Jacob Wysocki is one of the performers on the Dropout Improv bill.
Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images for Vulture
Cult comedy streaming service Dropout is heading to Austin during South by Southwest (SXSW), but fans don't need a badge to see the show at ACL Live at The Moody Theater. Tickets to Dropout Improv go on sale Friday, February 13, for a Tuesday, March 17 show.
The show will feature actors Jacob Wysocki, Jeremy Culhane, Kimia Behpoornia, Kurt Maloney, and Vic Michaelis, plus Scott Passarella, a pianist who accompanies performers during musical episodes. All the actors make regular appearances on different Dropout shows including Game Changer, an always-changing game show, and Make Some Noise, a short-form improv show.
Dropout (formerly CollegeHumor) is one of the main incubators for alternative comedy in 2026, like a more freewheeling Saturday Night Live — in fact, Culhane is part of both casts. The platform has become popular for its elevation of improv, devotion to nerd culture (in shows like Um, Actually and a variety of tabletop role playing game shows), and a generally progressive ethos that has become a groundbreaking business model in entertainment.
Details about the upcoming live show are few (after all, it is improv), but in past Dropout Improv shows, Maloney has acted as the host and cast members have played more short-form improv games.
Tickets will be available at acllive.com starting Februrary 13.
Anne Hathaway has been inescapable for movie fans in 2026, starring in no fewer than five different movies across multiple genres, including Mother Mary, The Devil Wears Prada 2,The Odyssey, and The End of Oak Street. The actor (who’s pregnant and about to take a well-earned break) is wrapping up her supremely busy year with the psychological thriller, Verity.
Hathaway plays the title character, Verity Crawford, a hugely successful author who writes beach read thrillers, often from the perspective of the villain. An unpublicized car accident renders her immobile and mute, and her husband, Jeremy (Josh Hartnett), and agents make the decision to recruit someone to ghostwrite her next book in order to continue her legacy.
The person hired for the job is Lowen Ashleigh (Dakota Johnson), an aspiring author whose books mostly get ignored. She’s eager to take on the project, but the reality of Verity’s situation throws her for a loop. When she discovers a secret file that seems to be Verity admitting to some very bad things, Lowen starts to spin even more, imagining situations that may not actually be happening.
Directed by Michael Showalter and adapted by Nick Antosca from the book by Colleen Hoover, the film initially has a nice rhythm to it, setting up the three main characters well and building up tension. Though current day Verity can’t speak or move, the film gets to the heart of her through old interviews Lowen watches to get to know her mind better. Using that footage and other small moments at the house, a type of rivalry develops between the two characters.
Strangely, though, Showalter and Antosca fail to capitalize on the early momentum. The story stagnates about halfway through the movie and never delivers on what it seems to be promising. Whether they’re too true to Hoover’s original story or change things too much is difficult to tell for those who haven’t read the book, but either way, the result is a big tease with not much in the way of a payoff.
What’s most disappointing about the film is its inability to decide on a tone. There are some points where it feels like over-the-top, campy fun, and others where it seems like the filmmakers are going for a straight-up horror vibe. The down-the-middle approach that they land on serves neither the story nor the characters well. Moments that should be full of suspense or could get laughs often fall flat because of the indecisiveness of the filmmakers.
Due to her character’s affliction, Hathaway is reduced to a supporting role in the film, but she gets by on presence alone and still has a few scenes where she demonstrates her star power. Johnson delivers a good performance despite her typical lack of emotion. Like many of her roles, it’s her body that seems to get more attention than her acting. Hartnett is on a roll thanks to recent roles in Oppenheimerand Trap, and he puts in solid work here, as well.
Verity has the bones of a tense thriller, but it’s filled in with a bunch of questionable story beats that don’t prove as satisfying as the premise. The meta-plot of the authors of thrillers becoming involved in a thriller themselves should have been juicy and full of great twists, but ultimately it’s as catatonic as Verity herself.
