Kimmy Schmidt is/was a phenomenal show.
A+ writing, acting, colorwork, music - I mean, everything.
Across the board, the four seasons that exist are beyond great.
This... I don't know. For the most part, the things that I liked about the show were there, except the story.
I get it, the writers saw "Bandersnatch" and were eager to use the same technology to tell a Kimmy Schmidt story, but did it have to be this particular story? It felt rushed. Really, really rushed.
The things I liked are plenty, though, it's not like the whole film is creatively bankrupt. In fact, despite all the things I didn't like, the film was actually quite enjoyable. Most of the A+ aspects of the show are retained - great music, brilliant jokes, wonderful use of color, the whacky aspects of the world that's been built, and the acting, specifically from Ellie Kemper and Titus.
However, this was set against a backdrop of using a technology that hasn't yet had the time to mature. The choose your own adventure thing was pretty frustrating, to be honest. If, for 90% of the choices, you're going to tell me I'm wrong, then why have the choices in the first place? It felt as if they wrote a film, took all the scrapped storyline's and filmed them anyway. I want Kimmy to kill the reverend, don't just tell me she did that and died and then rewind me back because I made the "wrong choice". I don't care that it's the wrong choice. I'm making the decisions here, not you. If you want to make the decisions on how the characters live their lives; make a film without the gimmicks. It genuinely frustrated me. If there's a right choice, then why bother asking me? Quite frankly, I couldn't care less what dress Kimmy wears, if that's the most substantial decision I get to make.
Again, it feels rushed. Like they wanted to get it out so fast they didn't bother to properly plot the choices out. While Bandersnatch wasn't high art, it at least felt consequential, like the choices I made mattered. Sure, sometimes a character died along the way, but at least I made all the decisions that lead them to that point and it felt like a natural progression for the story.
It felt like the writers knew it, too. At one point in the film, Kimmy is reading a choose your own adventure book, and makes a mistake and flips back. It's like they were trying to say "look this is just like a choose your own adventure book". But it's not. It's a film, and by failing to expand upon the idea to make the most out of the technology you have, you might as well have just written a book. It just feels kind of redundant.
Again, this rushed feeling isn't just felt during the execution of the idea, but in the idea itself. The story just kind of... well, it's not the best. It's not terrible, but it just feels redundant, given the ending the show had in its original series finale. There were a few good moments, specifically Titus singing "Free Bird", Lillian shooting guns in a hotel room, and anything to do with Jacqueline is always a treat, but these moments are down to the actors. However, these moments can't save writing that feels like fan fiction.
Honestly, this would have been significantly better if they'd taken longer to write it, film it and work out all the details to make it work as it deserved to.
Kimmy Schmidt is one of the greatest shows to come out of the streaming era, it sucks that the last thing we're seeing of it is this. I didn't quite like how the fourth season ended - like they tacked on an epilogue on the last episode because they got prematurely cancelled or something - but it was a far better ending than this cliché filled exhibition.
Will I watch it again? Probably. Did I enjoy it? Yes. Was it worth the hype? Not really.
This... I don't know. For the most part, the things that I liked about the show were there, except the story.
I get it, the writers saw "Bandersnatch" and were eager to use the same technology to tell a Kimmy Schmidt story, but did it have to be this particular story? It felt rushed. Really, really rushed.
The things I liked are plenty, though, it's not like the whole film is creatively bankrupt. In fact, despite all the things I didn't like, the film was actually quite enjoyable. Most of the A+ aspects of the show are retained - great music, brilliant jokes, wonderful use of color, the whacky aspects of the world that's been built, and the acting, specifically from Ellie Kemper and Titus.
However, this was set against a backdrop of using a technology that hasn't yet had the time to mature. The choose your own adventure thing was pretty frustrating, to be honest. If, for 90% of the choices, you're going to tell me I'm wrong, then why have the choices in the first place? It felt as if they wrote a film, took all the scrapped storyline's and filmed them anyway. I want Kimmy to kill the reverend, don't just tell me she did that and died and then rewind me back because I made the "wrong choice". I don't care that it's the wrong choice. I'm making the decisions here, not you. If you want to make the decisions on how the characters live their lives; make a film without the gimmicks. It genuinely frustrated me. If there's a right choice, then why bother asking me? Quite frankly, I couldn't care less what dress Kimmy wears, if that's the most substantial decision I get to make.
Again, it feels rushed. Like they wanted to get it out so fast they didn't bother to properly plot the choices out. While Bandersnatch wasn't high art, it at least felt consequential, like the choices I made mattered. Sure, sometimes a character died along the way, but at least I made all the decisions that lead them to that point and it felt like a natural progression for the story.
It felt like the writers knew it, too. At one point in the film, Kimmy is reading a choose your own adventure book, and makes a mistake and flips back. It's like they were trying to say "look this is just like a choose your own adventure book". But it's not. It's a film, and by failing to expand upon the idea to make the most out of the technology you have, you might as well have just written a book. It just feels kind of redundant.
Again, this rushed feeling isn't just felt during the execution of the idea, but in the idea itself. The story just kind of... well, it's not the best. It's not terrible, but it just feels redundant, given the ending the show had in its original series finale. There were a few good moments, specifically Titus singing "Free Bird", Lillian shooting guns in a hotel room, and anything to do with Jacqueline is always a treat, but these moments are down to the actors. However, these moments can't save writing that feels like fan fiction.
Honestly, this would have been significantly better if they'd taken longer to write it, film it and work out all the details to make it work as it deserved to.
Kimmy Schmidt is one of the greatest shows to come out of the streaming era, it sucks that the last thing we're seeing of it is this. I didn't quite like how the fourth season ended - like they tacked on an epilogue on the last episode because they got prematurely cancelled or something - but it was a far better ending than this cliché filled exhibition.
Will I watch it again? Probably. Did I enjoy it? Yes. Was it worth the hype? Not really.