Review: Living with Yourself
By Nicholas Papini
Observer Contributor
In a world where genetics and cloning are advanced and common enough that the FDA has a division dedicated to related crimes, Paul Rudd delivers an emotional tale of the bitterness and depression that settles into a person in their mundane life.
Living with Yourself is a new Netflix show released on October 19. It contains 8 episodes of approximately 38 minutes for a total of 215 minutes. The show is created and written by Timothy Greenberg and stars Paul Rudd and Aisling Bea.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, when questioned about his inspirations, Greenberg said, “We should be the best versions of ourselves with the ones we love the most, but we often are not. Why is that?” To that end, the show attempts to demonstrate what would happen if a person was either suddenly replaced by or confronted with a version of themselves which is as near to perfect as possible.
In Living with Yourself, an aging and depressed Miles Elliot (Paul Rudd) feels that he has nothing in his life going for him. His marriage is falling apart, his job is in jeopardy, and he can’t seem to find the energy to do anything to improve it. When his coworker suggests he go to a day spa, he finds that he has nothing left to lose.
The unique episode layout, with episodes alternately following the lives of each of the clones of Miles Davis, is rather brilliant and gives the show a style all to itself. This style leads to some fascinating cinematography and camera movements as scenes are viewed from different characters’ viewpoints.
Paul Rudd faces a unique position in Living with Yourself. He must act as two separate and distinct versions of the same character, Miles Elliot. He rises to the challenge in a rather remarkable way, making each version feel like a fully fleshed out person. They have the same experiences, but the way each feels and reacts is entirely unique, and Rudd gets that across perfectly. However, some fans of Paul Rudd’s previous works may be disappointed to see him play a much more serious role than they are used to.
Aisling Bea’s performance as Kate Elliot is stunning, although her character clearly had to be tailored to suit her strong Irish accent. This does not in any way detract from the story nor the character, but it’s worth noting that she likely does not have a good handle on American accents.
Tom Brady appears briefly in the first episode to make what is certainly a rather infamous cameo. His character has previously used the spa’s services six times, once for each of his Superbowl titles.
What Living with Yourself misses on, it more than makes up for in its unique charm and bold direction. It avoids the obvious pitfall of outlandish comedy, which Paul Rudd has regularly acted in before, and instead takes a wacky concept and deals with related emotional impact.
With excellent acting, a fun plot, and a unique take on the science fiction genre, Living with Yourself is certainly not the worst thing that can be binged on Netflix.
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