Deep Cover

Grade: B+

Three Amigos! and Galaxy Quest are two famous examples of stories about actors who get unwittingly thrust into the real-life version of the thing they’ve only done on stage, TV, or film. The final act of Analyze This comes to mind, when Billy Crystal (as Robert De Niro’s therapist) tags along and has to fit in at a mob convention. Deep Cover is in this family, but it’s a little different. It involves three improv actors (to put it loosely – at least one is a wannabe) who are originally recruited by the police to work undercover on a low-stakes, low-risk assignment – but one thing leads to another, and before they know it, they are tap-dancing before the local crime boss.

Bryce Dallas Howard plays Kat, who coaches improv at a modest club/theatre in London. Hugh (Nick Mohammed) is a socially awkward I.T. guy, whose co-workers, higher on the totem pole, don’t think much of him. And then there’s the wonderfully named Marlon (Orlando Bloom), who wants to make it as the next big, classic, serious actor. A local Detective Sargent attends one of Kat’s showcases, and tells her he’s looking for people who are good at thinking on their toes for a minor sting operation. Most people have left the theatre by this point, but looking around, she sees that Hugh and Marlon are still hovering, so she recruits herself and the two of them.

People with improv experience will pick up on the lingo. “Yes, and…” is a common rule. If your scene partner says they are a doctor, don’t shut it down with “no, you’re not.” Always “yes, and…” your way through it. Keep the moment moving. Bloom’s Marlon character, ever the method actor, keeps getting them into increasingly more hot water. His adlibs continuously escalate matters, until these innocent people – who just wanted to make it as improv comics – are handling weapons and witnessing deaths.

I would see Bryce Dallas Howard in anything, and she is what drew me to Deep Cover. She works well with her two co-conspirators, but they are not the only three who get opportunities for comedy. Alexander Owen is a show-stealer as an officer new to the force. He is excited to be there, takes it all in, and has lines like “Detective! You’re gonna wanna come take a look at this. I’ve always wanted to say that!” Meanwhile, our three main characters are constantly asking each other “Are we really doing this?” Yes, and you’re in it for the long haul.

It ramps up to a wonderfully put together final act and ending. The filmmakers stick the landing on this one. Deep Cover simultaneously manages to make fun of AND be a love letter to the amateur actor/improviser community, and it’s a must-see for anyone who has ever been in that world. This movie yes-anded its way into my funnybone and heart, and it’s the most fun you’ll have on any streaming service right now.

Grade: B+