“It’s a brave comedy that steps up to satirise gender politics in Hollywood in the wake of #MeToo,” said Carol Midgley in The Times. “Thin ice and eggshells are words that leap to mind.” Channel 4’s sitcom Chivalry enters this territory, but it does play it fairly safe.
Steve Coogan stars as Cameron, a “slimy” film producer who has to work with “take-no-shit” director Bobby (Sarah Solemani), after she is parachuted in to “detoxify” one of his films. “She’s the feminist they brought in to put the dinosaur’s dick in the mangle,” one character says of Bobby, which is a “pretty succinct summary of the situation”.
The series, which was written by Coogan and Solemani, has a “wily, low-key humour”, and it is made all the better by the presence of Sienna Miller, who is “fabulous” as the film’s leading lady. Chivalry is “highly engaging”, said Sean O’Grady on The Independent, but be warned: it’s also so graphic that it borders on the pornographic, and the dialogue is a mix of “barrack-room swearing, porn-movie set directions and the sort of intimate technical terms you might encounter during a gynaecological case conference”.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
I don’t know whether there are or should be boundaries around what is seen and heard on TV – but “Chivalry has helped me find my own boundaries as a viewer”. This language is “explicit”, said Anita Singh in The Daily Telegraph, but try not to let that put you off. Solemani and Coogan have achieved “what seemed impossible: a nuanced, intelligent take on #MeToo that doesn’t stint on jokes”.
-
The best dark romance books to gingerly embrace right nowThe Week Recommends Steamy romances with a dark twist are gaining popularity with readers
-
The ocean is getting more acidic — and harming sharks’ teethUnder the Radar ‘There is a corrosion effect on sharks’ teeth,’ a study’s author said
-
6 exquisite homes for skiersFeature Featuring a Scandinavian-style retreat in Southern California and a Utah abode with a designated ski room
-
6 exquisite homes for skiers
Feature Featuring a Scandinavian-style retreat in Southern California and a Utah abode with a designated ski room
-
Film reviews: ‘The Testament of Ann Lee,’ ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,’ and ‘Young Mothers’Feature A full-immersion portrait of the Shakers’ founder, a zombie virus brings out the best and worst in the human survivors, and pregnancy tests the resolve of four Belgian teenagers
-
Book reviews: ‘American Reich: A Murder in Orange County; Neo-Nazis; and a New Age of Hate’ and ‘Winter: The Story of a Season’Feature A look at a neo-Nazi murder in California and how winter shaped a Scottish writer
-
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple – ‘a macabre morality tale’The Week Recommends Ralph Fiennes stars in Nia DaCosta’s ‘exciting’ chapter of the zombie horror
-
Bob Weir: The Grateful Dead guitarist who kept the hippie flameFeature The fan favorite died at 78
-
The Voice of Hind Rajab: ‘innovative’ drama-doc hybridThe Week Recommends ‘Wrenching’ film about the killing of a five-year-old Palestinian girl in Gaza
-
Off the Scales: ‘meticulously reported’ rise of OzempicThe Week Recommends A ’nuanced’ look at the implications of weight-loss drugs
-
A road trip in the far north of NorwayThe Week Recommends Perfect for bird watchers, history enthusiasts and nature lovers
