"Her [TikTok] videos are a taxonomy of L.A. types: actresses on Instagram, raspy talent agents, stressed-out publicists, dude bros, self-absorbed scenesters. Reflecting a town where everyone is at least industry-adjacent, her characters are often performing—at auditions, on Comic Con panels, on social media—while straining to hide some inner tension, which Reilly betrays with darting eyes or a quavering voice."
From "The Funniest Wasp Mom on TikTok/Caitlin Reilly revived her acting career by doing dead-on impressions of nervous publicists, actresses on Instagram, wellness influencers, overbearing mothers, and other fellow Los Angelenos" by Michael Schulman (The New Yorker).
I liked seeing this article — about a TikTok person I've followed for a long time.
Among her sharply observed characters were “Girl who is ‘not like other girls’ ”—a dude’s lady who insists, a bit too proudly, that she prefers “Star Wars” to rom coms. There was “Lounge singer in every hotel bar,” who masks her bitterness in schmaltz. There was a recurring character, the cheerily entitled, passive-aggressive “WASP mom,” elbowing her way through a Starbucks, an Olive Garden, and her son’s Zoom class....
[S]he excels at hauteur, but she can easily shape-shift into a Southern auntie on a cruise or an acquaintance pushing a pyramid scheme. Her funniest characters reveal their contradictions in under ninety seconds, including my personal favorite, “Woman who is ‘chill’ ”—a “spatial healer” who is convinced that she’s laid-back but warns, “Don’t fucking fuck with me.”
Lots of links. They go to TikTok, of course, so TikTokophobes shouldn't click. For anyone else, these are very nicely done little clips.
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16 comments:
Her impressions may be spot on, but they’re spot on impressions of people I couldn’t care less about. So maybe she’s really good, but it still did nothing for me. I tried a few and didn’t make it to the end of any of them.
Yeah, it's making fun of people that everyone already hates and fake people, so it doesn't really land for me.
I dunno. I was hoping for something better. I don't think she's that good. But, I know we all have different tastes. Her 'WASP' mom is probably better named a Liberal White Woman- mom or otherwise. Her lounge act was awful. There are so many other better lounge act parodies out there.
Hollywood produces content about itself all the time. If you like that sort of thing, "Reboot" on Hulu is a lot of fun.
Wow! She's amazing. Makes you cringe. She's not just acting. She's creating characters and writing dialog for them. Thought it said a lot for her talent that you can watch a bunch of these in a row and still be seeing the characters, not the actress playing them.
Just the right balance of humor and pathos, delivered in quick snippets. Tailor-made for TikTok.
Hmm. The humor escapes me.
THIS: " Her impressions may be spot on, but they’re spot on impressions of people I couldn’t care less about. So maybe she’s really good, but it still did nothing for me. I tried a few and didn’t make it to the end of any of them."
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Yes. Some talent, but zero like-ability. I watched her a lot last year, admired her acting skills but then the annoying characters become grating and tedious. Skits and sketch comedy, the greats-- Carol Burnett and Lucille Ball, even Abbott and Costello, Three Stooges, there was some likeability. You wanted to invest in those characters, even at their worst. Misfits, but still very endearing and full of goofy charm. Is this gal, or her characters, endearing and quaint charm amidst the quirky-ness?
I think it's the platform. Social media grinds down even the most talented skilled personalities, and all you are left with is shrill, calculated emptiness. If she could somehow get off Tik-Tok, and utilize more traditional venues, open-mike, stand-up, traditional TV, ---would that TV had Variety or showcases,------ might increase depth, love-ability which is very lacking with this TikTok nonsense.
She is marvelous in her evocation of the mix of self deception and deceit that is the core of so much modern social strategy.
"Reflecting a town where everyone is at least industry-adjacent..." No.
"Reflecting a town where everyone I KNOW is at least industry-adjacent." Yes.
For the smart people who avoid TikTok, here's her YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/CaitlinReilly
I watched a few of them last year. She's good, but I got tired of it. She's like Trevor Wallace, who does the same thing but from the bro side.
As for comedians, I discovered Taylor Tomlinson last year. She's a step up from most comedians, because she figures out unique ways to talk about the topics female comedians joke about (boyfriends, sex, dating, their mental issues). She delivers little physical touches to accent her jokes, and she does great crowd work.
"a town where everyone is at least industry-adjacent"
Nonsense. (PM at 10:44 is spot on.) I lived in L.A. for more than 30 years. Millions of Angelenos have zero connection to the entertainment industry.
"They go to TikTok, of course, so TikTokophobes shouldn't click."
I'm not sure most people would mind viewing TikTok content on a computer browser. If there's a risk, it's from downloading and using the app.
ooooooo...a new "ophobe"!
I wonder if that's an old Irish name? "Hi, my name is Home O'Phobe and I'm your worst H8TR!"
Schulman, "Wasp", really? Color matters? Diversity, perhaps rabid.
"overbearing mothers", now that is funny: toxic femininity. Add toxic masculinity, and you have toxic humanity that is planned for abortion in a progressive clinic near you. Think of climate change! a woman who should remain affordable, available, and taxable, and "burdens" of evidence aborted, sequestered in darkness.
On any given day, in Beverly Hills, 95% of the people walking the streets are tourists.
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