anything this blue in a couple years and it is great breath of fresh with some of the best lines coming out of the side of Cupcake's mouth. Director John Waters voices Armando, a theater/haughty cat who underlies Cupcake's progression and yet there is both a strength and sadness in him. Interesting enough it seems that Plaza will be starring in Waters' first directing foray in 20 years in the next year or so.
Amy Sedaris plays Brandi, the dog of the head of the shelter. Brandi is the braggart loud moth but points out all the faults when they are actually her own. The character that gets the most weird situations but also is the heart of the show is Judy (Aparna Nancherla) simply because she wants to be loved but is so clueless and a mess that she will forever be at the home. Between a kettle cough episode and a doomed-to-failure romance she finds in The Hamptons, it is just heartbreaking to see Judy function (barely) and yet the comedy works. One episode Cupcake has to pretend to be someone else (to keep Judy from losing it) and Judy doesn't get understand what is happening and yet the feeling is really heartbreaking. Judy is so broken and yet hilarious. The reality is that the show is about all these cats who are getting older realizing the mistakes they made based om certain choices that defined them. They cannot go back and redo those choices but they can own part of them (yet as this is Plaza's brainchild in a way, there is an inherent snarkiness to the act itself, even if the joke is self deprecating). "Kevin" is not a home run but a solid double in knowing what it is and yet being strange enough in its skin. It is not quite mainstream yet still retains a great heart and an indie spirit which is sort of the point. B
By Tim Wassberg
