Dressed down and real movie recommendations

Ambition pushes the character I play in Peerless and the characters in Little Miss Sunshine (USA, 2006, Fox Searchlight) are certainly driven to extremes. The ensemble of characters in Little Miss Sunshine all has their own ambitions (no matter their age). Great acting, writing, and music enhance this film. I especially love the dinner scene. Dinner scenes in movies can be so layered and complex. This movie is hilarious, sad, bittersweet, and awesome. Available on Vudu and Google Play.

Peerless is a riff on Macbeth set in high school and Freaks and Geeks (USA, 1999-2000, NBC) is the ultimate high school drama/comedy. I’m a Judd Apatow fan and it’s fun to see this early collaboration with actors he has continued to work with through the years. This series touches upon the ups and downs of high school, young relationships, and the need to belong. I love that it’s not “pretty,” it’s the dressed-down-real version puberty. Available on YouTube and Amazon Video.

• Dana Wing Lau
• Actress, Moxie Theatre’s Peerless