Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    EA Sports Madden NFL 26 Head Coach But Why Tho 5

    Dear EA Sports, Why Can’t I Make A Hot Coach?

    08/14/2025
    Blade in Marvel Rivals Season 3.5

    Blade Can Shut Down The Other Team In Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 If You Know How

    08/08/2025
    John Cena and Cody Rhodes during Summerslam 2025

    The SummerSlam 2025 Main Event Was A Fever Dream We All Needed

    08/08/2025
    Street Fighter 6 Sagat

    Sagat Brings Depth And Approachability To ‘Street Fighter 6’

    08/07/2025
    Battlefield 6 Classes - Support trailer image

    Battlefield 6 Really Wants You To Play Support (But Knows You Won’t)

    07/31/2025
  • Indie Games
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Apple TV+
But Why Tho?
Home » TV » REVIEW: ‘Tiny Beautiful Things’ Takes A Raw Look At A Life

REVIEW: ‘Tiny Beautiful Things’ Takes A Raw Look At A Life

Charles HartfordBy Charles Hartford03/31/20234 Mins Read
Tiny Beautiful Things - But Why Tho
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

Tiny Beautiful Things - But Why Tho

Clare Pierce (Kathryn Hahn) struggles with her life as she approaches 50. On the rocks with her husband and daughter and stuck in a job she doesn’t like, Clare is starting to fall back into self-destructive habits that have dogged her since her early adulthood. But when a friend asks her to take over an advice column they’ve started, she suddenly begins to see her past and present in a new light. The only question is what she’ll do with these new insights in Tiny Beautiful Things.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Throughout this series’s eight episodes, we see Clare make some horrible choices. These choices can make the character at times hard to root for. While the show never attempts to excuse Clare’s failings, it does do a wonderful job of peeling back the layers of the character slowly throughout its tale. This slow series of reveals allows the audience to form an opinion about Clare which is then repeatedly challenged as the show explains how she came to be where she is in life. This is a storytelling technique that I always love and Tiny Beautiful Things utilizes it splendidly.

To fully explore Clare’s story, the narrative does a bit of bouncing around to several periods of Clare’s life. We explore her teen years living with her mother and brother to her time in college where many of the most impactful moments in her life occur, and, of course, the present day. These moments are woven together in each episode to focus on a theme that ties each period of her life together, which is generally prompted by a letter that has been sent into her advice column. These intertwined experiences craft singular narratives that wonderfully explore a key concept within each episode, while also building out the larger narrative of the series. My only complaint about this approach is the lack of clarity in when things happen. While this never ruins any given episode, there are times when I was left a bit confused as to when a past event had occurred relative to a previous moment that had been explored in an earlier episode.

While the past in Tiny Beautiful Things is incredibly important to the show, it is the future that takes center stage. Hahn’s portrayal of Clare as she struggles, succeeds, and frequently self-sabotages in the present day is excellent. As the character moves through the many struggles the show presents her with, Hahn is always able to capture just how complicated the character is. Even in her worst moments, Hahn is able to draw out a level of sympathy from the role that I was frequently surprised with.

The other stand-out performance that enhances Tiny Beautiful Things‘ tale is Tanzyn Crawford‘s portrayal of Clare’s daughter Rae. In Rae, we see many of the makings of her mother as she seems to also be headed down a less-than-stellar trajectory in life. Poor relationship choices combined with substance misuse color early impressions of the teen. As Clare careens from misstep to misstep, Rae is there to see it all, as well as see how her mom is growing. We see Rae learning from her mother’s shortcomings and strengths in a way that is truly moving.

When all is said and done, Tiny Beautiful Things delivers a raw, unflinching look at a life that has had more than its share of ups and downs. While many of  Clare’s struggles are her own fault, the show lays out her life with enough nuance and skill that the audience comes to understand her, as well as appreciate how hard she has tried and why she has often continued to fail.

Tiny Beautiful Things will begin streaming on April 7th on Hulu.

Tiny Beautiful Things
  • 9/10
    Rating - 9/10
9/10

TL;DR

When all is said and done, Tiny Beautiful Things delivers a raw, unflinching look at a life that has had more than its share of ups and downs. While many of  Clare’s struggles are her own fault, the show lays out her life with enough nuance and skill that the audience comes to understand her, as well as appreciate how hard she has tried and why she has often continued to fail.

  • Watch Now on Hulu with Our Affiliate Link

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleREVIEW: ‘Hell’s Paradise,’ Episode 1 – “Criminal and Executioner”
Next Article Demon Slayer Swordsmith Village Arc Release Date Announced
Charles Hartford
  • X (Twitter)

Lifelong geek who enjoys comics, video games, movies, reading and board games . Over the past year I’ve taken a more active interest in artistic pursuits including digital painting, and now writing. I look forward to growing as a writer and bettering my craft in my time here!

Related Posts

Alien Earth Episode 1 and Episode 2 still from FX and Hulu
9.5

REVIEW: ‘Alien: Earth’ Episode 1-2 — “Neverland” and “Mr. October”

08/18/2025
Vanessa Kirby in Night Always Comes on Netflix But Why Tho
5.0

REVIEW: ‘Night Always Comes’ Lacks Purpose

08/16/2025
Foundation Season 3 Episode 6 promotional still
8.0

RECAP: ‘Foundation’ Season 3 Episode 6 — “The Shape of Time”

08/15/2025
Butterfly first look images from Prime Video
9.0

REVIEW: ‘Butterfly’ Continues Prime Video’s Spy Thriller Streak

08/13/2025
Trigger promotional image from Netflix
8.0

REVIEW: ‘Trigger’ Is Netflix’s Most Disturbing Series

08/08/2025
Foundation Season 3 Episode 5 promo image from AppleTV+
7.0

RECAP: ‘Foundation’ Season 3 Episode 5 — “Where Tyrants Spend Eternity”

08/08/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
Still from Shin Godzilla
8.5
Film

REVIEW: ‘Shin Godzilla’ Is More Relevant Than Ever

By Sarah Musnicky08/16/2025Updated:08/17/2025

It is understandable how Shin Godzilla succeeded at the box office nearly a decade ago. The strength of its story still stands today.

Botanical Bliss Update Palia But Why Tho 5 News

Palia’s New Botanical Bliss Update Brings New Flora, Decorations, And Quest Mechanic

By Matt Donahue08/18/2025Updated:08/18/2025

The Botanical Bliss update adds new event, more plushes, and a host of quality-of-life improvements and more to celebrate 2 years of Palia.

BOOTS Netflix First Look promotional images News

First Look at Coming-of-Age Story BOOTS, Coming to Netflix This October

By But Why Tho?08/17/2025

Netflix is reporting for duty this fall with the new eight-episode series BOOTS, a comedic drama starring Miles Heizer and Vera Farmiga

Nuestra Magia Secret Lair Art Interviews

EXCLUSIVE: How The ‘Nuestra Magia’ Secret Lair Found Its Identity And Raised Over $1M

By Kate Sánchez08/15/2025Updated:08/15/2025

We spoke with Ovidio Cartagena about Magic: The Gathering’s Nuestra Magia Secret Lair drop, its impact, and the real treasure within.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here