Dave Nemetz Reviews Too Much: Lena Dunham’s Netflix Rom-Com Is Cute, But Has a Few Red Flags

I will go to my grave defending Lena Dunham’s HBO comedy Girls as a great TV show, so I was excited to see her return as the writer and director of Netflix’s new comedy Too Much, especially with riotous Hacks standout Megan Stalter in the lead role. And Too Much (now streaming on Netflix; I’ve seen the first five episodes)does offer a few glimmers of rom-com sparkle and serves as a fantastic showcase for Stalter. I am seeing some red flags, though, since the whole series hinges on the central romance… and it’s a shaky one at best.

Stalter stars as Jessica, a New York girl who is eager to reinvent herself after her ex-boyfriend quickly moves on and gets engaged to a glamorous influencer. (She obsessively stalks the new girl online, even narrating confessional messages to her that she never sends.) Jessica escapes into genteel fantasies fueled by watching too many Jane Austen movies, and when a job opportunity in London comes up, she sees it as a fresh start, bringing her hairless dog with her across the pond. She’s expecting to live in a sprawling country estate, but gets a run-down apartment building instead — and instead of vintage Hugh Grant, she crosses paths with Felix (The White Lotus alum Will Sharpe), a struggling British musician who’s got plenty of issues of his own.

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Too Much has a tongue-in-cheek romanticism that recalls recent international rom-coms like Colin From Accounts and Starstruck —although it’s not quite as lighthearted as either of those gems. There are also undeniable shades of Dunham’s Girls, down to the realistically clumsy sex scenes set to a carefully curated indie pop soundtrack. The story is pulled from Dunham’s real life, too: She married British musician Luis Felber in 2021, and Felber is credited here as a co-creator. (Dunham also plays a small role as Jessica’s sister.)

Stalter is a perfect fit as Jessica: a hilariously chaotic force of nature who commands your attention even when she’s falling on her face. She might be an unconventional romantic comedy heroine, but she’s an endearing one, and Jessica and Felix do make a charming pair at first. They share a weird sense of humor, but they’re separated by a significant cultural gap, with Jessica not comprehending British slang like “bollocking.”Felix knows her type, too, pegging Jessica right away as “one of those Love Actually-loving girls”… although she actually prefers Wuthering Heights and Prime Suspect.

But their romance feels too rushed and too fantastical. In mere days, they’re inseparable, and Jessica keeps waiting for him to turn psycho — and frankly, so do we. She and Felix get deep right away, digging into their past traumas, but Dunham doesn’t show us why he would instantly latch on to Jessica like this, or why she would go for someone who’s the opposite of her ideal British gentleman. It feels forced, and that weakens the show’s entire foundation. Maybe Dunham is seeing Jessica and Felix through rose-colored glasses because they’re based on her own whirlwind romance, but for us viewers, it doesn’t quite translate.

Too Much also stumbles when it moves away from Jessica and Felix: The numerous celebrity cameos from the likes of Naomi Watts are just distracting, and the morose flashbacks to Jessica’s previous toxic relationship are more exhausting than illuminating. Plus, the supporting characters are mostly obnoxious. (Much of Too Much’s running time is filled by aimless conversations that go nowhere.) Jessica is an acquired taste herself, too, it should be said, as she overshares about her UTIs and sexual habits. She is bold, brash and messy… but she hates that word: “Actually, I’m a work in progress.” Too Much kind of feels like a work in progress, too: some decent jokes and good performances, but it’s all a bit fuzzy and unformed. Like its central romance, it could use a little more time to come together.

THE TVLINE BOTTOM LINE: Lena Dunham’s Netflix rom-com Too Much has a certain charm and a great lead performance, but its central romance is too shaky to sustain it.

Too Much is now streaming on Netflix: If you’ve started your binge already, give it a grade in our poll, and hit the comments below to share your thoughts.

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