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5 Reasons Why You Need to Watch ‘Inventing Anna’ on Netflix

‘Inventing Anna’ on Netflix: Of course Hollywood would take an already scandalous true story and make it even more salacious.

5 Reasons Why You Need to Watch Inventing Anna on Netflix
Inventing Anna. Julia Garner as Anna Delvey in episode 102 of Inventing Anna. Cr. Aaron Epstein/Netflix © 2021

The best opening monologue of 2022 belongs to Inventing Anna  – hands down.

You know me. 

Everyone knows me. 

I’m an icon.

A legend.”

The new Netflix limited series follows the infamous Anna Sorokin, better known as Anna Delvey, though, for the record, she captured many a headlines with the  “The Swindler of Soho” moniker.  And boy, did Anna make headlines.

Salacious stories aside, there are indisputable facts when it comes to this real life, walking scandal.  The truth is, Anna was found guilty of multiple charges of theft of services and grand larceny. In layman’s terms that means she conned millions out of New York businesses and people in the New York elite.

But Anna didn’t just go for the big fish. She just as easily stiffed her inner circle as much as she did major corporations. A onetime BFF took her to court for a hotel bill that was well over $60,000 dollars. But more on that later. Anna was in fact sentenced to prison in 2018, served just under that before being released, and (pause for dramatic effect) she was incarcerated again. And oh yeah, she started when she was 26-years-old, without a dollar to her name.

The story is ripe for picking. Call it the low hanging fruit on Hollywood’s Hit Tree, if you will. How could you not want see how a girl conned the most affluent and business minded people in New York?  How can you not want to see how Anna was a hot second away from securing a $40 million dollar loan from one of the biggest investment banks on the globe?

You can’t. So, with that in mind, here are five reasons we think you need to unpack the pj’s, pop the popcorn, and put Siri on DND for the weekend.

5 Why You Need To Stream Inventing Anna ASAP

1. Julia Garner

5 reasons to watch inventing Anna on Netflix
Credit Nicole Rivelli/Netflix © 2021

While we have been fans of this little lady since her early days on Waco, she firmed up her fanbase with her role as Ruth on Ozark. Now that Garner has taken a straightener to her hair, added the black glasses that Delvey was known for, she cemented a place atop the “Much Respect” list in our book.

Not only was she able to perfect the Delvey accent  (which was hard to recognize at best) she did it with ease. Garner has an uncanny ability to emote with her eyes and it has served her well, particularly in this role. Garner as Anna can go from reptile like cold-heartedness to sugary sweet and sympathetic as quickly as a blink of her eye.

2. Anna Chlumsky

5 reasons to watch inventing Anna on Netflix
Inventing Anna. Anna Chlumsky as Vivian Kent in episode 101 of Inventing Anna. Cr. Nicole Rivelli/Netflix © 2021

For Inventing Anna, Anna Chlumsky takes on the role of Vivian Kent, the reporter whose article was posted just as Anna’s staged life was beginning to shatter. In real life it was Jessica Pressler who broke the story for New York Magazine. In the series, Vivian Kent breaks it for Manhattan Magazine.

Regardless of who did what for whom, the truth is that Chlumsky is what we respect and appreciate about old school reporting. Chlumsky as Vivian is tenacious, full of integrity, and has a nose for a great freakin’ story. We aren’t mad at all that this type of reporting is demonstrated in a series in 2022, when a simple retweet or hyperlink is considered reporting.

3. Delvey’s BFF Group

5 reasons to watch inventing Anna on Netflix
Inventing Anna. (L to R) Laverne Cox as Kacy Duke, Katie Lowes as Rachel, Julia Garner as Anna Delvery, Alexis Floyd as Neff Davis in episode 105 of Inventing Anna. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2021

When you’re a 26-year old girl pretending to be a German heiress, good friends are hard to find. Anna Delvey didn’t have that problem. When she hit New York she curated a fake life with real people. In the series, they are Kacy Duke (Lavern Cox), Katie Lowes (Rachel), and Alexis Floyd (Neff).

Together the foursome trotted around the city working out, shopping, and eating more decadent food in a week than most of us see in our lives. That is until Anna stiffed one of the friends for a hotel bill and trip to Morocco for over $62,000 dollars. A suit was filed and even though Anna was found not guilty of that particular crime, Inventing Anna does a great job of explaining why.

4. Shonda Rhimes

What we would Really Rather say is, Shonda-freakin’-Rhimes. The powerhouse television producer is known for brining the drama to the small screen. Inventing Anna is no different. Just as real life reporter Jessica Pressler knew there was a story to tell, so did Shonda. In fact, she optioned the story for Netflix while Anna Delvey was still in prison. What can we say, Shonda gives good scandal.

And speaking of, we respect the fact that she brings along her friends. Shonda cast some of her Scandal alums to play parts in Inventing Anna. Katie Lowes, Kate Burton (Nora, among the NY elite who was swindled), and Jeff Perry (Lou, a fellow reporter at Manhattan Magazine). Rhimes sprinkled her skills on this series and it is only better for it.

5. A Fascinating Take on Reality vs. Fake

5 reasons to watch inventing Anna on Netflix
Inventing Anna. Julia Garner as Anna Delvery in episode 104 of Inventing Anna. Cr. Nicole Rivelli/Netflix © 2021

Yes, truth is indeed stranger than fiction. With respect to Anna Delvey’s story, you’ll get no argument from us on that. As a series alone it’s hella entertaining. Those, like us, who have followed the story for years know that it was made for the Hollywood treatment. Whether you would Really Rather just watch the series, you will not be disappointed.

However, if you know the story, seen both the Dateline and 20/20 episodes on the ‘Swindler of Soho,’ you’ll love seeing the differences. The running theme on every episode is “The whole story is completely true. Except for the parts that are totally made up.” Discovering those parts that are “totally made up” is just delicious.

Inventing Anna is streaming on Netflix. The series is nine episodes that run approximately one hour each (plus or minus 20 minutes).

 

‘Inventing Anna’ on Netflix: Of course Hollywood would take an already scandalous true story and make it even more salacious.