Serie - Nine perfect Strangers : What do we think of this new Hulu series ?

By Mulder, 09 august 2021

Created by the teams of Big Little Lies and The Undoing, Nine Perfect Strangers is an eight-part series adapted from the eponymous New York Times best-selling novel by Australian author Liane Moriarty. Shot in Australia, the series reunites Nicole Kidman and Melissa McCarthy, in their first project together, with Luke Evans, Tiffany Boone, Bobby Cannavale, Melvin Gregg, Regina Hall, Manny Jacinto, Asher Keddie, Michael Shannon, Grace Van Patten, and Samara Weaving. Nine Perfect Strangers is produced by Nicole Kidman and Per Saari for Blossom Films, Bruna Papandrea, Jodi Matterson and Steve Hutensky for Made Up Stories, David E Kelley, Melissa McCarthy, John Henry Butterworth, Samantha Strauss, Jonathan Levine, Molly Allen and Liane Moriarty. The series is co-written by David E Kelley and John Henry Butterworth, with Jonathan Levine directing.

We were able to discover the six episodes of this new series with a prestigious cast and which will be broadcast on Hulu in a few days (the first three episodes will be available from August 18, with new episodes every week). The plot of this new series follows the evolution of several people in a wellness center called Tranquilum run by Masha Dmitrichenko (Nicole Kidman).

Each of the characters seems to have lost the taste for life or are at a difficult moment in their career. We have the father who seems to no longer know how to cope with his wife, Napoleon (Michael Shannon) and his daughter after they lost their son, a writer who seems to be losing fame Francs (Melissa McCarthy), a mother with a violent temper Carmel (Reginal Hall), a soccer star who ended his career Tony Hogburn (Bobby Cannavale), a gay journalist who seems to be facing personal problems that are beyond him Lars Lee (Luke Evans), as well as other characters like Ben and Jessica Chandler (Melvin Gregg and Samara Weaving).

While some will be tempted to compare this new series with Big Little Lies, it must be recognized that if the same care is taken on the writing, casting and directing, the plot does not go in the same direction. Indeed, this series is a caricature of all the wellness centers that try to sell you the dream by promising you a return to health and performance. However, here things will not go as planned, the dark areas of its characters will come to the surface and confront them with events more surprising than the others.

The main quality of Nine Perfect Strangers is that it is full of surprises and despite a scenario that appears simplistic, the writers have managed to create characters with a real wound and who will have to learn from each other to get back on track. Even Masha Dmitrichenko, whose troubled past seems to continue to haunt her, does not seem to be able to fully recover in her own center. The first six episodes of this mini-series are a real pleasure to watch, even if we can feel a real will to stay in a total conformism and not to take any real risk, and that's the real flaw of this series.

Synopsis:
At a health and wellness center that promises healing and transformation, nine stressed-out city dwellers attempt to resume a healthier lifestyle. The 10-day retreat is overseen by center director Masha (Kidman) who is determined to revive the tired minds and bodies of her clients. These nine strangers have no idea what to expect.

Nine Perfect Strangers
Created by David E. Kelley, John Henry Butterworth
Based on Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
Directed by Jonathan Levine
Starring Nicole Kidman, Melissa McCarthy, Manny Jacinto, Asher Keddie, Luke Evans, Melvin Gregg, Samara Weaving, Grace Van Patten, Tiffany Boone, Michael Shannon, Regina Hall, Bobby Cannavale
Executive producers : David E. Kelley, John Henry Butterworth, Nicole Kidman, Per Saari, Bruna Papandrea, Steve Hutensky, Jodi Matterson, Melissa McCarthy, Liane Moriarty, Jonathan Levine
Producers : Gillian Bohrer
Cinematography : Yves Bélanger
Production companies : Made Up Stories, Blossom Films, Endeavor Content
Distributor : Endeavor Content
Original network : Hulu (United States), Prime video (France)

Rating : 3.5/5