CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM: Who Said This Was Good? It Sucks!

Goddamnit, I wasted my weekend's netflix deliveries on this, and it's terrible. Why do people find this entertaining? I don't get it. I can barely watch the first five minutes of each episode.

Discuss . . .

 

Could you perhaps give us at least a mini-review Ron?

 

Dark humor, not for everyone. I love it.

 

Basically, CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM is SEINFELD (which I love) with most of the sitcom conventions removed. Lots of self-absorbed yappity-yap over-analyzing trivial pursuits and social gestures, all of it decidedly unfunny, almost agonizingly static.

I'm reminded of Homer Simpson's review of SPORTS NIGHT: "It's the comedy too smart to be funny."

 

I think it's incredibly funny, one of the few 'modern' shows to get me in side splitting mode. I guess it's a matter of taste.

 

By just reading the DVD Box set synopsis stats, I knew I'd dislike this...Thanks for shoring it up

 

Well, I've watched two episodes now, and the rest is going back in the netflix envelopes unwatched. What I find especially annoying is the acting, which seems to be an attempt to be kind of verite, but comes across as more forced and phony than "normal" screen acting.

 

not quite a FULL REPORT though...

 

Agreed. It took e a while to get used to it. Took even longer for My Lovely Bride to get it. We love the show now! It is one of the reasons we kept HBO.

 

My wife doesn't like it at all, but it makes me laugh. In some ways, Larry David reminds me of an exaggerated form of myself - cranky, very opinionated and often getting himself in trouble with his sarcastic remarks. To me, the humor is a lot more subtle than what you find on most sitcoms, and I think that's why my wife doesn't find it very funny - she just doesn't recognize the humor. It's definitely not for everyone, but I enjoy it.

 

My guess is you don't like Woody Allen films either - am I right? They have similar tones - it's very breezy and neurotic. No punchlines. I admit I don't watch the show too often, but from what I've seen I've really liked.

I hated, hated "Seinfeld," but I hate sitcoms. I'm sure if Jerry starred in this kind of single camera show I would have enjoyed it.

Did you like "The Larry Sanders Show?" I thought that was classic comedy. Some people didn't get it at all.

"Friends" was just seen by 52 million people. And I hate it. Comedy can't please everyone all the time.

I often find that if you don't find comedy funny, you're just not relating to it. You're probably not a 50-something neurotic writer who quibbles over the little things in life! Don't sweat not liking "Curb." Unfortunately, though I'm 28 and have a full head of hair, I relate to this putz.

JEFF!

 

If I can convince my wife to interrupt her steady stream of Star Trek DVDs from Netflix, i'll see what all the fuss is about.

I loved Sienfeld, but I hated Friends, but i'm a big fan of sitcoms.

 

Big fan of "Curb" here. Both my wife and I look forward to every HBO airing.

I bought the first box set and will get the next one in June.

It is an aquired taste much like Seinfeld once was, I still here people say that they just didn't get that show either.

These are not your normal sitcoms.

 

You should be fine w/ CYE then, Grant, because I feel the same way. I agree w/ John that it's not your ordinary comedy and THAT'S why it's on HBO. Having said that, there are comedies on HBO that I didn't care for like Arliss and Sex and the City. LOVED Mr. Show and Tenacious D, though.

 

Agree on both points! I still remember when David Duchovny was on LS and was acting like a total jerk.......hilarious!

 

I have tried to get CYE, but am not having much success at it keeping my attention for 30 minutes.

I do love Seinfeld (dislike Friends), and can see where there are some similarities between the two Larry David shows. Sometimes CYE just doesn't feel very "light-hearted" and everyone's just in a cranky mood. Just my observations.

 

So, I fully get CYE... funny as hell...

But.... it puts me in the major stress mode - you can see the disaster-in-making coming a mile away, and I find myself cringing non-stop.

The end result is that I can only take it in small doses. I started watching the box set one day, and had to --- HAD TO -- stop after the second episode. My brain was yelling "don't say that, ya freakin' *****!".

1/2 hour once a week is about perfect, though.

 

I love the show and the comment about "cringe-making" is spot on; it can be hard to watch in large doses because it is so dark and sarcastic.

CYE is also VERY L.A.; there are tons of references to show bidness and the in-jokes can be very subtle. Anyone who has known or worked with people in Hollyweird should "get" the show. I do understand how people in Kansas might scratch their heads, though.

 

This show is definitely polarizing. I love it, the wife hates it! She thinks he's an a##hole.

 

He is and he isn't - that's one of the reasons it's so great, he's right and so very wrong at the same time.

 

If you think Curb is bad, try an episode of Mary Hartman Mary Hartman. I hated that series for the first few episodes, then it became one of my absolute favorites of all time. People don't talk about it much any more.
One thing I must say about the DVD releases of TV series is that they weren't intended to be seen one after another, and I find that if I watch more than two episodes of CYE (or any TV series) in one sitting it's like eating too many slices of great pizza. Sorta like that guy who made a movie of himself eating nothing outside of McDonalds for a month. Yuck.

 

That's what I think...

 

I think it's the funniest show on television right now. no matter how far I've stuck my foot in my mouth, Larry David's always going to be 10 times the loser I am.

that comforts me for some reason.

 

I think it's the funniest show on tv!

 

It seems to translate quite well to the UK, if that means anything.