The hilarious duo of Awkwafina and Sandra Oh lead the smart(ish), funny, and effortlessly charming “Quiz Lady”, the new comedy from director Jessica Yu. Written by Jen D’Angelo and featuring a collection of small yet wonderfully cast supporting roles, “Quiz Lady” is a welcomed late year addition to a genre that needed a boost. This breezy entertaining crowdpleaser takes a whimsical but heartfelt look at sisterhood through two dramatically different yet joyously compatible siblings.

Playing against type, Awkwafina plays a socially awkward 33-year-old introvert named Anne Yum. When not working her mundane office job at an accounting firm, Anne spends her time at home with her adorable pug named Linguine. Her one passion is the television game show “Can’t Stop the Quiz”. Since she was a child Anne loved “Can’t Stop the Quiz” and its gentlemanly Alex Trebek-ish host Terry McTeer (a wonderfully silly Will Ferrell).

Anne’s somewhat estranged sister Jenny (Oh) is a blustering ball of chaos. She’s erratic and irresponsible despite being ten years older than her kid sister. The two come together after getting news that their elderly mother has busted out of her nursing home and taken off to Macau with her new boyfriend Jeff. And this is where things get a little wacky.

We learn that Anne and Jenny’s mother left after amassing a hefty gambling debt with a local loan shark (Jonathan ‘Dumbfoundead’ Park). He and his goons kidnap Linguine and give the sisters two weeks to pay off the $80,000 their mom owes otherwise the dog gets it. So Jenny comes up with a plan – get super-fan Anne to audition for “Can’t Stop the Quiz”. With her obsessive knowledge of the show, winning $80,000 should be a piece of cake. Of course there’s that whole issue of Anne’s social anxiety. Hijinks ensue.

Yu and D’Angelo have a lot of fun playing around with the wacky dynamic between the two sisters. The two central performances show off a great comedic chemistry with Oh getting the more in-your-face material and Awkwafina in the straight-man role. Then you have the supporting cast who routinely steal scenes. Along with Ferrell there’s also a priceless Jason Schwartzman playing the game show’s schmoozing returning champion. Holland Taylor is a hoot as Anne’s cranky neighbor Francine. We even get a zany turn from Tony Hale who plays the proprietor of a colonial-themed inn where he role-plays as Benjamin Franklin.

I laughed a lot during “Quiz Lady”, but not all of its jokes land. Some are a little too outrageous; others go the unfortunate and obvious cheap route. But for the most part Yu has a good grip on things as seen in the fleet-footed pacing and crisp comic timing. Meanwhile D’Angelo gives her characters some legitimately funny material to work with. Some may have a hard time buying the feel-good ending. But like the bulk of the comedy, it’s easy to swallow in large part thanks to the film’s two endearing and enjoyable leads. “Quiz Lady” premieres November 3rd on Hulu.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS