For most present-day comedy fans, do you even have to say more than “Nick Offerman”, or “Kumail Nanjiani” in the same sentence to pique interest? The answer is no (for most of us, anyway). The two recently shared a great moment on one of Nanjiani’s most recent posts involving the well-reviewed 2013 movie The Kings of Summer. The exchange is all over a quart of potentially oversized wontons from Gary (Nanjiani) and his family’s restaurant. Yes, really.
Although the movie is over a decade old, the coming-of-age story directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts is full of heart and humor, as reflected by its excellent cast. Amongst the newcomers and seasoned veterans are our two funny men.
With Nick Offerman in the back half of his incredible run in one of his best roles as Ron Swanson on Parks and Rec and Kumail Nanjiani making his way toward Silicon Valley as Dinesh, their timing was kismet on this set. The post recounted this small but deliciously funny moment between the two and Alison Brie (Community, The Little Hours) that still has them joking.
The video is simply captioned as “@NickOfferman somebody’s hangry,” with commenters asking where the exchange is from and begging for the blooper reel. Amongst the comments, the duo also reminisce on the scene’s improvised lines and are sweetly complimentary of each other, with Offerman writing:
You were so nimble in your improvs I broke 47 times. Maybe 48. ❤️
Nanjiani even shares that making Nick Offerman break is a career highlight.
[Nick Offerman] making you break is still the highest achievement of my career
If you’re anything like the rest of us, we would love to see that blooper reel, and maybe even the recipe for the infamous dumpling. Since The Kings of Summer, both men have had great career success in various genres in film and television while continuing to make waves in the comedy world.
Currently, Kumail is on the megahit Only Murders in the Building and has been an incredibly festive addition in lighting up the star-studded fourth season cast, which you can watch with a Hulu subscription. Along with it, he was in the summer blockbuster, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire as Nadeem.
Although brief, Offerman was also in a summer big hitter, Civil War, as the president. He’s currently a part of The Umbrella Academy as Dr. Gene Thibodeau as well as the most current season of the animated series The Great North as Beef Tobin on Fox.
As for the future of either man—it’s bright and probably full of laughter. Perhaps this Instagram exchange can forge a future collaboration between the two, along with a killer cast. All of us can hope so. In the meantime, you can catch either of them on the current 2024 TV schedule or rent The Kings of Summer on YouTube, Prime, and Apple TV to judge those wontons for yourself.
