I had actually never heard of Anna Sorokin (aka Anna Delevy) before Netflix strongly recommended to me that I watch the series about her. Well, maybe I had when people started talking about it after the article that inspired the series when it first broke in 2018 but it likely got filed under ‘soon to be forgotten’ information in my brain. But enough about her. The real reason you should watch Inventing Anna is because of Vivian Kent, the reporter played by Anna Chlumsky who was playing the part based on the actual journalist Jessica Pressler. Or maybe, you should watch it because of Anna Chlumsky who plays Vivian Kent who is the character based on Jessica Pressler. I’m a bit confused myself about the blurred lines here but these three women – all of whom are sort of the same person (a character, an actress and a journalist) are the real reason you should watch Inventing Anna.

Anna Chlumsky (yes, Vada from My Girl!) plays the role of Vivian Kent who is based on New York magazine journalist Jessica Pressler. You can read some of that story here. Vivian is the soul of this series. She is tenacious; she’s a feminist (without trying, she just is one) and the scenes with her husband (Jack, played by Anders HoIm) and Anna’s lawyer (Todd, played by Arian Moayed) are charming and real. 

Kudos to producer Shondra Rhimes (famed producer of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal) who so accurately and subtly captures what it means to be a strong female. Vivian isn’t tied to her sexuality. If she chose to use her sexuality, that would be fine, but she doesn’t. She is a bit frumpy, her hair looks like all of our hair and she never acts in a way that we expect a female to act. Rhimes and Chlumsky do a superb job of pulling this off without it seeming intentional. They don’t offer us an explanation of why Vivian pushes against traditional expectations. This is just the way she is. Why would one try to explain being one’s self?

Vivian is also a refreshing character for NOT being obsessed about the fact that she is pregnant or even a new mom. One scene has Vivian and Jack cooing over their beautiful new…magazine cover (we obviously all think it will be the baby’s face the camera pans to). Vivian is a wife, a journalist and a mother but the demands of writing the article meant that for a time, being a journalist was the most important of her roles; even though it was right at the time of giving birth to her first child. It is so refreshing to see a female portrayed in this way. As in, not just one way. But in many ways.

Hell, I just yelled at my youngest to leave me alone so I could write this and it’s not a career saving piece. 

The scenes that gave me the most feels were when Vivian’s character is with her husband Jack and with Anna’s lawyer Todd. Vivian’s relationship with Todd is real. You can tell they love one another but they’re not obsessed with one another. In one scene Todd was trying to listen to an interview on his iPad and Vivian kept interrupting. He bluntly tells her multiple times to shut up. It is such a normal interaction between a couple. Not a Hollywood movie interpretation of an interaction between two people who probably both love and can’t stand one another (those feelings can both exist at the same time!). There are so many scenes like this. I feel like we’ve been so programmed to expect something dramatic out of a less than perfect relationship but nothing dramatic happens. Vivian and Jack just keep going. Like so many of us do. 

Arian Moayed as Anna’s lawyer Todd Spodek is a total scene stealer. He is funny and smart and charming and you might want to simultaneously date him, marry him, befriend or be his colleague or client. You just want to be around him. He is respectful to his wife. There is not even a hint of flirtation between Vivian and him, even after they spend tons of time together obsessing over Anna. I was inspired to write this after a super sweet exchange between them. Vivian has just had her hair professionally styled and no one seems to notice or care. But Todd notices. It’s not weird or creepy or done for some ulterior motive. He’s just a nice guy and a good friend. 

You don’t need to watch this series for Anna. Though she is amusing. The series is based on something and someone so over the top that Vivian delivers the perfect antidote to the nonsense. She is an understatement. Her relationships are understatements. Yet somehow, she speaks loudly for women everywhere.

Have you watched it yet?

A bit more..I’m in love with the new move I Want You Back on Amazon Prime. It’s the perfect Rom Com for a chill night in.

Picture Source: Netflix