No matter what, the show must go on. In the film, She's Funny That Way, the drama going on behind the scenes is just as good as what's happening on the stage, in a hilarious, meta-romantic comedy set in the world of Broadway. Kathryn Hahn, Jennifer Aniston, and Owen Wilson all turn in outrageous, comedic performances from directing legend, Peter Bogdanovich, and hold nothing back.
She's Funny That Way stars Imogen Poots in one of her first big roles, and she holds her own against Hollywood heavyweights with a flawless, New York accent and a fiery spunk. Bogdanovich was one of the most beloved and impactful American directors during the 70s, directing classics like The Last Picture Show and Paper Moon, in addition to the wild screwball comedy, What's Up, Doc? In She's Funny That Way, Bogdanovich co-wrote the script with Louise Stratten, and the pair embraced the slapstick of What's Up, Doc? in a modern setting, as every character cheats, lies, and inevitably falls in love.
What Is 'She's Funny That Way' About?
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Imogen Poots stars as the ambitious New York City call-girl, Izzy, a cinephile who dreams of becoming a star. That dream starts to become a reality when her client one night happens to be the big shot Broadway director, Arnold Albertson (Owen Wilson), an unfaithful husband and womanizer who has spent his entire marriage seeking the comfort of call girls behind his wife's back. Kathryn Hahn plays Arnold's wife, Delta Simmons, a fellow Broadway star and Arnold's muse, who is featured in his new play. When Izzy's agent gets her an audition for the starring role in Arnold's play the following day, a flabbergasted Arnold watches in horror as she nails the audition in a scene acting opposite Delta, and scores the part.
Will Forte plays the enamored playwright, Joshua, who falls for Izzy during her audition. The only problem is that he's dating the cruel therapist, Jane (Jennifer Aniston), who happens to be Izzy's therapist, which then causes a messy trail of infidelities and scams as the play gets underway. A hilariously sleazy Rhys Ifans plays Seth Gilbert, the leading man in the play, who has a secret crush on Delta and knows of Arnold's affair with Izzy. Bogdanovich's frequent collaborator, Austin Pendelton, is a wonderfully wacky, obsessed judge and client of Izzy's, who stalks her around New York City as she prepares for the play.
Kathryn Hahn and Owen Wilson Play a Toxic, Show Business Power Couple
Kathryn Hahn and Owen Wilson are a match made in heaven as a conniving couple that burns up in flames in the most wonderful fashion in She's Funny That Way. Hahn gives one of her most satisfying performances, as a woman awakening to the kind of dishonest man she's married to and unleashes a fury that gives the film its purpose. Owen Wilson is antsy, anxious, and clumsy from the get, and the perfect fit for the archetype of the catastrophic leading man in an underrated screwball comedy. Arnold is the definition of toxic masculinity, and Wilson nails the characterization of a man who does not realize he is the villain in his story, not the hero.
Wilson's shock and dismay when Izzy walks into the audition opposite his wife, Delta, drives home why Wilson's expressive face is his moneymaker. The entire scene is a riot to watch, as Arnold prepares for a trainwreck to unfold with his mouth hanging open, while Delta becomes mesmerized by how talented Izzy is. Rhys Ifans then gobbles up the scene, as his character Seth saw Izzy leaving Arnold's room the night before, and his smug treatment towards Arnold and sexual tension with Delta adds the perfect layer of raunchiness to an already tense scene.
Kathryn Hahn Has an Epic Meltdown Playing a Broadway Diva
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The second half of She's Funny That Way belongs to Kathryn Hahn, and she becomes a beast of vengeance when her husband's true colors are revealed. Already a diva of the theater, she becomes a diva in real life and unleashes a delicious fury. Hahn's career has always been a fantastic blend of comedy and drama. Here, she cranks the slapstick up to 11, with her nervous, writhing energy that has made her the relatable, all too real Hollywood star that she is. Overhearing her husband's infidelities in a dressing room stall at the mall with him on the other side talking to a former call-girl he used to see, Hahn storms out of the dressing room and struts out of the mall only to be arrested by mall security.
No one can do a breakdown like Hahn. Her stuttering, screaming, and flailing while wearing a ridiculous suit with mascara-stained cheeks have the undeniable marks of Bogdanovich's one-of-a-kind screwball comedy. When her co-star, Seth, seizes the moment to take advantage of her vulnerability and finally get with the woman of his dreams, Hahn yells the most important line of the movie: "Nobody has me!" In a film littered with self-righteous men who believe themselves to be knights in shining armor, Hahn's performance and character shut them all down. She drives home the message Bogdanovich and Stratten make crystal clear in their screenplay, that men don't know how to step away from their egos, and let women be their own saviors.
Peter Bogdanovich Directed a Callback to Classic Screwball Comedies in 'She's Funny That Way'
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Bogdanovich directed one of the all-time great screwball classics in 1972 with What's up Doc?, featuring Barbra Streisand as a hell-raiser, who gets into the middle of Peter O'Neal's relationship with his fiancé, played by a fuming Madeline Kahn. A fiasco of backstabbing and affairs, Bogdanovich captured that magic again in She's Funny That Way. Jennifer Aniston plays completely against type, and is miles away from her American sweetheart persona with a harsh, blunt bob, sharp eyeglasses, and an angry German Shepard at her side. She even gets to throw a mean right hook at Will Forte's chin, and is the film's straight to a cast of crazy, colorful New Yorkers.
The craziest New Yorker in question is a fantastic, unhinged Austin Pendelton as Izzy's stalker, Judge Pendergast. Pendelton starred in What's Up Doc?, as a similarly awkward, lovestricken nerd who falls for Barbra Streisand's lively character. One of She's Funny That Way's best bits is when Pendergast goes on a date with Aniston's character, Jane, to an Italian restaurant, where her boyfriend happens to be taking Izzy out to dinner. An absolute nightmare of a situation, Pendelton shatters a wine glass, falls out of his seat, and stammers all around Aniston as he only has eyes for Izzy. It's the peak of slapstick physicality, as he flings his body out of his chair and is unafraid to fall on the floor.
Pendelton isn't the only one of Bogdanovich's muses to make an appearance in the film either. Cybill Shepherd, who broke out starring in his film, The Last Picture Show, plays Izzy's flamboyant, New York tough mother. Tatum O'Neal also makes a cameo as a waiter at the Italian restaurant during the catastrophic night, who notably became the youngest actor to win an Academy Award at the time in 1973 for starring in Bogdanovich's crime caper family drama, Paper Moon. And even Quentin Tarantino makes an appearance as himself, who has always been a fan of Bogdanovich's.
Hahn is back under the spotlight with the new Disney+ Marvel original series, Agatha All Along. Her excellent blend of comedy and drama is once again put on display in excellent company alongside the likes of Aubrey Plaza, Patti LuPone, and Debra Jo Rupp, playing the seductive, sinister character. She's Funny That Way is a Hahn classic before she hit the big leagues, and Bogdanovich directed her to new heights as a woman on the verge, who literally steps into the spotlight and decides to stop pleasing the men in her life. Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, She's Funny That Way is movie magic, and a classic, modern screwball comedy stacked with Hollywood's brightest and funniest.
She's Funny That Way is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video in the U.S.
