Beef Review: Steven Yeun and Ali Wong Shine in the Cruel Netflix Series

Beef Review.

Everyone has had a horrible day, driven through a close call, and most certainly displayed some form of road rage. The conversation normally ends there, regardless of who was making the finger sign or who was the one peering into the other driver’s eyes. But it’s rare for both sides to turn up the heat on a relatively trivial vehicular mistake, it could simmer a little and leave you with a bad aftertaste. We follow Amy Lau (Ali Wong) and Danny Cho (Steven Yeun) as they encounter this exact circumstance and decide to escalate their “fight” in Beef, a new episodic series from Lee Sung Jin (Dave, Silicon Valley), which premieres on Netflix and A24.

After a minor incident of road rage in a hardware store parking lot, Amy and Danny take their absurd dispute to unfathomable lengths. As the intensity rises, their pointless struggle consumes their personal lives as they grow fixated on winning and seeking revenge on their sworn enemies. They are both equally enraged, and neither of them gives their loved ones or the individuals they injure while on their destructive journeys a second consideration.

A shrewd businesswoman who runs a firm that sells art, plants, and home products, Amy works hard to close a huge deal that is about to happen so that she may spend more time with her husband George (Joseph Lee), and her young daughter Junie (Remy Holt). Amy’s main objective is to be able to demonstrate her abilities as both a businesswoman and a mother because George is Junie’s primary caregiver and her mother-in-law Fumi (Patti Yasutake) is always passing judgment on her. Her difficulties are comparable to Danny’s. Danny, a single man who shares a home with his perpetually online and crypto-obsessed brother Paul (Young Mazino), struggles to hold down odd jobs to make ends meet while also contending with pressure from his parents to succeed due to generational expectations. Sadly, Danny and Amy have their accident just as things start to go well for the two.

There is no right or wrong person in this situation since we are not expected, or at at least, easily able to select sides, according to showrunner Lee Sung Jin and directors Hikari (37 Seconds) and Jake Schreier (Thunderbolts). Instead, the audience is made aware of the fact that occasionally, even our most intensely felt emotions are meaningless thanks to the excellent performances by Ali Wong and Steven Yeun. Nevertheless, they are felt. Danny and Amy have clear similarities, just as any two strangers can have similarities if you look hard enough for them. In Beef, the audience has the opportunity to see all sides of the story. Because of this, it is much simpler to understand both parties’ perspectives and come to an agreement. This understanding may not be sufficient to justify either party’s conduct, but it is sufficient to make it practically hard to profess allegiance to either without feeling guilty.
Every single performance in Netflix’s Beef is outrageous and immensely unforgettable. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to suggest that this is some of Ali Wong and Steven Yeun’s best work to date. They highlight the best aspects of these flawed, real-world characters while also bringing out the best in themselves. Yeun brilliantly plays a worn-out and injured person who is trying to conceal his emotions for as long as possible in the quieter moments. Eventually, the dam breaks, and we see a sensitive and heartbreaking performance. Similar to Wong, it’s via tender moments with Fumi that she can open up and give the series some desperately needed humanity, as opposed to times of bared teeth and eruptions of pent-up emotion. In addition to the rest of the cast, Ashley Park (Girls5eva), Justin H. Min (After Yang), and artist David Choe hilariously stand out.
At its quieter moments, Beef juggles aspects of drama, thriller-like tension, and black comedy. The A24 and Netflix original’s tempo fluctuates at times, starting slowly to find its distinctive groove. Yet once it does, it usually isn’t sorry and impossible to stop. That is, until the show’s final episodes, when the crazy action and thrill of the conclusion may wind up alienating some of its viewers due to how far it deviates from reality. As it also ends on an insinuating note, viewers will have to take it with what they will in a subjective way, which may put some people off while others will joyfully gobble it up.

Beef is unquestionably a very watchable and entertaining breath of new air, despite some pace issues and sheer craziness. Due to its extreme originality, Beef will certainly attract a devoted following on Netflix with its compelling performances, excellent writing, and inventive tone. We can fully comprehend each of Danny and Amy and their nuanced acts because we have the benefit of viewing both of their distinctively individual views, motives, and experiences. This illustrates the universal truth that everyone experiences struggles, excuses, bad days, and hardships.

Beef on Netflix starts a conversation about how feelings, particularly rage or anger, don’t always have to make sense and how, perhaps, if we were a little more forgiving toward one another, more willing to give others the benefit of the doubt, and more willing to take a moment to think before reacting, there would be fewer middle fingers raised every day.

SXSW Film & TV Festival in 2023 saw the world premiere of Beef. The show premieres on Netflix on April 6!

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