Mistress

Mistress is currently streaming on major platforms, and it delivers exactly the kind of comedy that earns a loyal following. It says what it needs to say in one sitting, no filler. 42 viewers have already rated it on TMDB — the kind of consensus that does not happen by accident. Robert Wuhl is the obvious draw, but the whole ensemble earns its laughs. Available now — press play and find out why people keep recommending it.

Whatever else is competing for your attention this week, Mistress is worth clearing space for. Mistress gets the fundamentals right first, then finds room to get weird with it. A comedy about a screenwriter (Wuhl) whose old movie script is read by a producer (Landau) and the search for financial backers begins. But it seems that each money source (Aiello, DeNiro, Wallach) has his own mistress that he wants put into the film. Gradually, the screenwriter is forced to make changes to his script to accommodate these backers until he finally sees no semblance of his original ideas in the writing. Robert Wuhl and Martin Landau lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 1992. The real test of any comedy is whether it is still funny once you know all the jokes, and Mistress holds up on rewatch in a way that separates it from one-off curiosities. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

Comedy fans looking for a reliably funny watch will find it in Mistress. It does not lean on comparisons to make its case. The complete film is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Robert Wuhl is funny in a way that holds up on rewatch. Put it on when you need something guaranteed to land.