"Unstable"

Rob Lowe is pretty much Rob Lowe in this Netflix miniseries.  Which is to say he's liberal, quirky, quietly funny and trying to connect with his adult son despite the lack of mom's presence.  Obsessed with aesthetics and personal fitness, his character in "Unstable" looks a lot like his character in "9-1-1: Lone Star" (and not unlike the character in "West Wing").  Which is not to say the show it bad.  It's not.  Lightning fast dialog with a good deal of pithy dry humor makes for a very watchable series.  The fact that Lowe's real son is playing his son helps with the layered, challenging relationships.  (Lowe has been performing with family lately -- his brother Chad Lowe had a terrific turn in "9-1-1: Lone Star").  The supporting cast all rises to the high bar.  There's Sian Clifford, playing an icy CFO of the mythical tech company.  She embraces all of the emotions ... frustration, dedication, determination.  Rachel Marsh and Emma Ferreira are hysterical as geeky science types.  Aaron Branch is perfect as the too-soft manager and Fred Armisen does a cute turn as a psychiatrist who clearly doesn't know his business.  The result is a few life lessons delivered with a lot of smiles.  Worth it.

"Appropriate Behavior"

This 2014 film was listed as one of those small films you may have missed.  I certainly did.  It's the tale of Shirin, a young woman in NYC who does pretty much everything twhich ~isn't~ appropriate.  She is struggling with a breakup and the short film wanders back and forth between her miserable present and her falling-in-love past.  She's funny, in a dry wit sort of way.  Sometimes it lands with the other characters.  Often it doesn't.  She tries too hard, she's lost in her own stuff.  As a viewer, I found it endearing and not cringy.  The movie is very slice of life with minimal musical scoring and a fair amount of sex (which seems appetizing but ends up disappointing for the hapless Shirin).  What I like about her is that she is just out there, being sex positive and unashamed.  She is who she is, warts and all.  And there is something powerful in that.