Confident College Girl Channels Steve Carell at Columbia U. in 'And Sarah'

It’s funny how many disconnects there are in how we perceive ourselves, how others perceive us, and how we really are.

You basically have two types of people. One type is completely insecure and mortified about what other people think, too worried about taking action for fear of scorn, mockery, and rejection. Then you’ve got the type who are completely clueless about what people think and don’t really care because in their minds they’ve got it all put together in every way even though they really don’t.

Sarah Dooley, the main character in the web series And Sarah, is the latter of the two.

Shot in the dorms and campus of New York’s Columbia University by fellow student Rachel Mersky, And Sarah is a kind of Office–style mokumentary in which the shaky cameras follow a new college student, faux documenting her life. Of course the camera work and other Office-inspired stylings aren’t the only things that will bring said NBC show to mind.

The show’s center of attention, played by Sarah Dooley (a singer/songwriter with sweet songs of teenage angst/nostalgia like And Sarah‘s closer ‘Wathcing Goonies at My House’) is dead on for a younger, female version of Steve Carell‘s Michael Scott. She does the bit masterfully, nailing the expressions, the vocal tones and nuances, the way she looks and talks at the camera, and how she acts and reacts to the people and situations around her.

Several people on And Sarah’s youtube comments section have bemoned this fact, saying she’s stealing a character that’s already been done. But Steve Carell is a tested and seasoned comedic proffesional. I say if Sarah, who is, for the moment, a virtual unknown and untested comedian can do the same act and actually pull it off, more power to her. They say imitation is the best form of flattery so Sarah Dooley must be flattering the Moses

Sarah’s cute, but not the type of lady who’s going to strut her stuff in front of Tyra. And yet she emanates this great aura of confidence that’s clearly seen on the show. She pulls everything off beautifully (except speaking from the point of view of her private parts but at least she tries).

Another thing I noticed in the comments sections on YouTube is how many viewers indicate how Sarah elicits an emotional response from them. As an entertainer, what more could you ask for in terms of gauging success with your audience? To me it speaks volumes (especially given the typical drivel of which YouTube comments are made).

Whether or not Sarah’s someday going to “make it” and pull in the big bucks, who knows? What can be said, however, is that she has an ability to make a connection with her audience, and that’s a big and instant success in its own right.

Check it out on YouTube.