It can be a really hard thing to look a friend straight in the eye and tell him, "sorry, but I don't like this thing you love."
A co-worker recently discovered the HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm by receiving the first season DVDs for Christmas. I'd sampled a random episode once before, and had not had a favorable enough impression to ever repeat that experience. But I do love Seinfeld, and the two shows do have Larry David in common. So when we all came back from the holiday break, and my friend was raving about the show, I decided I'd give it a chance.
But I just don't like it. Larry David is almost the entire reason why. He may be a funny writer, but he is not a funny actor. I find he actually kills any comedy that might otherwise be in progress when he's on the screen. And since Curb Your Enthusiasm is entirely about him, he's in virtually every scene.
I've tried three episodes so far, and found each as joyless and hard to watch as the last. Halfway through the third episode, I whipped out my Nintendo DS to solve a Sudoku puzzle while I left the show on in the background.
I've told my friend of my reaction, and could just feel the wind fall out of his sails. To his credit, he didn't get all in my grill with the whole "how could you not like it?" bit, but his crestfallen sort of expression, laced with confusion, was almost as bad.
I asked him to recommend what he thought the funniest episode of the season was, and I've pledged to try that one out, giving the show one last chance. But even though I'm now armed with that information, I can't quite bring myself to watch it. I'll stop for a moment to think about what else I could do with that half hour, and end up reading another chapter or two of a book, playing another set in Rock Band, or whatever.
I need to either watch this or give the DVD back. It just sits there next to my TV, taunting me.
4 comments:
I've been in your exact situation. I have a friend who loves this show but I found it to be forced humor. it's funny stuff to talk about (like "he tried to do ___ when he was at a ____?" that's a funny situation!) but it's slightly painful to watch. Seinfeld had a natural feel to it but CYE didn't have the same type of charm for me either...
on the subject of "things friends like and try to cram down your throat for your own good" I suggest you find a copy of Death Note (and the sequel Death Note: The Last Name.) it's live-action film(s) based on an anime, so it's not like a real anime right? I cannot spoil anything about it (for your own good) but I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy it. (there is no American release yet so you'll have to track one down and read the subtitles, but I'm guessing you know people who likely have a copy...)
the mole
I'm right there with you on this show, Dr. I've tried several times to watch it based on recommendations from others - and I've found it to be the most consistently unfunny show I've watched in some time. It made the cardinal sin of just...boring me.
And the fact that Larry David helped create Seinfeld, one of the funniest shows on television - just astounds me.
It took me awhile to warm up to Curb. The first season didn't do much for me - and largely bored me. I then gave the second season a chance and by the end of it I was truly enjoying the show. I think it just took awhile for the actors to get a good chemistry with each other since it is unscripted.
The show is meant to make you feel uncomfortable and to create humor from how absurdly selfish a person can be. I've heard it described as "What if George Costanza was the star of Seinfeld?"
Anyway, if you don't like it, you don't like it. I think the season where his friend Richard needed a kidney transplant was probably the best one. The shows don't always work, but when they do they are great.
Having seen Seinfeld without David and David without Seinfeld, I think I can say that it was David's influence that made Seinfeld (the sitcom) worth watching for me.
"Uncomfortable humor" sometimes works for me. I'm a big fan of Ricky Gervais' series. But for whatever reason, CYE didn't do it for me. Go fig.
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