After playing a suburban couple in 2014’s Neighbours and its sequel, Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen team up again in Apple TV+’s comedy series Platonic. As the title suggests, the two stars play a duo of middle-aged best friends who’ve recently reconnected after years of being out of each other’s life.
The series created by Francesca Delbanco and Nicholas Stoller has a rom-com vibe, minus the romance. It’s When Harry Met Sally, but without the two leads falling for each other and getting married. Instead, they get up to incredibly outrageous actions to mask how unhappy they each are with their lot in life.
Where can you watch Platonic in the UAE?
Platonic is now streaming on Apple TV Plus in the UAE. There is no free trial currently available for Apple TV in the UAE but if you buy an Apple device such as an Apple TV or an iPhone, you also get access to the platform.
Platonic review
- Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen
- Several laugh-out-loud scenes
- Interesting enough story
- Annoying and hard-to-like characters
- Some scenes border on ridiculous
What is Platonic about?
Byrne plays Sylvia, a stay-at-home mom to three kids and a former attorney. She’s married to Charlie (Luke Macfarlane), a handsome and successful lawyer if a bit on the dull side. When the series starts, she hasn’t spoken to her childhood best friend, Will (Rogen), in years since he cut her off for trying to dissuade him from marrying. Now that Will’s divorced, Sylvia decides to get back in touch.
At first, the first meeting between the two former friends is as awkward as expected. There’s still a lot of bad blood there, and Will still hasn’t forgiven her for trying to veto his choice of wife. Yes, the marriage did fall apart, but it’s easier to stay angry at someone instead of admitting fault.
For his part, Will part-owns a brewpub with his friends, Andy (Tre Hale) and Reggie (Andrew Lopez), and hasn’t quite grown up past his college days (which is why his wife left him). He dresses like a teenager, drinks too much, and seems incapable of taking responsibility for anything, not even his beloved pet lizard. Whereas Sylvia manages her time between extra-curricular activities for the kids, school meetings, and trying to buy a new house for her family.
Neither is satisfied with the lives they lead. But they aren’t motivated to make any changes, either. Will stubbornly rejects any opportunity to grow his business, while Sylvia outright refuses to return to work because it’s easier to complain and make excuses.
When the two reconnect, they waste no time bringing out the worst of each other. And not in a good way. They’re glorified drinking buddies feeding off each other’s negativity.
They act like middle-aged children, their escapades ranging from renting out scooters and throwing them around for fun to screaming at each other in the middle of the road to breaking into an ex’s house through the doggy door. While some of these moments are hilarious, the slapstick comedy aspect can be a bit much.
A destructive friendship
The relationship between Sylvia and Will remains firmly in the friendship zone, and the title isn’t ironic in the slightest. It is, however, hard to grasp how these two people became friends in the first place, as they seemingly have little in common. Does Sylvia use Will’s influence as an excuse to escape her life and the familial responsibilities she chose in the first place? Can Will even try to act his age, or is his friendship with Sylvia encouraging his permanent arrested development?
There’s good comedic chemistry between the two leads, making this series entertaining to watch. We also get enough nuance to the character’s story to keep the viewer sufficiently invested in what happens past the first three episodes.
Overall, Platonic is a bit of a mixed bag. It features some decently hilarious moments, but the characters also walk a fine line between funny and completely insufferable.
Follow TbreakTV on Instagram and TikTok for updates on new releases, or subscribe to our newsletter to get weekly updates straight to your inbox.
