Sometimes when girls are in a relationship, they can forget about their friends. Now, ladies this is not an insult, because we get it. You are totally infatuated by this new love of yours, and sometimes your friends and your significant other just don’t always line up. This scenario is the central theme around Hulu’s new original Dollface, from creator Jordan Weiss.
In the show, Jules (Kat Dennings) is dumped by her boyfriend of five years. Devastated, Jules is at a loss for what to do, since she pushed away her friends over the years because she was too wrapped up in her significant other. Jules must now try and repair the damage done to the relationships of her two best friends: Madison (Brenda Song) and Stella (Shay Mitchell). And yes. It is super exciting to see these three ladies in a series together, along with Jules’s wonderfully quirky coworker Izzy (Esther Povitsky).
- It takes on a fantasy view of navigating the after relationship phase.
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Throughout the series, Jules has a cat lady come to her with sage wisdom (trust me, it’s not as weird as it sounds). During these moments, Jules goes into an alternate reality, which offers us a glimpse into the mindset of a girl recovering from heartbreak and learning how to reconnect with society.
The cross between fantasy and reality allows for Weiss to send statements about problems plaguing females in their day to day lives like comparing yourself to other girls, being caught in the middle of your best friends fighting, and labeling relationships. While fantasy shows have never been my favorite genre, I did enjoy the combination of both imaginative and realistic elements in the series. I think it’s a new way of storytelling, and it will be interesting to see if other shows follow in Weiss’s footsteps.
- Jules is a new type of role for Kat Dennings.
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When I think of Kat Dennings, I usually think of her more sarcastic performances as Max in 2 Broke Girls and Nora in Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist. However, Dennings’ approach to the character of Jules is far more vulnerable and shy. I think Weiss intended for Jules’ to have this personality type, to show how much a relationship can take from your inner self.
While Kat Dennings is gorgeous, she is not your typical staple of Hollywood perfection, as she is not a size 0 and hasn’t had plastic surgery. Instead, she is representative of the average woman, which most viewers are. I found myself relating to Jules trying to navigate what it means to be a female in 2019, and how there are too many complex rules to follow. Kat Dennings is truly a delight to watch and I hope to see her in more gritty roles like Jules in the future!
- The guest appearances are too good.
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The sign of a series that wants to please its audience means it has plenty of familiar faces. Not only is this a sign of viewership in mind, but also means that the plot must be top-notch if these stars want in. Dollface includes the likes of Dave Coulier, Joey Lawrence, Camilla Belle, Nikki Reed, and Margot Robbie. What is even better about their appearances it that some of these celebrities almost play off of the stereotypes of themselves, which goes along with the show’s central theme of mocking societal assumptions.
The series even managed to get Macaulay Culkin featured in a Christmas-themed episode. Plus the fact he and Brenda Song are dating makes it all the more perfect. Could we talk about better cameos?
- The plot shows that the bond of friendship can withstand almost anything.
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It’s been a five-year period since Jules has seen Madison and Stella, but somehow they are able to put reconnect as if no time had passed at all. Throughout the series, they fight, but their comments to one another come from a place of love. To me, the most heartwarming moment is how both Jules and Madison hold onto ugly vacation shirts they bought on vacation in college.
I like the fact that the show didn’t decide to go down the road of being too sappy when it comes to how females interact with one another. The humorous undertones toward common female tropes like watching The Bachelor, dealing with liking an ex’s new girlfriend’s photo, and going to brunch, allow girls to laugh and relate.
The fate of a second season of Dollface is unknown, but based on the first set of episodes, I would say Weiss deserves more time to explore the development of each of the characters. So, if you’re looking for a smart and funny show that is relatable to young women, stream Dollface as soon as possible!
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