Since 2020, actors Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes have co-hosted a podcast together called “SmartLess.” Last year they took the show out on a short national tour, and that adventure is documented in the six-part Max docuseries “SmartLess: On the Road,” which follows the celebrity friends and co-workers to stops on the East Coast, Midwest and then back to Los Angeles.
Perhaps the decision to shoot in black-and-white was meant to undercut some of the pampered Hollywood trappings of the trip. But director Sam Jones (whose credits include the Wilco film “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” and more recently a Tony Hawk documentary) isn’t here to encourage his subjects to shed their well-honed veneer so much as simply document their first-class travels and neurotic conversational jabs. As a trio, Arnett, Bateman and Hayes are self-aware enough to poke fun at their rarefied status while also being disinclined to abandon the perks of said status.
It’s an accumulation of moments that give you a window into the lives of the rich and famous, while also showcasing their talents as performers. Because when they’re on stage playing off each other, or interviewing a guest? They’re freewheeling and charming and know how to put on a good show.
