Cleveland Escorts: Review: ‘Hot in Cleveland’
Bertinelli, Leeves and Malick are all likable pros who know how to milk a punchline or sight gag for all it’s worth. Malick embraces her character’s two-dimensionality, and Leeves has a funny bit of physical comedy where Joy wakes up hung over and discovers that her pores contain reminders of a a night of beer and greasy bar snacks.
“Hot in Cleveland” really only comes to life, though, when Betty White is on stage as Elka Ostrovsky. She has no reason for being there other than that she’s Betty White, but in this, The Year of Betty White, that’s more than enough. She greets her new co-stars by asking the realtor, “Why are you renting to prostitutes?” and when Joy suggests that she can smell marijuana, Elka barks out, “What are you, a cop?” Joy says, “No,” and White’s eyes narrow as she asks, “Then what’s it to you?”