'Mr. Throwback' review: On Peacock series, Steph Curry shoots for comedy gold and scores
The mockumentary was mostly a movie thing in the 20th century and the first few years of the 2000s, with outstanding fare such as Albert Brooks’ “Real Life,” Tim Robbins’ “Bob Roberts,” Rob Reiner’s “This is Spinal Tap” and the Christopher Guest library that includes “Waiting for Guffman,” “Best In Show” and “A Mighty Wind.” With the American version of “The Office” debuting in 2005 and leading the way, we’ve had a steady diet of TV mockumentaries over the last two decades, including “Parks and Recreation,” “Modern Family” and “Abbott Elementary,” although the format is often extra-diegetic.
Now comes “Mr. Throwback,” with Stephen Curry playing himself in a six-part limited series that makes excellent use of the mockumentary format to deliver a plausibility-stretching but consistently funny slice of meta life. There’s just enough material to fill that six-chapter run, and the premise is occasionally stretched thin, but we never go more than a couple of scenes without a laugh-out-loud moment, thanks to the sharp dialogue and the winning performances from the main ensemble.
“Mr. Throwback” was created by brothers and Glencoe natives Matthew and Daniel Libman, with "Happy Endings" creator David Caspe and star Adam Pally, and filmed primarily in Chicago and Evanston (with some scenes shot in San Francisco). The production team makes good use of the location shots and delivers some fairly ambitious set pieces on what appears to be a relatively modest budget. The reliable Pally, who carries a kind of early-Chris Pratt-meets-Seth-Rogen shaggy underdog charm, plays Danny Grossman, a habitual underachiever and inveterate screwup who runs a rather low-end memorabilia shop in Chicago. (Danny, holding up a Ben Simmons jersey: “We have game-worn jerseys. Barely.” Ha.)
In the world of “Mr. Throwback,” Danny and Steph Curry were sixth grade basketball teammates, and as Steph tells a documentary crew, Danny was “one of the most dominant basketball players of all time. ... Danny was so good, I was his backup.” For reasons we won’t get into, Danny and Steph haven’t talked to each other in 20 years, but when the Golden State Warriors come to Chicago to take on the Bulls, Danny finagles a meeting with his estranged friend at the United Center. As always, Danny has a plan, and we’ll leave it at that.
Ego Nwodim from “Saturday Night Live” turns in sparkling and sharp work as the acerbic Kimberly, who grew up with Steph and Danny and is now running “Curry Up and Wait Productions,” which basically schedules and maintains every aspect of Steph’s life, from charity events to business endeavors to the development of a sitcom called “Teen Steph.” Kimberly is instantly skeptical of Danny’s motivations for contacting Steph, but when Danny discloses a certain piece of information, the documentary shifts its focus to Danny’s story, and off we go on a storyline that often makes it difficult to empathize with Danny but also yields a steady stream of dark humor.
The pop culture jokes abound (including a spot-on reference to "The Bear") and are often pretty obscure, e.g., mentions of screenwriter Eric Roth and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). This also must be the first and might just be the last scripted series to make a “Hawk Tuah!” joke.
The outstanding cast also includes the great Tracy Letts as Danny’s father and former coach Mitch, an alcoholic who had a Bobby Knight-type courtside temperament (we’re told Mitch once threw a chair onto the court with someone still sitting in the chair), is now in recovery and hasn’t seen Danny in years. Letts is deadpan gold as the old-school Mitch, who sits down for the documentary cameras and says, “This is Peacock, right? Do I get Peacock?”
Ayden Mayeri is terrific as Danny’s ex-wife Samantha, the mother to their 11-year-old daughter Charlie (an endearing Layla Scalisi). Even when the plot veers into broad sitcom territory, we believe the dynamic of this broken family, and we occasionally catch just a fleeting glimpse of Danny’s humanity lurking behind all his scheming and scamming and bull- - - -, as there’s no doubt that he loves Charlie and has great regrets about blowing it with Samantha.
As for Curry, he brings that megawatt charm to a role he was literally born to play, and it’s fun to see how the series leans into Curry’s universally beloved public image while making fun of it as well. (This version of Steph is so relentless in his quest for perfection and kindness, it’s exhausting to be around him.) “Mr. Throwback” might not have the potential for a Hall of Fame run a la “The Office,” but it’s a quirky and cleverly offbeat entry in the mockumentary genre.