Judd Apatow's Netflix pandemic comedy 'The Bubble' has some funny moments but it's a mess

Hollywood has always loved making movies about making movies.

“The Artist” won a best-picture Oscar. “Tropic Thunder” is hilarious. “Barton Fink” is brilliant, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” is a blast.

You get the idea.

“The Bubble” is a Netflix film from Judd Apatow, probably the most influential director of comedies in the last however long it’s been since “Knocked Up” came out. (It was 2007, if you’re curious.) It’s got a strong cast, great cameos, a good premise, some funny bits.

And it is an absolute mess.

It’s a meta story, Apatow making a movie about making a movie during the pandemic. (There is also an intrusive documentary filmmaker roaming around the making of the movie in the movie.) It’s also a family affair; his wife, Leslie Mann, is one of the stars, as is his daughter, Iris Apatow.

Nepotism? Sure, but they’re also good. Apatow in particular brings a confident authenticity to Krystal Kris, a TikTok star the movie’s producers have jammed into the cast with a greedy eye on her social media following.

The film within a film is the sixth movie in the 'Cliff Beasts' franchise

That cast is filming the sixth installment of the “Cliff Beasts” franchise, special-effects laden action movies with flying dinosaur-like monsters. Because of the pandemic, this is one of only two films being shot; producers have created a COVID-19 bubble in England for the cast and crew.

Gavin (Peter Serafinowicz), the film’s producer, and Gunther (Harry Trevaldwyn), the COVID-19 compliance officer, lay out the rules when the cast members arrive — two weeks of quarantine, no leaving the hotel or set. Which immediately drives everyone crazy.

Carol (Karen Gillan) is back to the franchise after skipping the fifth film. She was busy making a clunker in which she played a character who was half-Jewish, half-Palestinian which was evidently as misguided as that sounds; its Rotten Tomatoes rating was 4% positive.

Lauren Van Chance (Mann) returns, along with her husband Dustin Mulray (David Duchovny), from whom she is separated. Sean Knox (Keegan-Michael Key) has started what sounds like a cult since the last movie; Howie Frangopolous (Gus Khan) is not happy about the quarantine situation.

No one is. Dieter (Pedro Pascal), an Oscar-winning actor who signed on to the franchise for quick cash, retreats into drugs while constantly searching for someone to sleep with him.

Anika (Maria Bakalova), the front-desk clerk, has decided it will be her. But not just a hook-up. She’s going to marry him. At least that’s her plan.

Fred Armisen, Kate McKinnon and the rest are good. But it feels stale

Darren (Fred Armisen), the director, won at the Sundance Film Festival with a movie he shot on his iPhone about his time working at Home Depot, “Tiles of Love.” This is his first big-budget feature, and he is immediately in way over his head.

Then again, who wouldn’t be? The actors are all different versions of a nightmare. The script is horrible; Dustin insists on rewriting it, which only makes it worse. The entire cast, with the exception of Krystal, a novice actor, knows deep down they’re in a train wreck of a movie but won’t admit it to themselves.

Paula (Kate McKinnon), the studio head, checks in with Gavin every so often from whatever ski slope or safari she’s found that is accepting guests. If Gavin has a complaint, Paula is ready with a smile and a threat, something McKinnon is really good at playing.

The egos on display among the cast members are as monstrous as the CGI creatures. Self-awareness is non-existent. They’re in a bubble now because of COVID-19, but they’ve been in a different kind of bubble for years — a bubble of their own creation.

That’s a setup that pays off with some funny bits. But they’re just that: bits. They’re tired, predictable. If you want to see a power-mad studio boss oblivious to any concern but the bottom line, check out Tom Cruise in “Tropic Thunder,” for instance.

Great comedies are often a collection of loosely related sketches — “This Is Spinal Tap,” “Caddyshack” — but they have to be really good and really funny to pull that off.

There’s a freewheeling spirit to “The Bubble” that’s meant to reflect the times during which the film was made, but instead of creative forces finally unleashed it comes off as half-baked, more like a first draft than a finished film. Apatow knows comedy, and his intentions here are good. It’s just the movie that isn’t.

'The Bubble' 2 stars

Great ★★★★★ Good ★★★★

Fair ★★★ Bad ★★ Bomb ★

Director: Judd Apatow.

Cast: Karen Gillan, David Duchovny, Maud Apatow.

Rating: R for language throughout, sexual content, drug use and some violence.

Note: Streaming on Netflix on April 1.

Reach Goodykoontz at bill.goodykoontz@arizonarepublic.com. Facebook: facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm. Twitter: @goodyk. Subscribe to the weekly movies newsletter.

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