I am not in any way a film buff, but even I am aware that every year as the big movie awards approach, a controversy, or more than one, emerges from the increased public scrutiny. This year Anora was in the eye of the storm last year, a cluster of issues brought down the film Emilia Pérez.
For as long as this pattern continues, Hollywood satire Press will evoke nods of recognition and chortles of laughter. In Nathaniel Brimmer-Beller's play, film producers David and Kate have successfully lobbied the Goldies judges for their latest project, a bad film that they hope will nonetheless bag a bunch of award nominations and ride a free wave to box office profitability.
The film is an American Civil War epic which they have kept cunningly under wraps to maximise the hype, with a popular white reality TV star in the main role.
On the day the Goldies nominations are to be announced, it emerges that the real person the lead character is based on is black.
Thrown into chaos, David and Kate first try to walk back the attention they have sought for the film, pulling strings and calling in favours from the great and the good, but can marketing whizz Kate launch an effective counter-campaign against the clock?
With the reputational risks so high in a business where you are only as good as your last film, the plot of Press twists like a fish out of water thrashes about in the hope of survival.
This is a comedy spoof, not a serious exposé, yet I found I had to cut it a lot of slack to accept the premise that there had been no publicity or stories leaked about the film throughout the months of filming or post-production bringing to light the ethnicity of the real people portrayed.
Conversely, I had no trouble believing that arrogant and condescending David would be blinded by the dollar signs in his eyes and wouldn’t have seen the need for historical research or due diligence.
This is an enjoyable, often laugh-out-loud funny watch with quick-witted and snappy dialogue delivered by Nathaniel Brimmer-Beller and Rosie Hart both giving assured performances as two self-interested hounds in a dog-eat-dog world.
Press has been published by Methuen Drama.