Vince Vaughn’s Apple TV+ Series Has a Great Atmosphere

To borrow the title given by children’s story writer Wilson Rawls, this summer has become the Summer of the Monkeys.

Before we get to HBO Chimpanzee is crazy And Netflix The Secret Life of OrangutansMonkey art fans will be able to enjoy Apple TV+ bad monkeyan adaptation of Carl Hiaasen’s novel from the patron saint of live-action comedy, Bill Lawrence (Ted Lasso, shrinkage).

Contrary to the show’s name and novel, the eponymous monkey isn’t actually bad. He’s played by veteran actress Crystal – who you know from community, friends What’s more – she’s actually pretty good, and can be relied upon for interactive bits or funny situations. She (in fact, Crystal plays a character who appears to be a man, but we’re not going the monkey-pronoun route here) doesn’t always feel particularly connected to the plot of the film. bad monkeyBut it’s magical and fun just to be there.

That pretty much sums up how I feel. bad monkeyAs a mystery or quasi-thriller, it doesn’t quite work; its twists and turns are clumsily executed, its stakes are low, and especially at the end, where the plots are unconvincingly resolved. However, it’s wry, easygoing, and contrived in a way that aptly reflects Hiaasen’s tone. With a great cast led by Vince Vaughn, Natalie Martinez, Michelle Monaghan, and Jodie Turner-Smith, plus an impeccable eye for Florida locations, this is a fun way to spend 10 hours.

Did I mention the monkey?

Vaughan plays Andrew Yancey, a former Miami detective who is sent to the Keys after a scandal and is given the infamous title of restaurant inspector. Yancey has a dogged commitment to the truth and a complete lack of self-preservation instincts, much to the admiration and annoyance of his friend and former partner Rogelio (John Ortiz).

On the professional front, things aren’t great for Yancy, but he has a perfect cottage on a picturesque stretch of beach, plus a fierce and mysterious girlfriend (Monaghan’s Bonnie), so he’s content.

But what interrupts this satisfaction is a slick developer (Alex Moffat’s Evan) who builds a huge mansion next door to Yancy’s house, and a severed arm that Yancy is tasked with driving to Miami. The arm belongs to Eve’s husband (Meredith Hagner), whose grief Yancy finds unconvincing enough that he and coroner Rosa (Martinez) begin an investigation.

They’re right to be suspicious, because Eve is linked to Christopher (Rob Delaney), another developer, who’s trying to buy a property in a sleepy town in the Bahamas. There we meet Neville (Ronald Peet), a Bahamian fisherman who shares Yancy’s desire for the simple life and is willing to do anything—including enlisting the Obeah priestess known as the Dragon Queen (Turner Smith)—to protect the island’s purity.

Oh, and Neville has a monkey (Crystal) who loves grapes and funerals.

The story is told through the eyes of a Jimmy Buffett-like charter ship captain (Tom Nowicki), and expands to include a cast of eccentric characters including Charlotte Lawrence as Eve’s volatile stepdaughter; Zach Braff as a cheap doctor with the unexpected name of Israel Oppel; David St. Louis as a sentimental thug named Egg; and Ashley Nicole Black as a cynical government agent; lost Veteran L. Scott Caldwell as the Dragon Queen’s grandmother, Ya Ya.

In some episodes, the narrator connects the Florida and Bahamas plots, constantly promising that the whole story is one, though the merging is never elegant. The “reveal” at the end of episode one doesn’t actually reveal anything like what the show thinks it does, and another reveal at the end of episode three is more confusing than satisfying. There’s, overall, a clash of sensibilities between director Marcos Ceja’s more flamboyant, darker instincts and the more flexible, lighter strengths of the writing team. The former is coming to an end. bad monkey It feels like it’s supposed to be a show that has you on the edge of your seat, when in reality it feels like it’s supposed to be watched while leaning back as far as possible in the pastel-colored Adirondack Mountains. Because when it’s just banter between the characters, the show can be fun.

The interplay between Vaughn, who is a bit older for the role but effectively sly, and Martinez, who is playful and flirtatious in a way she rarely is, is utterly engaging. Plus, Monaghan comes in and out of the story with that mischievous glint in her eye that has been underused since. kiss kiss bang banggiving a real touch to the quasi-love triangle.

Hagner mixes sweetness with strychnine, evoking a classic Goldie Hawn character, which is even better if you know her mother-in-law is… Goldie Hawn. Her explosive energy is a perfect match in Delaney, who is tall and sullen.

The Bahamas side of the story, despite the presence of the film’s titular monkey, is more dramatic, featuring Pitt’s quiet sincerity and Turner-Smith’s fierce intensity. Both actors get moments of characterization that have nothing to do with murder and plotting. But do bad monkey Do you have any idea about the tourist exploitation of the Bahamas or the traditions of Obia? No.

The show never quite gets around Hiaasen’s sarcastic side, his very specific take on Florida’s hustlers and scroungers, instead offering soft satire of corrupt institutions and the nouveau riche. It’s all superficial, but when the surface is this beautiful—white sand beaches, sparkling blue water, the condensation glimmering on a cold beer—it’s a pleasure to spend some time on.