This Is Where It Begins

This is OK laying some groundwork and getting to know the characters and plot direction. I am not a US citizen and know nothing of these people, am watching episode 2 now to see what grows from this seed.

The film and TV industry can't seem to get enough of stories fixated on money and scandal at the moment. Like fashion, Hollywood goes through trends and periods of saturation. WeCrashed, the latest Apple TV+ series, leans into the hottest zeitgeists, ticking off a checklist of 'must have' talking points. For starters, it's based on a hit podcast (they're in vogue right now), with an A-list cast, which explores our latest obsessions: greed, money, and business scandal. Netflix has poured millions into the billionaire con-artist with The Tinder Swindler and Inventing Anna, whereas other streaming platforms are focusing on the billionaire entrepreneur. Boasting two of Hollywood's biggest heavy hitters, the Apple TV+ original stars Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway as billionaire, power couple Adam and Rebekah Neumann. The premiere tells their origin story, focusing on the creation of WeWork. Like all rags to riches tales, it's based on an ambitious and unfairly ignored genius, whose great idea just can't seem to build any traction. Adam Neumann is an optimistic, lively Israeli with tons of entrepreneurial ideas. These consist of: knee pads for babies, collapsible high heels, and a communal living space (pretty much a dorm for adults). Unfortunately, no one will invest and he's seen as a laughing stock by his peers. Enter Miguel McKelvey (played by newcomer Kyle Marvin), an architect who believes wholeheartedly in Adam's vision. Miguel finds Adam some much-needed office space and quits his job to support the mastermind's next big scheme. Adam takes the communal living space idea and twists it slightly, pitching the communal workspace to their landlord. Leto's eager businessman is confident and strategic, gaining a new investor from just a few pages of plans. They upscale the business and it quickly becomes a small success, but Adam has larger dreams. Alongside this exciting start-up storyline, directors John Requa and Glenn Ficarra (Crazy, Stupid, Love.) craft a sweet romance for their two iconic leads. Adam and Rebekah are actually quite wholesome and hopeful as the billionaire lovebirds, if a little new-age with their hippy values.

Well written and interesting first episode. Really draws you into the show and wants to make you watch another episode.

Both Leto and Hathaway does a great job, really looking forward to the next episode.

The first part showing the beginning of the fall of WeWork instantly hooks you into wanting to see what happens. They show the main character's narcissism well in the beginning and it makes you want to see how they became so big and it makes you really excited to see the downfall of these people. It's hard to root for them but not everything needs to have a character to root for. The presentation is very high energy and chaotic and it makes for a fun and engaging story despite its simplicity. The only issue I had with this episode was they moved foreword in time again to further show the downfall of WeWork and I think it disrupts the pacing and it doesn't have as much of an impact since we don't fully know the story yet. I hope they don't skip between the origin and the fall of WeWork because it decreased the excitement of seeing the downfall while breaking up the pacing.

Overall the tv show is watchable and nothing more; if not for the way that the story between Adam and Rebekah unwraps, follows a grotesque pacing that goes from "I will never date you" to a "I love you" in 2 minutes screen time.

The writing feels lazy and very rom-com like. In my opinion, this storytelling feels like magical thinking on how successful entrepreneurs started their business's.

I can't recommend the show. However, if you are up for a generic biopic that doesn't depict any real situation nor people, you may enjoy this one. Ann Hathaway definitely brings the quality up-Leto's accent is kind of dumb and exaggerated.