What if you got famous and your best friend came out to Hollywood to hang with you … and it was kind of a nightmare? Such is Emily Mortimer’s anti-“Entourage” setup in “Doll & Em,” the clever new comedy she and real-life best friend Dolly Wells, both Brits, wrote and star in together.
Taking a page from the scripted-reality style of shows like “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Doll & Em” sets up its premise with a quick montage: Dolly breaking up with her boyfriend in London and calling Emily — who happens to be gabbing on a red carpet with Bradley Cooper — in tears. Next thing you know, she’s arriving at Emily’s spacious LA digs, and the plan is for her to work as Em’s assistant — but not in a demeaning way, her old friend swears. “You don’t have to get me coffee!” Emily insists, then launches right into a detailed description of the way she likes her latte.
You’ll be wondering how much of the duo’s passive-aggression is mined from real life in early episodes, as Dolly finds herself in humiliating situations (like being yelled at by Susan Sarandon during a cast party for Em’s movie) and Em has trouble seeing beyond her own veil of crippling self-doubt and narcissism. But the tables turn as Dolly becomes increasingly popular with the film’s cast and crew — John Cusack takes a real shine to her — and suddenly we’re looking at something of an “All About Eve” scenario.
It’s not the first series (by a long shot) to delve into the painful insecurity and unglamorous side of working in show business, but it’s particularly interesting to see Mortimer — a veteran actress (“Newsroom,” “Hugo”) who has spoken candidly in the past about her own struggles with self-image — documenting a sorta-fictional star’s mundane day-to-day on set. One wonders upon whom the amusingly needy director character (Aaron Himelstein) is based; obsessed with getting more emotion from Em, he’s constantly refuting cast members’ uniform descriptions of her character as “the female Godfather.”
The series also does an excellent job of showcasing how uncomfortable the industry can be for someone with boundaries; Em’s constantly being hugged, kissed and mugged with for photos by fellow actors and complete strangers alike. The gregarious Dolly, meanwhile, takes to the LA life after a rocky start — utilizing her lack of industry guile to become a refreshing counterpart to her obsessive best friend/employer.
The writing is sharp and believable, the chemistry between the two best friends obviously an advantage and the star cameos well-deployed. In a season that’s seen HBO taking heat for being awfully man-centric in shows like “True Detective ” — which mostly viewed women as murder victims or damaged half-wits — the incisive “Doll & Em” is a delightful counterbalance to all the testosterone.