Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
When we talk about streaming culture, we’re usually enthusing about what’s new, but one of the best things about streaming is how it’s made old and obscure cult hits available to a new generation. Presenting Cult Corner: your weekly look into hidden gems and long-lost curiosities that you can find on streaming.
At this point, insane stage mothers have become so popular, creating reality TV shows about them has become its own cottage industry. When these mothers are portrayed on screen, the same character tends to emerge — a woman so desperate to live through the fame of her child, she’s willing to do just about anything to win. It’s a crazy archetype and one that Linda Cardellini takes to its absolute extreme in Austin Found.
Overall, Will Raee’s indie comedy is a solid watch that’s good to throw on in the background. It’s packed with a cast that will make even casual fans of comedy light up in recognition, and though it’s rarely laugh-out-loud funny, it’s amusing. However, it’s Linda Cardellini in an intentionally terrible blonde wig that sells this story of a kidnapping plot gone horribly wrong.
Austin Found follows Leanne Wilson, a struggling stage mom who is desperate to become rich and famous. The attention-starved Leanne is desperately not happy with her life. She has a daughter who has no interest in being a performer, money problems, a boring husband, and a boyfriend who is just a bit too clingy. But fortunately for us, Leanne is also an insane person who is willing to do absolutely anything to get what she wants. In this case, that means arranging the kidnapping of her daughter in an effort to be discovered and supported by the news coverage that follows. It’s a pretty warped premise as well as one that comments on our often perverse interest in true crime. However, that’s about as deep as the movie gets, and it instead falls into a middle-of-the-road comedy.
This isn’t to say that Austin Found is bad. It’s pretty fun at some moments, and Kristen Schaal and Craig Robinson in particular have some good moments. But the real star here is indisputably Cardellini, who gives a performance that snaps from silly to sinister from scene to scene. If you’re looking for a low stakes comedy to throw on in the background while you work, Austin Found is where it’s at.
