'I'm Totally Fine' Proves Female-Fronted Friendships Shouldn't Be Alien

As Jillian Bell's character in I'm Totally Fine knows, losing a loved one sucks. But in this charming dark comedy, Bell processes grief with the help of an olive oil-guzzling, leopard print-wearing, pink-haired extraterrestrial who looks exactly like her dead best friend.

I'm Totally Fine stars Bell (Workaholics) as entrepreneur Vanessa and Natalie Morales (Parks and Rec) as Jennifer, her late BFF-slash-business partner. It's available in theaters, on demand and digital on Friday.

Bell and Morales told Newsweek last Thursday about how the film foregrounds female friendships. And yes, Morales said: It definitely passes the Bechdel Test, a measure that asks whether movies include two or more women who talk about subjects besides men.

"It does still feel novel, in a way, to me," Morales said.

Bell nods before adding, "Although I will say like, you know, I was just watching Plan B the other day, which is Natalie's movie that she directed beautifully. And it's like, no: I guess this is becoming more normal, which it should be.

"And it doesn't just have to be like 'guy humor,' you know, which I love," she continued. "It's like, anyone can watch and enjoy and it's not like eliminating part of an audience."

I'm Totally Fine was filmed in November 2020, in the middle of the pandemic and before COVID-19 vaccines had become available. Brandon Dermer (What Would Diplo Do?) directed the 83-minute flick, written by Alisha Ketry (American Dad!).

In it, Vanessa decides to go on a solo self-care trip, but soon after, Jen appears as an alien who's equipped with the real friend's memories.

The quite-small cast also features Harvey Guillén of What We Do in the Shadows fame, who plays an endearing DJ. And Workaholics' Blake Anderson appears via FaceTime as Vanessa's bass-slappin' boyfriend.

The comedy could be classified as equal parts fun, dark and zany, but it never feels too overwrought.

At one point, the film's two leads take the mood-altering drug Molly and wind up hanging out, fully clothed, in a bathtub. And Papa Roach's quintessential nu-metal cut "Last Resort" is sprinkled throughout as the best friends' unlikely theme song.

Morales told Newsweek that overall, Hollywood has slowly begun to reflect the concerns and interests of women.

"It's definitely better than it was—that is for sure," she said. "But it was really bad. So, it's still not great. It's still not even, by any means."

She added that it relies on having adequate representation at all levels of the production process, including the actors, filmmakers, studio heads, casting directors, directors and so on.

"You can do diverse casting and you can make a film about women," Morales noted, "but if the people that you're having be your subjects aren't the people making the decisions, it's not going to be authentic."

"It feels very false," Bell added.

"It feels false," Morales agreed. "And it feels like you're filling a quota, which I have experienced and seen many times. So, I think it's about shifting that part more than anything, but I do feel like things are getting better. I'm excited to be in that and a part of it, I hope."

Looking ahead, Morales said she has directing projects in the works, and she was recently cast in Season 3 of Apple TV+'s The Morning Show. Bell stayed mum on her own future endeavors, saying she had to keep them under wraps.

The coronavirus pandemic led to many crew members staying at the mansion in which they shot the film. Bell said she still hasn't seen the lower half of most of their faces because of masking measures.

Shooting in the middle of lockdown was also tough, the actors said, as was having fewer resources and less money.

At the same time, Bell added, "the lack of cooks in the kitchen" was nice.

Despite being lighthearted, I'm Totally Fine carries deeper meaning. Bell noted that the pandemic made many feel like they lacked control, and it was a subject that she had meditated on before.

"I think it just became about like, I don't know: If nothing's in your control, what would happen if this one opportunity came your way?" she said. "I thought about it a lot. I lost my dad 10 years ago, and I really related to my character of, like: What if I got that time to spend with him, and it's not exactly him, but he has the same memories?—which is a part of the film—and I would do it in a heartbeat."