Tom Holland can't escape from the bleak gimmickry of 'The Crowded Room'

2023-06-09 21:56

Tom Holland stars and produces this Apple TV+ mystery series, playing Danny Sullivan, a young man arrested for a shooting incident in a bustling New York venue in 1979.

Apple TV+ has become one of Tom Holland's go-to spots to flex his "serious" muscles, with pretty mediocre-to-bad results. After the bland movie "Cherry," the "Spider-Man" actor returns as producer and star of "The Crowded Room," an equally grim psychological drama series that takes so long to reach its ultimate destination it's hard to imagine much of a crowd remaining when the 10-episode show finally gets there.

Holland plays Danny Sullivan, a young man arrested for a shooting incident in a bustling New York venue in 1979. A specialist, Rya Goodman (Amanda Seyfried, fresh off her well-deserved limited-series Emmy for "The Dropout"), is brought in to interrogate him, with police wondering whether Danny might have murdered his missing accomplice.

There's not much more to be said about the plot without venturing into spoiler territory, but the action unfolds through a mix of Danny and Rya's prison conversations and flashbacks, with Rya taking an inordinate interest in Danny's past, including his relationships with his mom (Emmy Rossum) and stepfather (Will Chase).

Overseen by Oscar-winning writer Akiva Goldsman ("A Beautiful Mind"), "The Crowded Room" surrounds Holland with a strong cast, including Sasha Lane, Lior Raz and Jason Isaacs. Yet the story (loosely inspired by the book "The Minds of Billy Milligan") can't help but feel gimmicky in dragging out the narrative before beginning to fill in its many gaps in mostly predictable ways.

It's a showy role for Holland, just not one that takes advantage of his boyish likability and charisma. After the drab action vehicle "Uncharted" and a dour streaming entry for Netflix with "The Devil All the Time," the actor might consider leaning into those qualities -- or at least stop overcompensating for them so conspicuously -- as he seeks to cement and expand his appeal beyond that rather tight-fitting red-and-blue suit.

Granted, streaming services play a somewhat different game, especially when big-name talent is involved, since the focus is on generating attention and giving subscribers something to click, not opening weekends.

Holland's marquee value should serve Apple well on both of those fronts. How well "The Crowded Room" serves an audience is, alas, another matter entirely.

"The Crowded Room" premieres June 9 on Apple TV+. (Disclosure: Lowry's wife works for a division of Apple.)