Nathan Fielder Made a Better Sully Biopic Than Sully

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Exploring the Unexpected Genres in The Rehearsal Season 2

In the first two episodes of season 2, Nathan Fielder showcases his versatility as a trailblazer in premium television. He fearlessly delves into various genres to create an unpredictable viewing experience that strives for success and a perfect “9” rating. This innovative approach has earned him the label of a ‘sexy bad boy’ in the world of TV.

The show includes:
– An investigative documentary on human error in commercial airline crashes
– A couples-counseling session
– An experimental acting exercise
– A reality-singing competition
– A deeply personal exploration of male loneliness
– A Mel Brooks–style satirical farce about Nazis

Episode 3, “Pilot’s Code,” takes Fielder’s creative approach to pilot safety to new heights. This experiment pushes the boundaries of genre and episode structure, resulting in some of the most captivating imagery ever seen on the show, alongside the Claw of Shame and his final moments on The Curse.

Critics argue that such a diverse range of genres within one series could never work, but Fielder has proven them wrong by crafting a Sunday-night HBO series that keeps viewers guessing. Even though I’m a fan of the movie Sully, Nathan Fielder has managed to create a Sully Sullenberger biopic that surpasses it in some ways.

In the initial phase of “Pilot’s Code,” Fielder organizes a rehearsal reminiscent of season one for a California couple facing an unusual predicament: They paid a large sum to acquire three clones of their deceased Yorkshire terrier, Achilles, but these clones lacked the original dog’s charming demeanor. To address this, Fielder constructs a replica of their old apartment, enlists actors to portray their younger selves, and recreates the environment where they raised Achilles in an effort to modify one of the clones to exhibit more Achilles-like traits. Unbeknownst to them, Fielder is conducting preliminary testing before applying his theory: He believes that if a pilot is brought up in conditions similar to those that produced the renowned hero pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, he will emulate Sully’s intuition, communication skills, and quick thinking during crises. Consequently, Fielder endeavors to live a simulated version of Sully’s life, which essentially becomes a compact biography.

In 2016, Clint Eastwood’s film “Sully” recounts the Miracle on the Hudson event, inspired by Sullenberger’s 2009 memoir titled “Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters,” co-written with Jeffrey Zaslow. On a different note, Fielder, too, adapts the same source text in his work on “The Rehearsal,” and it’s intriguing to observe how their interpretations differ. Instead of merely extracting autobiographical facts, Fielder delves deeper into Sullenberger’s mind, seeking insights by focusing on what Sullenberger emphasizes in the book and the way he narrates it. While Eastwood’s film skips over the events leading up to January 15, 2009, Fielder zeroes in on a specific quote from the book: “Flight 1549 wasn’t just a five-minute journey. My entire life led me safely to that river.

In a unique interpretation, Fielder chooses to live out Sully’s life from infancy to post-Hudson landing. The scene shifts to Baby Sully: Fielder dons a bald cap and oversized diaper, entering a room that appears as if it belongs to a giant, complete with an enormous crib, door, and dresser. This setup makes Fielder appear tiny like an infant. It’s quite surreal, and the oddity intensifies when a giant Mother Sully puppet enters, changing his diaper, applying powder, and feeding him from a papier-mâché teat. This filmmaking style is daring! Fielder’s portrayal in this sequence seems reminiscent of the movie ‘Gummo’, while the use of puppetry and manipulation of scale resembles something straight out of a Michel Gondry production. This is unlike anything we’ve seen in Fielder’s previous work; it would be unthinkable for Tom Hanks to shave his whole body, wear an adult diaper, and be breastfed by a grotesque ‘Spitting Image’ puppet! What on earth would Rita and the kids think?

In this production, events unfold according to surreal dream-like reasoning, as Fielder’s character, Sully, transforms from a baby into a boy amidst a slightly contracted 1950s domestic setting. Notably, adult performers on tall stilts portray Sully’s parents, and an actress in a disturbing mask plays his toddler sister. This raises the question of whether Fielder perceives children in such unsettling ways (a rather chilling thought). This creative approach is characteristic of the most intriguing biographical films; for instance, consider Robbie Williams’ portrayal of himself as a dancing monkey in “Better Man.”

