Familiar Romance

There is an international sisterhood, not visible to the naked eye, which learnt everything about life from romances set in pastoral England, and its recreations in contemporary London. It has bred series such as Mindy Kaling’s miniseries Four Weddings and a Funeral (2019), faux Regency romps like Shonda Rhimes’s Bridgerton (2020), and now Lena Dunham’s Too Much. The heroine, Jessica, is a New York production assistant recently dumped by her Jewish boyfriend with mommy issues (is there any other kind in Hollywood?) and ready to relocate to London, where she hopes to do what Emily did to Paris. Jessica finds the dishy Will Sharpe, a seemingly down-at-heel musician and a crystalline raindrop of a man, and many cameos by celebrities ranging from Naomi Watts, to Richard E Grant, and Stephen Fry. Our heroine is a quite a piece—she wears what she calls a Pioneer nightgown, loves Mr Darcy, Mr Rochester and Alan Rickman (in no particular order), and listens to Fiona Apple. She also has a dog recovering from cancer, a life in New York which made her lose her sparkle (now she is just matte, says her best friend, who is also her brother-in-law) and a mom played by Rita Wilson. Critics have compared it unfavourably to Lena Dunham’s Girls on HBO (2012-2017), but for anyone who has seen all the versions of Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, it is somewhat long, but fun.

EnglishLena DunhamMegan StalterNetflixToo MuchWill Sharpe