Never mind the fact that Netflix original films traffic quite heavily in well-worn tropes — the streaming service has launched the first trailer for a new comedy special called “Attack of the Hollywood Clichés!” that finds celebrities discussing, dissecting, and having fun with familiar plot beats in your favorite movies. Hosted by Rob Lowe, the one-off special features a wide range of celebrities weighing in on everything from the Meet-Cute to the Ticking Time Bomb to the Jump Scare, using iconic films like “Forrest Gump” and “Out of the Past” as examples.
“Stock characters, familiar story beats, and convenient plot devices have crept in over time,” Lowe says in the trailer. “Tonight, we celebrate the clichés that have made cinema what it is today,” Lowe adds, as Netflix is pegging the special as something between a comedy special and a celebration of cinema history. It’s not quite the full-on roasting of something like VH1’s “Best Week Ever,” but also not an AFI tribute either.
The trailer promises sitdown interviews with folks ranging from Andrew Garfield to Florence Pugh to Richard E. Grant to Andie McDowell, and the full list of participants also promises the inclusion of folks from the critical community like film critics Amy Nicholson, David Edelstein, and Nathan Rabin, as well as comedians like The Lucas Brothers and podcast personalities like Jess Cagle and Ira Madison III.
Check out the trailer above and a full list of participants below. “Attack of the Hollywood Clichés!” is produced by Broke and Bones, with executive producers Rob Lowe, Jon Petrie, Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones. It is produced and directed by Sean Doherty, with Alice Mathias and Ricky Kelehar also serving as directors.
Ben Caudell serves as the head writer alongside Dane Baptiste, Sean Doherty, Erika Ehler, Jason Hazeley, Daniel Maier, Michael Odewale and Charlie Skelton.
The special premieres exclusively on Netflix on Sept. 28.
- Aisha Harris – Writer, Editor, and Podcaster
- Amy Nicholson – FIlm Critic
- Andie Macdowell – Actress
- Andrew Garfield – Actor
- Anna Bogutskaya – Film Programmer, Broadcaster, Writer and Creative Producer
- Anna Smith – Broadcaster and Film Critic
- Caspar Salmon – Writer
- Daniel Pemberton – Composer
- David Edelstein – Film Critic
- Ellen E Jones – Film and Television Writer
- Florence Pugh – Actress
- Francine Stock -Broadcaster, Critic and Writer
- Franklin Leonard – Film Executive
- Helen O’Hara – Film Critic and Journalist
- Ira Madison III – Television Writer and Podcaster
- Jack Howard – Filmmaker
- James King – Film Critic
- James Schamus – Screenwriter, Producer, Business Executive, Film Historian, Professor, and Director
- Jess Cagle – Host, The Jess Cagle Show, SiriusXM
- John August – Screenwriter, Director, Producer, and Novelist
- Jonathan Ross – Broadcaster, Film Critic, Comedian, Actor, Writer, and Producer
- Kim Newman – Journalist, Film Critic, and Fiction Writer
- Mark Strong – Actor
- Nathan Rabin – Film and Music Critic
- Richard E. Grant – Actor
- Robert Englund – Actor and Director
- Sam Hargrave – Stunt Coordinator, Stuntman, Actor and Director
- Sanjeev Bhaskar – Actor, Comedian and Television Presenter
- The Lucas Brothers – Comedians, Actors, Filmmakers, Writers, and Producers