Reel Review: Overcompensating Offers a Witty, Authentic Glimpse Into Finding Yourself Amid the Chaos of College Life
Benito Skinner’s debut series, Overcompensating is a laugh-out-loud story that will tug at your heartstrings. Skinner plays Benny—the token king of high school, captain of the football team, and hometown hottie—but with a twist: he’s lived his whole life in the closet.
When Benny is dropped off at Yates College—much to his older sister’s dismay—he hopes to rebrand his perfectly tailored life. That’s quickly derailed once his sister’s boyfriend Peter (who just might be the frattiest frat boy known to man) takes Benny under his wing to hook up with girls and become king of campus, inadvertently steering him right back into his closeted life. Adam DiMarco plays the insufferable Peter who, in classy frat-boy fashion, has you under his spell—until you finally snap back to reality and realize he’s the worst. Mary Beth Barone plays Grace, Benny’s cold older sister, who starts out sinisterly uninviting but is revealed to also be hiding her true self.
Perhaps the most transformative relationship to come out of the show is Benny’s friendship with Carmen, played by Wally Baram. Carmen is a lonely freshman looking to fit in when her party-girl roommate Hailee (played by Holmes) convinces her she needs to hook up with a hot guy their first night to avoid becoming a social pariah. The ill-advised guidance from Peter and Hailee leads Benny and Carmen right into each other’s arms for a mediocre hookup—and the start of a lovely friendship.
At its core, Overcompensating sheds light on the pitfalls of pretending to be someone you’re not. Only when you’re true to yourself can you feel truly free. Skinner’s comedy series beautifully captures this message while simultaneously bringing audiences to tears with its sharp dialogue and extremely accurate depictions of college life.
The show is easily bingeable, but now I’m kicking myself for finishing it so quickly. How am I supposed to wait at least a year for a second season, especially after that shocking cliffhanger the episode ended on? Seriously, you can’t drop a bomb like that and then cut to black with Charli XCX blasting over the credits.
Speaking of Charlie XCX, I love that the Brat icon was an executive producer of the series. Benny Drama shared during his press tour that he boldly pitched the show to the singer at a party, and the rest was history. Her music is sprinkled throughout the entire series, and she singer even guest stars in an episode! No spoilers, but there is one moment that perfectly encapsulates the “Party for You” trend, and knowing Charli and Benny collaborated on the show makes that moment a million times better.
Aside from Charli, the cast is stacked with incredible talent including Owen Thiele, Connie Britton, Kyle MacLachlan, Kaia Gerber, Nell Verlaque, Lukas Gage, and Rish Shah. Shah plays the magnetic Miles, a guy Benny is instantly smitten with, and Gage plays a pivotal role in Benny’s past that haunts his narrative . The series does a fantastic job of highlighting teen relationships whether it be friendships or relationships. Watching Benny’s journey as he navigates his identity is an emotional rollercoaster wrapped up in an excellent series that has potential to become a coming-of-age classic.
All episodes of Overcompensating are now streaming on Prime Video.
