S23.E11: Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Rihanna, Helena Bonham Carter, Sarah Paulson, Years & Years 2018.06.15

[Athena]

Quote

The guests on Graham's sofa are Hollywood star Sandra Bullock, double-Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett, superstar singer-songwriter Rihanna, brilliant British actress Helena Bonham Carter, and Emmy and Golden Globe winner Sarah Paulson, all starring in the comedy heist movie Ocean's 8.

Plus music from Years & Years, who perform If You're Over Me

[StatisticalOutlier]

I'm exhausted.

[PWHCHCH]

They were all trying a bit too hard. 

[dubbel zout]

HBC's outfit was awesomely cocky. Heh.

"You've got to stop saying 'big' around women." What? Sandra Bullock, he wasn't calling anyone fat. Gah.

The movie would be more awesome if it didn't just plug women into men's roles. An original story starring seven women would actually be unique.

Sarah Paulson's dolphin imitation was hilarious, and I love the idea of it being in the background of a Rihanna song. Hee.

[Corgi-ears]

The ep illustrated the drawback of having guests who are friends, or at least know each other well: they were all so eager to finish each others' sentences and stories, and the result was a cacophonous mess. (A more cynical take: the couch was so eager to show that they're "friends" -- perhaps to disprove or preempt that "women can't get along" narrative they alluded to on the show -- that it produced that cacophonous mess.)

[StatisticalOutlier]

As I was watching, I was comparing it, unfavorably, to the famous Monuments Men couch.  That was people who know each other and get along and it was delightful. 

I wanted to push Sandra Bullock's hair out of her face so bad.  Now I know how my mother felt when I was a teenager.

I almost died when they were talking about the Met Gala and Helena Bonham Carter said she'd never been and someone said something like, "Well look how you dress."  But I now think what she actually said was something like, "Look at your dress," after talking about how it had penises on it.  I don't necessarily disagree with the first version, but it does seem unusually direct.

I also couldn't figure out what was going on with her posture, and with Rihanna's. 

[peeayebee]

I didn't know Sarah Paulson was so funny. I love her sense of humor.

I agree that the couch was a cacophony. I was getting frustrated with just about everyone interrupting and talking over each other. I like Cate Blanchett, but she was one of the worst offenders. I liked Sandra Bullock when she first came out and did that scream stuff -- and when everyone else on the couch was screaming, which was funny -- but then she just seemed... odd. At one point I wondered if she was drunk or stoned.

[dubbel zout]

I think this appearance for all of them was near the end of the promotional tour, and everyone was getting punchy. It's got to be a total slog.

[MissLucas]

IIRC this was taped/aired close to that story that Rihanna had made them all wait for half an hour at the NY premiere and that some/all of them were annoyed with her. Whether true or not it may have contributed to the somewhat over-energetic couch. That and of course as mentioned above they were trying to disprove the narrative that women can't get along (never mind that there are plenty of legendary off-screen feuds between male stars). I thought last year's (?) Ghostbusters couch had been suffering from the same affliction.

That said it seems like the promo machine is really pushing hard for a perfect kumbaya vibe with ensemble casts. A movie-set is a workplace with all the problems that can arise when a lot of people are working on a project. Some co-workers get along easily and may even become friends, some manage to work together even if they will never become friends and some manage to remain professional even if they dislike each othter. It's all good as long as all egos are kept in check. But this insistence that everybody is BFF with everybody else is getting ridiculous.

[theatremouse]

On 6/23/2018 at 1:24 PM, StatisticalOutlier said:

I almost died when they were talking about the Met Gala and Helena Bonham Carter said she'd never been and someone said something like, "Well look how you dress."  But I now think what she actually said was something like, "Look at your dress," after talking about how it had penises on it.  I don't necessarily disagree with the first version, but it does seem unusually direct.

My recollection is it was something more like "it's because you wear dresses like that", which they all seemed to laugh at/not disagree about.

[msrachelj]

On 6/23/2018 at 4:24 PM, StatisticalOutlier said:

As I was watching, I was comparing it, unfavorably, to the famous Monuments Men couch.  That was people who know each other and get along and it was delightful. 

I wanted to push Sandra Bullock's hair out of her face so bad.  Now I know how my mother felt when I was a teenager.

I almost died when they were talking about the Met Gala and Helena Bonham Carter said she'd never been and someone said something like, "Well look how you dress."  But I now think what she actually said was something like, "Look at your dress," after talking about how it had penises on it.  I don't necessarily disagree with the first version, but it does seem unusually direct.

I also couldn't figure out what was going on with her posture, and with Rihanna's. 

sandra needs a haircut. that long straight string is doing her no favors. i was not impressed with the couch, too much girlfriend stuff going on, real or not. rhianna did seem a little unhappy at times.

[atlantaloves]

Sandra also needs to lay off the 42 oz's of Botox she has injected into her face every single day of her life. Good God, it's hard to look at that screwed up face. Barf. 

[kassygreene]

My mother was commenting on how everybody's hair seemed to be the texture of straw, as well as deliberately uncombed (well, the first three anyway - Rhianna's people clearly had her ready for cameras, and HBC was coiffed normally for her).

[TexasGal]

On 6/24/2018 at 9:44 AM, peeayebee said:

I didn't know Sarah Paulson was so funny. I love her sense of humor.

I agree that the couch was a cacophony. I was getting frustrated with just about everyone interrupting and talking over each other. I like Cate Blanchett, but she was one of the worst offenders. I liked Sandra Bullock when she first came out and did that scream stuff -- and when everyone else on the couch was screaming, which was funny -- but then she just seemed... odd. At one point I wondered if she was drunk or stoned.

I also liked when Cate/Sarah/Rihanna were all talking over each other and she took a drink of Graham’s wine.  Yep.  We all needed a little sip then.

I think just Sarah and Rihanna would have been delightful.  It was too much.  The singer was cute but just added to the too-muchness of it all.

[Bruinsfan]

On 6/25/2018 at 4:38 PM, kassygreene said:

My mother was commenting on how everybody's hair seemed to be the texture of straw, as well as deliberately uncombed (well, the first three anyway - Rhianna's people clearly had her ready for cameras, and HBC was coiffed normally for her).

Helena Bonham Carter routinely looks as if she could pull live rats from her hair at will, so her only departure from the norm was the Penis Dress having bright oranges and reds rather than being assorted shades of black.

The couch was kind of chaotic and too "on," but I suppose that's better than everyone being reserved and not interacting with one another. Even Rhianna loosened up and joined in once Sarah Paulson started kidding her about the chorus of "umbrella."

[kdm07]

I guess I'm in the minority because I really enjoyed it. Maybe it's because it reminds me of being around my extended family where it's just a wall of noise all the time and if you aren't used to it, you can't keep up lol. I also appreciate that it got Rihanna to come out of her shell a little too since she was pretty quiet at the beginning of the interview.

[Crs97]

I enjoyed it!  I have a boatload of sisters, and that is exactly how conversations go.  There were probably too many on the couch.  Sandra barely said anything, but her taking Graham’s wine was perfect.  I thought if anything there was a little too much emphasis on Rihanna, but everyone seemed to have fun with it.  I am totally picturing Cate’s “ghost” costume.