Big Mistakes–Errors in Judgment
Big Mistakes is first and foremost, about a big messy family, with a single mom, Linda (Laurie Metcalf), and three adult children. Only the highly organized and systematic youngest (and favorite), Natalie (Abby Quinn), seems to have her mother’s respect and affection.
Linda, highly community-centered, decides to run for mayor with Natalie as her campaign manager. Her opponent is a ruthless, womanizing corporate magnate.
Starting as a light-hearted frolic slowly morphing into a farce that grows more than a little outlandish, Big Mistakes’ loud message is “you can’t take your adult children for granted”. Their character, determination, and dreams can all be radically changed in less than a day.
The eldest, Nicky (Dan Levy, creator and star of “Schitt’s Creek”) and his sister Morgan (Taylor Ortega) find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time: a touristy gift shop with a gaudy necklace of questionable origin. Nicky’s mission is pure of heart: to buy a final gift for the grandmother (Linda’s mother) who is on her death bed. Bizarre behavior and over-the-top dialogue prefigures the family’s dysfunction. Each family member drives the others crazy as only family can.
Enter a group of Russian thugs and soon we find that Nikki and Morgan are putting their lives in danger. Embroiled in a ridiculous criminal enterprise where the viewer has to suspend disbelief, Nikki and Morgan try to negotiate with the criminals to get their routine lives back.
All the characters often seem two-dimensional, making choices that few rational human beings would ever make. Morgan’s fiance, Max, is adored by Linda but not by Morgan. Max’s mother, Annette (Elizabeth Perkins from “Weeds”) as Linda’s friend and major donor to her political campaign, gives the viewer a few plot surprises that perhaps justify watching this series until the very end.
All performances are well done, which in itself, provides ample reason to continue watching. Metcalf is astounding as the wacky single mother who knows she has no boundaries but pushes forward anyway. And Levy, Ortega, and Quinn sustain the viewers’ attention, even in short, seemingly innocuous scenes.
Big Mistakes is set up for a second season. And it is due to the quality of the acting, more than the storyline or character arcs, that continuing to watch for another season may not be an error in judgment.
Availability: Netflix