My annual viewing of HBO’s mockumentary 7 Days in Hell is one of my favorite traditions. I watch it every year before the start of Wimbledon. Released in 2015, it tells the fictional story of Aaron Williams (played by Andy Samberg) and Charles Poole (Kit Harrington) playing in the longest match in tennis history at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships. It’s predictably absurd and over-the-top…and is a non-stop laugh riot. Whether you call it a movie, TV special, whatever, it might be the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. Obviously being a tennis player and fan heightens its appeal to me. But even those who aren’t big tennis fans should still find it plenty funny.
Andy Samberg and Kit Harrington are fantastic in the two lead roles. Samberg’s Aaron Williams is the adoptive brother of Serena and Venus Williams. He’s tagged as the “next big thing” in tennis, until one fateful day: he kills a line judge with one of his serves. He falls off the face of the Earth after that tragedy. Harrington’s Charles Poole is the up and coming British young gun who holds the hopes of an entire nation on his shoulders. Williams decides to make a comeback, resulting in the two players meeting in the first round of Wimbledon.
I’m not going to say much more, as you should experience it all fresh for yourself. That being said, I can’t write about this without including some GIFs of some of the better moments (or at least moments for which I could find GIFs). Now get yourself over to HBO and get to watching!
(Might be my favorite line. So subtle, so great.)
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