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Good on Paper

Funny Girls

Good on Paper

By Nadia Duerson

screens@northcoastjournal.com

REVIEWS

GOOD ON PAPER. I usually don’t like it when comedians make movies because they’re seldom as funny as their stand-up routines. I get that they want to break out of the boxes we have put them in (or they have put themselves in) but it’s never the same. Still, Iliza Shleslinger is by far one of my favorite stand-up comedians so when I saw she had put out a movie with standup royalty Margaret Cho (Hysterical, 2021), I eagerly pressed play.

Iliza Shleslinger stars as stand-up comedian Andrea Singer, who accidentally meets the “perfect guy.” Along with her alarm bells, Andrea ignores warnings from her friend Margot (played by the forever wonderful Cho), who is convinced he’s not all sunshine and roses. Is she right? So begins their investigation.

Directed by Kimmy Gatewood, whose directorial resume includes episodes of Girls5eva and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and written by Shlesinger, this gal-pal romp is fast-paced, entertaining and slightly clever. I say slightly because Shlesinger seems to be holding back her smarts as if she’s trying to make the movie enjoyable for everyone and not go over people’s heads, as she sometimes does. Still, Shlesinger delivers with the animated storytelling that sucks you right in during her standup.

Like so many Netfl ix productions, Good on Paper is lightly narrated — it’s done so much, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It’s as if directors think the