Nick Hornby’s two-hander is a charming, insightful, and well-acted short-form series that feels more like an exercise than the main event.
When you’re learning the craft of screenwriting — particularly how to write dialogue — it’s not uncommon to be given a writing exercise where you’re restricted to two people, one setting, and a brief length of time. Maybe the scene lasts nine or 10 pages, but the point is to make the writer drill down on what matters: realistic conversation that has a clear, story-driving arc and can build well-rounded characters. It’s a lot harder to do well than it may sound, especially if the author decides to make his couple stationary and offer them a pint of beer and a glass of wine as their only props.
Of course, when you’re a two-time Oscar nominee, like “State of the Union” author Nick Hornby, it’s probably good to challenge yourself a bit. His upcoming SundanceTV series indeed features only two speaking roles, one setting (a pub), and episodes that clock in at 11 minutes or less, and it still manages to entertain and enlighten as thoroughly as most traditional half-hour comedies. Still, given the talent involved — including the two actors, Rosamund Pike and Chris O’Dowd, as well as two-time Oscar-nominated director Stephen Frears — the light and breezy 90-something-minute production feels like a warm-up to something more substantial.
