Upamanyu Biswas
Apple TV+’s ‘The Studio‘ captures the ups and downs of Hollywood filmmaking through a team of studio executives at Continental Studios who are constantly faced with the challenges of managing artistic merit against the growing demands of the business. The show delves into various topics, including clashes of ego between “talent” and “suits” and battles between upper and lower management, which amusingly comes to the fore in the third episode of the series titled ‘The Note.’ Studio head Matt Remick and his team of trusted executives sit down to watch a newly released crime thriller, ‘ Alphabet City,’ directed by Ron Howard, only to find it extravagantly long and self-indulgent. With lead roles played by Anthony Mackie and Dave Franco, the movie leaves an indelible mark on the episode and remains the epicenter of much of its drama.
Alphabet City is a Fictitious Movie With Vague Parallels to Reality
For the most part, ‘Alphabet City’ is a fictional project conceived specifically for ‘The Studio’ by creators Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Frida Perez, Peter Huyck, and Alex Gregory. However, it shares the same name with a 1984 crime thriller movie helmed by Amos Poe. While it may seem similar on the surface, especially in its genre, setting, and darker narrative, the parallels end beyond the superficial links via the title. The project depicted in the show, which stars Anthony Mackie and Dave Franco, has more in common with Michael Mann’s ‘Collateral,’ which centers on an unassuming Los Angeles cab driver (Jamie Foxx) who finds himself engulfed in a massive conspiracy when his latest passenger turns out to be a high-profile assassin (Tom Cruise). Some loose connections can also be drawn with Martin Scorsese’s thriller film ‘Taxi Driver.’
As ‘The Studio’ constantly plays with real and fictional elements simultaneously, ties between true-life projects and the show’s fictional creations can seem plausible. However, ‘Alphabet City’ remains distinctly different from the Michael Mann directorial, ‘Taxi Driver,’ and the Amos Poe movie owing to its different characters and story. Additionally, it also deviates in its third act, diving into a completely new sequence dubbed “The Motel sequence,” meant as an ode to Howard’s “dead cousin.” In reality, the director lost a distant cousin when the celebrated Don Knotts passed away in 2005. Howard later confirmed that he and Knotts were related. Although it is hard to discern if this played a role in his life in a similar fashion to the one portrayed in the Apple TV+ show, one can safely assume that the latter exaggerates it to significant effect.
The title of the film, ‘Alphabet City,’ is a direct reference to its primary setting, a historic neighborhood in the East Village area of Manhattan, New York. Even going by the film’s aesthetic and the comments from Remick’s team, it is evident that Howard’s film is a period-era story that reflects the gritty and grungy vibe of a classic neo-noir tale. It brings excitement and style to the presentation, which impresses the studio execs at first. However, as the narrative reaches its final part, the themes become more esoteric, leading to a catalog of confusion and boredom amongst Remick’s crew. Hilariously, the studio head rejects breaking the harsh truth to Howard during the marketing meeting, causing even more misunderstandings and delaying the inevitable. Thus, the movie ends up playing a vital role throughout the episode despite its fictional conception.
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