I'm a Virgo

I'm a Virgo is an American absurdist comedy television series created by Boots Riley and starring Jharrel Jerome. The first four episodes premiered at the South by Southwest film festival in March 2023. All seven episodes were released on Amazon Prime Video on June 23, 2023.[1]

I'm a Virgo
Genre
Created byBoots Riley
Directed byBoots Riley
Starring
Music by
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes7
Production
Executive producers
  • Tze Chun
  • Michael Ellenberg
  • Jharrel Jerome
  • Adam Merims
  • Boots Riley
  • Lindsey Springer
Editors
  • Saira Haider
  • Ron Rauch
Running time22–37 minutes
Production companies
Release
Original networkAmazon Prime Video
Original releaseJune 23, 2023 (2023-06-23)

Synopsis

Cootie is a 13-foot-tall (4.0 m), 19-year-old Black teenager raised by his Aunt Lafrancine and Uncle Martisse in Oakland, California. He is shielded from the outside world until being accidentally discovered by a group of teenage political activists.[2][3]

Cast and characters

Main

Guest stars

Episodes
No.TitleDirected byWritten by [4]Original release date [5]
1"You a Big Muthaf*cka"Boots Riley[3]Boots RileyJune 23, 2023 (2023-06-23)
2"The Universe and My Spirit"Boots RileyBoots RileyJune 23, 2023 (2023-06-23)
3"Paco Rabanne"Boots RileyTze ChunJune 23, 2023 (2023-06-23)
4"Balance Beam"Boots RileyWhitney WhiteJune 23, 2023 (2023-06-23)

Jones is at a house party flirting and making out with a comrade. Felix arrives at the party, in tears, and interrupts them. Elsewhere, Cootie and Flora are having their first sexual experience together. Back at the party, Jones announces that Scat is dead and directs the partygoers to go to Krown Hospital's headquarters. At the demonstration, Felix is drinking and starts a fight with Jones. Cootie and Flora arrive, and Cootie expresses shock that Scat was mistreated by hospital staff and "left to die."

Jones gives a speech to the crowd describing the "phenomenon" that killed Scat: "the crisis of capitalism." The police begin to tear gas and assault the crowd. Flora uses her speed to deflect the gas canisters. Cootie, seemingly radicalized by Jones' speech and remembering Scat's words, hops over the line of police and demonstrators and begins to spray paint Scat's name on the side of the headquarters. The Hero arrives and surprises Cootie with a knockout punch. He then drags a chained-up Cootie through the streets. The episode closes with his slogan, a favorite of Cootie's, "get your mind right halfwits."
5"Brillo, If Possible"Boots RileyMarcus GardleyJune 23, 2023 (2023-06-23)

Bear wakes up after a night of drag racing and is surprised to find himself shrunken. He rides around his neighborhood, the Lower Bottoms, and notices all of his neighbors are now miniature sized as well. The media coverage of Cootie and the demonstration has started. Under house arrest, Cootie tells his aunt there's a difference between The Hero he experienced during the demonstration and who he experiences while reading the comic; he sees the comic version as "ideal."

The people from the Lower Bottoms, still shrunken and now losing their jobs, decide they need to take "decisive action" against whoever did this to them. Meanwhile, Cootie and Flora are spending day and night together, watching Parking Tickets and reading. They begin to annoy each other with their idiosyncrasies and habits. When Flora leaves, Cootie continues to watch the news. A general strike has spread from the demonstration. As Cootie watches all the negative media depictions of him, he begins to get angry. In a conversation with his aunt and uncle, he tells them that he's going to be the villain that the media is making him out to be. They tell him that they've been preparing for this moment and reveal that the house is fortified, and that they have built weapons for him.
6"It Requires Trust on My Part"Boots RileyMichael R. JacksonJune 23, 2023 (2023-06-23)
7"A Metaphor for What"Boots RileyBoots RileyJune 23, 2023 (2023-06-23)

Production

Development

On June 22, 2020, it was reported that Riley was creating a new series with Michael Ellenberg of Media Res, starring Jharrel Jerome, called I'm a Virgo.[6] Riley started writing in 2019.[7] On December 14, 2020, it was reported that the half-hour series would be a co-production between Media Res and Amazon Studios.[2] Riley and Jerome executive produce alongside Michael Ellenberg and Tze Chun.[2] The cast also includes Mike Epps, Carmen Ejogo, Brett Gray, Allius Barnes, Kara Young and Olivia Washington.[7]

Filming

Principal photography took place primarily in New Orleans, Louisiana,[3] with outdoor shooting on location in Oakland, California. The show utilizes practical effects with miniatures and puppets for some shots.[8]

Music

The soundtrack is provided by Riley's group The Coup, and Tune-Yards provided the score.[3]

Release

The first four episodes premiered at the South by Southwest film festival on March 11, 2023.[8] The seven-part series was released on Prime Video on June 23, 2023,[1]

Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 95% approval rating with an average rating of 8.10/10, based on 61 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Boots Riley's towering imagination looms as large as his supersized hero in I'm a Virgo, an uproarious satire that's given an enormous heart to match by star Jharrel Jerome."[9] Metacritic gave the series a weighted average score of 86 out of 100 based on 26 critic reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[10]

Ben Travers of Indiewire rated the series a B+, calling it "a visually imaginative parable with a moving message."[11] Chase Hutchinson of Collider rated the series an A and called it "big on ambition yet precisely focused."[12] Erin Brady of /Film wrote that it is "one of the streaming era's most interesting and offbeat projects," concluding, "Riley's unique visual style and the dynamic performances from its eclectic cast make it unlike anything you'll watch this year."[8]

References
  1. "Fantasy coming-of-age series 'I'm A Virgo' gets release date". The Hindu. May 9, 2023. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  2. White, Peter (December 14, 2020). "Amazon Orders 'I'm A Virgo' Starring Jharrel Jerome From Boots Riley & Media Res". Deadline. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  3. Krystaf, Lauren (March 11, 2023). "'I'm a Virgo': Cast, Plot, Trailer, and Everything We Know so Far About Boots Riley's New Series". Collider. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  4. "I'm a Virgo". Writers Guild of America West. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  5. "Shows A-Z – I'm a Virgo on Amazon". The Futon Critic. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  6. Petski, Denise (June 22, 2020). "Boots Riley Teases New Series 'I'm A Virgo' With Jharrel Jerome To Star". Deadline. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  7. Rodriguez, Karla (March 6, 2023). "Prime Video Unveils First Look Images and Teaser Trailer for Boots Riley's 'I'm a Virgo'". Complex. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  8. Brady, Erin (March 13, 2023). "I'm A Virgo Review: Boots Riley Delivers Another Surrealist, Anti-Capitalist Rollercoaster Ride". /Film. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  9. "I'm a Virgo: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  10. "I'm a Virgo: Season 1". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  11. Travers, Ben (March 11, 2023). "'I'm a Virgo' Review: Boots Riley Tells a Giant Story in His Joyful, Savvy Prime Video Series". Indiewire. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  12. Hutchinson, Chase (March 12, 2023). "'I'm a Virgo' Review: Boots Riley and Jharrel Jerome Team up for a Towering Achievement". Collider. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
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