'Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber' Review: Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Travis Kalanick is the man
Contains spoilers for 'Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber' Episode 1 'Grow or Die'
'The Man' by Killers is supposed to be a CEO song of sorts, and if Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Travis Kalanick had a theme he'd walk out to, 'The Man' would be it. Showtime's limited series 'Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber' is all about the meteoric rise and equally dunk fall of Kalanick, the CEO of the cab giant, and the first episode 'Grow or Die' is all about setting the context and establishing the character he is. It's easy to describe a man like him — charismatic, spunky, cocky, and downright egotistic.
In short. he's Maverick, writing checks his body can't cash. Safe to say, Gordon-Levitt delivers in a performance that you usually don't associate him with. A confession as a side note, this writer has seen him as Cobra Commander in 'G.I.Joe: The Rise of the Cobra', John Blake in 'The Dark Knight Rises', Arthur in 'Inception' and of course, 'Don Jon'. So pardon asked in advance if there is an overboard of praise for the actor's portrayal of Kalanick.
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The series opens with the UberCab CEO looking to land a partner to bankroll his fledgling company and has VC powerhouse, Bill Gurley (Kyle Chandler) in his sights. Long story short, Kalanick's "dies on the hill, but fight for it" attitude impresses his investor and they form a partnership. Trouble comes in the form of the San Francisco MTA power-broker Randall Pearson (Richard Schiff). Gurley's money isn't enough for getting the company out of the doldrums, and the onus is on winning the battle, one day at a time.
'Super Pumped's cast is pivotal to its success. If Chandler and Gordon-Levitt stun in the frame they occupy, the supporting cast of Schiff, Elisabeth Shue, Kerry Bishé, Babak Tafti, Mousa Hussein Kraish, Jon Bass, and Bridget Gao-Hollitt all play their parts to perfection. The 'Billions' co-creators Brian Koppelman and David Levien use the same success formula of the New York financial drama — crisp writing, pacy story, and a stellar cast to make things work.
There's also that glaring absence of Uma Thurman who doesn't show up in the season premiere. The 'Kill Bill' actress stars as Arianna Huffington, co-founder of The Huffington Post and Uber board member, and the show appears to deliberately hold off on switching gears until all the necessary pieces are in place. For now, the introductory episode is impressive.
'Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber' premieres on February 27 at 10 pm ET/PT on Showtime.