However, it would be misleading to think that Fielder is merely engaging in random eccentricities. He also adheres to conventional biopic elements, such as Sully’s teenage years, his marriage, and a crucial scene in the pilot’s lounge (a symbolic space for Fielder, established in the initial episode). Here, a young Sully encounters his fellow pilots using drugs, but he refuses, demonstrating his commitment to safety and upholding the values of a future hero. When one of the pilots challenges him, reminiscent of a bully in an afterschool special, Sully responds, “My only code is safety.

In a genuine performance, Fielder portrays the character, accompanied by two narrators – one reading Sully’s memoir in his own voice, expressing his thoughts, and the other, occasionally, provided by Fielder, as he does throughout the show. This contrasts with Eastwood’s film where Hanks’s Sully is more reserved; a man of few words, initially stunned by the emergency, then the attention he receives. Fielder’s Sully is revealing, whereas Hanks’s character remains enigmatic. It’s often said that Fielder has a unique talent for zeroing in on subjects until they appear as the most peculiar individuals alive – recall the numerology expert from season one or the pilot recently banned from all dating apps. With the memoir in hand, Fielder discovers the quirks and oddities of Sully’s life that would have been overlooked in a typical Hollywood movie, turning them into crucial plot developments.

Through music, Sully found a means to break free from traditional American masculinity and connect more with his feelings and authentic self, which allowed him to seek help from a first officer and perform the life-saving water landing.

In this compact biographical movie depiction, the climactic scene centers around the crash, mirroring the real-life incident as portrayed in “Sully” with precise dialogue accuracy. Filmmaker Fielder emphasizes a pivotal moment where Sully queries his co-pilot, “Got any ideas?”, a contrast to the communication breakdowns that form the basis of the series. As this question could symbolize the culmination of Sully’s life, Fielder meticulously highlights the 23 seconds of silence preceding it, pondering what may have been going through Sully’s mind. Although we can’t truly know, Fielder points out an intriguing coincidence: the chorus of Evanescence’s “Bring Me to Life” lasts exactly 23 seconds. Brilliantly, both Sully and Fielder excel in their respective crises – a bold dramatic interpretation with an impressive resolution. However, it’s important to note that this account is highly fictionalized; in reality, the filmmaker, dressed as a younger version of Sully, engages in an unusual activity inside an airplane simulator alongside a robot. While not strictly based on fact, this portrayal touches upon a deeper truth.

In addition, let me point out that I believe the character of the wife is significantly better developed in “The Rehearsal’s” interpretation of the Sully memoir compared to her portrayal in the movie “Sully”. In Eastwood’s film, the wife’s role appears limited to occasionally being on the phone with Sully, watching the news, and repeating lines like “Sully, I love you, Sully. Because I am your wife, Mrs. Sully!”, which seems to underutilize the talent of Laura Linney. However, in “Pilot’s Code,” the character of Mrs. Sully is more fully realized with realistic disagreements with Sully during jogging or car rides, offering a glimpse into their shared life. It’s unfortunate that wives are often portrayed poorly and stereotypically in historical biopics, but even in this case, she shows signs of being more three-dimensional, although she is, in one scene, played by a robot.

It’s likely that Fielder had seen the movie “Sully” before the second season of “The Rehearsal.” Some scenes seem to be direct references to the film, as noticed by an attentive “Sully” fan. A character in the movie even says a line that is strikingly similar to Nathan’s dialogue: “I have read countless CVR transcripts of deceased pilots, and I have significant accident investigation experience.” This could suggest that Nathan’s affection for Sully might extend to his admiration for the film “Sully.” The use of Evanescence in this context is particularly fitting. It can be compared with other great American films like “Monsters Inc.”, “Avatar”, and “Sully” that revolve around the theme of a Sully.

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2025-05-05 16:54