DTF St. Louis review by Bobby Blakey
Writer Steven Conrad has an impressive resume in the world of writing including films Wonder, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and The Pursuit of Happiness. His latest project DTF St. Louis has him taking on numerous duties as writer, director, and show runner of the limited TV Series. The show stars Jason Bateman, David Harbour, Linda Cardellini, Richard Jenkins, Joy Sunday, Arlan Ruf, Peter Sarsgaard, and Chris Perfetti, but does it bring that something special to make it stand out or will it not be worth swiping right on?
DTF St. Louis follows three middle‑aged adults—Clark, a local TV weatherman; Floyd, a devoted but adrift family man; and Carol, Floyd’s restless wife—each grappling with unsatisfying marriages, unmet ambitions, and the quiet desperation of feeling stuck.
What begins as an awkward but sincere friendship between Clark and Floyd takes a dangerous turn when Clark introduces Floyd to a discreet dating app for married people, pitched as a harmless way to “spice things up.” Instead, the app becomes the catalyst for a secret affair, fractured loyalties, and a chain of increasingly reckless choices.
I didn’t know much about this series going in but given the title I thought I had an idea. Clearly, I did not because it went in a completely different direction from beginning to end. What I expected to just be some strange love triangle, which it is, turned out to also be a murder mystery filled with twists and turns. The story is told nonlinear going back and forth in the past and the present after a murder. While
Bateman, Harbour and Cardellini are the leads, it’s the two detectives played by Jenkins and Sunday that are leading this story to its climax.
The initial story seems like a great story of friendship but begins to take a strange twist before the surprising final scene. From there it weaves in and out of various angles as the story unfolds and the mystery deepens. What makes this series work more than anything is the chemistry both good and bad with the entire cast. All of them have issues with each other and have to find ways to navigate their relationships to a better life as well as solve the murder.
The real-life nature of this love triangle adds a great dynamic that is heartfelt, strange, awkward and funny. Some of the best moments lean into the uncomfortable and weird including a sequence in a pool house of two men dancing awkwardly in their tighty whitey underwear. It has some humor and weirdness to it, but it’s also impactful in its execution and big props to both guys doing it as they go all in.
I don’t want to give anything away to the bigger story as it is to be experienced for the full effectiveness of its execution. It is a compelling story that might leave some uncomfortable but no doubt excellent. I had my theories on the resolution and while correct not exactly in the way I expected. Whether you figure it out or not just let it play out and enjoy the journey of this great limited series.
Witness the crazy love triangle with DTF St. Louis available now on DVD and streaming on HBO MAX now from Warner Bros Home Entertainment.