Mia and Amy Archer (Laura and Danielle Kossan) are the heads of a magazine devoted to the world of Social Media “influencers.” With their five year anniversary coming, the magazine decides to devote the cover article to the top five social media influencers with followers over 10 million. The top five is a coveted spot, but Dan Summers (Colton Ryan) is the undisputed champion of Snapchat and clearly number one. When he runs off set after being asked about his Instagram followers, the other four influencers decide they are unwilling to participate in the cover shoot. With time building, the magazine struggles to find Dan (who has gone off on a social media break) and get the others to return in time to save the release.
The Social Ones is a snort-laugh-out-loud funny satire about the social media age and I probably could have watched an entire TV series of this. My personal favorite is the portrayal of Josie by Amanda Giobbi. The character of Josie is a social media fashion icon somewhere between a Judy Garland/Liza Minelli breakdown and it is utterly hysterical to watch. Giobbi is extremely expressive with her facial features and even just little mannerisms. I found myself wanting to see an offshoot of just her her.
The Social Ones also features great performances by Nicole Kang as a vlogger who dresses up animals, Desi Domo as an online chef that creates incredibly weird junk food combinations, Setarkei Wainiqolo as what is described as a “meme god” and Allegra Edwards and David T. Patterson as a social media couple perpetually in a posting war for followers. I’ve seen these types on social media, and I’m sure you have also.
As someone with anxiety and perpetually on a deadline, I was drawn to the Archer sisters. There is a hysterical part where one sister refers to the fact that they now keep Xanax close by during photo shoots and the other goes on a whole rant about not having anxiety attacks while simultaneously listing every symptom of an anxiety attack. As someone who suffers from this disorder, I was giggling like crazy.
There are many familiar faces in this film as experts, including Debra Jo Rupp from That 70’s Show playing a social media romance novelist, Stephanie March of Law and Order playing a therapist to social media influencers, and Peter Scolari (of practically everything) who plays a professor of social media studies. There’s also an incredibly memorable appearance from Richard Kind.
Laura Kossann’s script is smart, funny, and a delight from beginning to end and this is a movie I could easily watch a second time. The Social Ones is biting commentary, without being mean.
The Social Ones will be released by Comedy Dynamics on March 3, 2020.
