Online review sites like Yelp can be really helpful, but one always has to remember to take it from the source. I remember reading one that gave a hotel a poor review because the lobby chairs weren’t comfortable and the hotel TV didn’t have the writer’s favorite channel. As such, many reviews need to be taken with a grain of salt: like the old joke, people will complain about how food at a restaurant will taste poorly and also that the portions were too small.
So I got a real kick out of this video: actor Chris Kipiniak, who has appeared on TV’s The Good Wife and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, does a dramatic reading of a one-star Yelp review of the Stratford Diner in New Jersey by a writer named ‘Dalia B.’ The woman enjoyed her meal but seems particularly disappointed that her compliments were not taken seriously (of course, Kipiniak’s reading in a hurt, befuddled voice makes it that much more sensitive!)
On the other end of the spectrum, Kipiniak’s video was followed by a video by fellow Good Wife actress Theresa Plummer of a dramatic reading of a four-star Yelp review, this time of Tamarind of London in California by user Nathan A. Nathan’s review has a rather unorthodox focus on the impact the food had on his bowel movements despite its high rating.
This appears to be a continuing series, so go to JoePlummer’s YouTube channel to check out Real Actors Read Yelp Reviews. As I detailed in my opening, I doubt there will be any shortage of laughable material.
