I can’t help but admire Tiffany Haddish’s joie de vivre.
Whether she’s in front of the camera – even if it's for a mug shot (she was recently arrested for a suspected DUI) – or chilling in her own space, she’s brimming with positive energy.
Even her breakup from Common last November couldn’t dampen her spirit.
In a recent video chat with Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Show”, she quipped: "I can say this, Jimmy ... I've been praying to God to send me a new man. A good man. And God went ahead and sent me four. In uniform.
"And now I got a really great lawyer, and we're going to work it out. I've got to get my asking of things to God a little better!"
Somehow, she always finds the lighter side of life. And that is what makes her so likeable. It is also something that has extended to her career as well.
Haddish proudly wears the hat of a stand-up comedian, actress and author. Given her accomplishments, the juggling act is something she excels in.
Since planting her feet in Hollywood, she made guest appearances on several shows and rubbed shoulders with industry giants until she hit pay dirt in 2017 when she bagged “Girls Trip” alongside Regina Hall, Queen Latifah and Jada Pinkett Smith.
She will be returning in the sequel, which was recently confirmed.
Over the past few years, Haddish proved her mettle in big and small screen offerings with “The Last O.C.”, “Night School”, “Nobody’s Food”, “Kids Say the Darndest Things”, and “Like a Boss”.
A winner of the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album for “Black Mitzvah” last year, Haddish’s star continues to soar, minor personal setbacks notwithstanding.
Her chutzpah, sense of humour and overall genuineness underpins her characters. And her latest role as Detective Danner in “The Afterparty” on Apple TV+ reinforces this fact.
This murder mystery comedy by Christopher Miller is unlikely to win any awards or have critics raving about it – it’s average, at best. That said, Haddish’s defiant and tenacious character is an undeniable drawcard.
Interestingly enough, the 8-part Rashomon-style whodunnit was originally crafted as a feature.
The first episode of the series harks back to “Big Little Lies” as a body is discovered at a 15-year high school reunion after-party.
When Detective Danner arrives at the crime scene (with her sidekick in toe), which is at the mansion of pop icon Xavier (Dave Franco) in the East Bay Area, she’s given clear instructions to contain the scene until the detective assigned to the case arrives.
But she isn’t about to let go of this career-defining case.
As such, she oversteps her authority and sets about interviewing every guest. In doing so, she’s hoping to piece together the events of the night of the tragedy.
However, the polarised accounts of the suspects prove to be most challenging. More so, as each of them had a motive to kill Xavier.
Aniq (Sam Richardson), an escape room designer, is at the top of Danner’s list. His admission to harbouring a crush on Zoë (Zoë Chao), who is back on the market after splitting from her high school sweetheart hubby Brett (Ike Barinholtz), doesn’t help his case when it is revealed that Xavier was also trying to get in her pants.
Meanwhile, there is Yasper (Ben Schwartz), who is Aniq’s BFF and an aspirant musician looking for a big break. He spent the better part of the night trying to sway Xavier to add a few beats to his track in the hope of realising his dream. Alas, he is left feeling the sting of a broken promise.
Lurking in the background is Walt (Jamie Demetriou), who nobody seems to remember.
Given Danner and her sidekick's litany of blunders, Aniq, who seems to have the most to lose, decides to put his unique crime-solving skills to good use and conducts a parallel investigation.
Although “The Afterparty” veers from the typical mould of the genre, the storyline proves to be a bit of a party-pooper. It has the potential to be a pioneering offering, laden with intrigue, but it ends up being salvaged by its satire instead.
Well, it's that and Haddish’s performance as a somewhat flippant detective navigating her way through a minefield of red herrings.
As I pointed out at the start of this article, the actress’s charisma has become her fiefdom, so to speak. That’s why she is the biz in the industry. She’s able to slip into any role, including the unimaginative ones à la Danner, with unwavering gusto.
“The Afterparty” is currently streaming on AppleTV+.