Proof that deadpan quirk can only take you so far, the indie film “Fingernails” debuts on Apple TV+ after a weeklong theatrical release and film-festival exposure.
The always-capable Irish actress Jessie Buckley (“Taboo,” “Fargo,” “The Lost Daughter”) stars as Anna, a self-effacing former schoolteacher who gets a job at the Love Institute, a clinic that uses computers to determine if a couple has made the right match. The emergence of this test has rocked society by suggesting that many established couples are not on solid ground.
Anna and her boyfriend, Ryan (Jeremy Allen White of “The Bear”), have taken the test and appear to be compatible. But Ryan is not exactly demonstrative in the affection department.
At the institute, Anna is oriented by its reserved leader, Duncan (Luke Wilson) and mentored by Amir (Riz Ahmed), the institute’s most successful instructor, a man given to suave reserve and a sardonic wit.
Generally, I try to stop describing stories right around now, lest I reveal too much. But, sad to say, there isn’t terribly much to reveal. With the exception of a development that is pretty obvious from the get-go.
“Fingernails” is characterized by its disorienting use of small details and absences. It takes place in a world without digital technology. Anna conducts her job search from a landline telephone attached to the kitchen wall. She’s later seen manhandling a long telephone cord like a worry bead. Couples get together to talk and play records. The Love Institute’s supercomputer is a mainframe that reveals its finding on a single gray TV screen.
“Fingernails” is not set in any distinguishable past, but in a world of its own. Even Anna’s tragic asymmetrical hairdo is disconnected from any particular era’s style.
“Fingernails” may appeal to fans of Apple TV+’s fantasy series “Severance” or Netflix’s “Black Mirror.” But its nearly two-hour running time made this viewer wonder how much better it might have been at a half-hour or 45 minutes. For a film where very little happens, it takes its sweet time.
— Long before the arrival of streaming television, viewers made weekly appointments to be home for new episodes of “L.A. Law,” the Stephen Bochco-produced ensemble procedural melodrama that ran on NBC from 1986 to 1994. Starting today, Hulu will stream all eight seasons of the period hit. Hulu is also home to “Moonlighting,” which ran from 1985-1989.
Hulu also streams the 2023 comedy film “Quiz Lady,” an over-the-top farce released at the Toronto Film Festival in September.
Sandra Oh plays against type as Jenny Yum, a flirty airhead of a certain age who enlists her brilliant if nervous sister Anne (Awkwafina) to go on a TV quiz contest to win the money they need to pay off the gangsters who kidnapped their mother from her senior facility when she refused to settle her gambling debts. It’s difficult to tell if Anne is inspired to help her mother or retrieve her pet pug, also seized by the bad guys. Look for Will Ferrell as the game-show host in a romp that also includes Jason Schwartzman, Holland Taylor, Tony Hale and the late Paul Reubens in its cast.
— Peacock is home to the franchise romance “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3,” written and directed by Nia Vardalos, who also stars. Released in September, critics did not find the third time to be charmed.
Peacock will also be the streaming home to BravoCon 2023, showcasing the reality celebrities created by the cable network.
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— “Great Performances” (9 p.m., PBS, TV-14, check local listings) presents Kate Prince’s “Message in a Bottle.”
— A difficult case calls for the Texas Rangers on “Blue Bloods” (10 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14).
CULT CHOICE
The war between Freedonia and Sylvania takes a manic turn in the 1933 Marx Brothers farce “Duck Soup” (8 p.m., TCM, TV-G).
SERIES NOTES
“Let’s Make a Deal Primetime” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … “The Wall” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG) … “WWE Friday Night SmackDown” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-PG) … Heeding nature’s call on “Shark Tank” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).
“Raid the Cage” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … “Dateline” (9 p.m., NBC) … “20/20” (9 p.m., ABC).
LATE NIGHT
Jimmy Fallon welcomes Bobby Flay on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC) … Olivia Rodrigo and Eric Andre appear on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (11:35 p.m., ABC).
John Oliver, Aaron Jackson, Josh Sharp and Neal Daniels visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC, r) … Butch Bradley, Jackie Fabulous and Amir K appear on “Comics Unleashed With Byron Allen” (12:35 a.m., CBS, r).
