Support The Girls is a 2018 comedy about the general manager at a highway-side ”sports bar with curves” who has her incurable optimism , tested over the course of a long, strange day.
Say what you will, Regina Hall is almost physically impossible not to like, the actress a whirlwind of talent who turns so much of Andrew Bujalski‘s latest comedy Support the Girls into far more than it should be. While there’s a lot that comes influenced from myriad others, there’s still a few surprises nested in this fun little flick, even as it might not know what to do with its own potential. Cheery, chaotic, and quite adept at spinning its many plates, this is a unique spin on an old bit.
At a restaurant called Double Whammies, where waitresses wear next to nothing, manager Lisa (Hall) is starting a rather peculiar day. As she begins the shift with a crew of new recruits and old favorites, including Maci (Haley Lu Richardson) and Danyelle (Shayna McHale), there is a burglar stuck in the vents of the backroom, which means police are on the scene. It’s the first domino as Lisa deals with escalating issues, including Maci’s tips on the ins and outs of big-tip-inducing flirting (smile with your mouth wide open) and a car wash Lisa’s sponsoring to help one of the girls (Jana Kramer), who’s had a string of bad luck. More tumbles into her lap though, and with the new opening of the ManCave in town looking to corner the market, the day just gets worse and it becomes clear that, as things continue to boil over, Lisa is losing sight of herself.
I’m coming right back to Hall, who redefines herself as Lisa, the role giving her the chance to do things that should turn a lot of new viewers into fans. Restaurants have long been home to some classic moments in movies, but Double Whammies is a playground for Hall, who makes great use of the setting. Lisa is tightly wound from the start, but simmers with a no nonsense rule for her girls: “No Drama.” Obviously, this is the only rule in need of breaking, and it’s great fun to watch Hall, who finds humor in moments that feel like they could easily teeter into something false before she effortlessly reels it back in. She runs a gamut of emotions and has one scene stealing moment after another.
Keeping fingers in the dam is part and parcel to movies in this genre, and while I was oddly reminded of the terrific Stanley Tucci restaurant comedy Big Night (1996), Support The Girls is clearly something different. There’s some real entertaining dynamic among the large cast, with the girls having some fun with the expectations before the arrival of the restaurant’s owner Cubby (James Le Gros) amps up the conflicts. This allows for a number of Mouse Trap machinations to find some spark, and while not all strike as intended, it’s the sheer force of Hall’s terrific performance that keeps this running so smoothly.
Don’t let the lowkey production fool you. Well-written and directed, this is a fun and highly-charged bit of lunacy that is well worth a look, simply because it manages to wring some new laughs from the shallow well. No doubt, this is the best Hall has done yet, making this a strong recommendation for fans of the craft and anyone just looking to see greatness unfold.