It’s great for parents and their teens to watch, just not together.
What it's about
When Eve Fletcher (Kathryn Hahn) sends her son Brendan (Jackson White) off to college, they each go through a coming of age as Eve explores her sexuality for the first time in years while Brendan, a bully in high school, learns more about himself.
The take
Who do our children become once they leave the nest and enter the throes of early adulthood? Who do our parents become when we finally leave them by their lonesome? Many films and TV shows try to answer one question or the other, but rarely both at the same, and not with the kind of nuance, boldness, and compassion Mrs. Fletcher has for its characters. That’s what makes this limited series so comforting to watch, regardless of where you are in life right now. And because it’s often so emotionally exact, it can also be painful to watch--well, painful but healing. Like how astringents heal sore wounds, Mrs. Fletcher is the satisfying sting that validates your innermost hopes, fears, and desires at 19 or 39.
What stands out
Kathryn Hahn, who seems to have mastered the art of playing a complex middle-aged woman perpetually in an emotional crisis (see: I Love Dick, Tiny Beautiful Things).
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