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‘Hard Truths’ Review: You Can’t Help but Love a Bitter Marianne Jean-Baptiste in Mike Leigh’s Slender Sketch
Mike Leigh builds a prickly portrait around Marianne Jean-Baptiste, giving her the role of her career, if not a terribly compelling story to inhabit.
She lobs insults at complete strangers, sizing them up in an instant before unleashing her put-downs (most of them hilariously on point, as if she should be writing for “Veep” or another of Armando Iannucci’s shows). She sings and smiles, dancing along with her two grown daughters (Ani Nelson and Sophia Brown) in the privacy of their living room — the polar opposite of Pansy, whose negativity is a form of narcissism. Opting to spend time with someone like Pansy can feel like marinading one’s soul in salt and vinegar, when in fact, it’s a cleansing experience: a chance to identify with the grouch, or to recognize her in ourselves.
Or read this on Variety
