Maniac

Here’s another Netflix series that plays like a long, but really good, movie. Jonah Hill and Emma Stone reteam (after Superbad) as two mentally exhausted individuals volunteering for pharmaceutical experiments that involve a lot more than simply taking pills. The premise, which allows for the Hill and Stone characters to essentially share dreams, places them inside different fantasy scenarios involving different people. Lemurs, Long Island, shootouts, odd dancing, seances, hawks and more play into those scenarios, all directed engagingly by Cary Joji Fukunaga. The different dreams have different styles, but Fukunaga keeps it all under control and unified. Stone is the true shining star here, especially in a sequence that places her in a Lord of the Rings type setting, one that her character’s true self can’t really stand. Hill plays it morose for much of the running time, which is necessary given his character’s state, but does get a decent amount of opportunities to go crazy when his character morphs into different people. Justin Theroux is fantastic as a pathetic doctor, as is Sally Field as his famous mother. In fact, Field has some of the series’ best moments, no surprise given that it’s the legendary Sally Field. If you are looking to binge, this is a safe bet. (Available for streaming on Netflix.)