Times you’ve agreed with Larry David

[The Mollusk]

The best thing about CYE is that it straddles the line between totally relatable and cringe-inducingly disagreeable subjects, and it's that divide which makes the show so brilliant and rewatchable. For every five things LD does that have you almost yelling "JUST LEAVE IT" through gritted teeth, there's at least one or two where you completely empathise with him.

Maybe it's something to do with my mental condition and how I struggle greatly with emotional response regulation, but I find it extremely hard to be dishonest, even if it's to protect someone's feelings. I take a step back from creative projects of friends because I can't even summon the false energy to feign support by liking their social media posts, let alone tell them in person I like what they're doing. Equally if I'm disappointed with something I will outright just be like, "This sucks". When Larry turns down Suzy's offer of a tour of her and Jeff's new home simply because he wasn't interested, that stuff speaks volumes to me.

Anyway the biggest and best example I can think of is when he's the only person who doesn't sing "Happy Birthday" for Ben Stiller. That scene is fucking amazing. I hate that song so much, it's the most twee, contrived sentiment and that ten horrendous seconds of it feels like a lifetime. I honestly cannot bring myself to do it, I can't even lip sync along to it, I would rather just stand there smiling awkwardly than put myself through that absolute fucking melt of a dirge.

[Jerzy Bondov]

When he immediately drops out of a conversation he's having because he sees Martin Short walking down the street

[Brundle-Fly]

Selfish sods making or taking loud personal phone calls in restaurants/ public transport. Mind you, not something I've had to endure of late, I might almost welcome it now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtdpJlZ07u4

[The Culture Bunker]

I've not watched all that much CYE, but I generally find myself sympathetic to Larry's plights, beyond him being incredibly rich enough to not really have to worry about it all.

I'm pretty bad at faking interest or hiding boredom. A few times, my parents have travelled to Spain with my brother, his kids and in-laws to spend a week or two at some rented villa. Every time, I've turned down an offer to join them:

"Why?"
"I'd be bored shitless."
"Isn't it enough to be with your family?"
"Not even close."

If they said they were going to, I dunno, Florence for a week then I'd go and spend the days wandering the city and meet up with everyone for the night. But I can't bring myself to endure a week or more sat by a swimming pool wishing I was back home (where all my stuff is) just for the sake of family unity.

I'm lucky to have a partner who understands this and knows better than to push me into anything that I've not shown any vague interest in.

[Autopsy Turvey]

I must have disagreed with Larry David about something at some point, but I can't remember what it was.

[checkoutgirl]

For every five things LD does that have you almost yelling "JUST LEAVE IT" through gritted teeth, there's at least one or two where you completely empathise with him.

I'd have it the other way around, for the first few series anyway. People are constantly giving Larry shit for the most trivial of stuff.

Example

Handyman fixes something.
Larry offers tip.
Handyman makes a point of not accepting money.
Larry shrugs.
Handyman asks for a swim in his pool instead of money.

Which naturally gets convoluted into Ted Danson's pool getting abused, if memory serves.

How it would have gone really.

Handyman fixes something.
Larry offers tip.
Handyman makes a point of not accepting money.
Larry shrugs.
Handyman asks for a swim in his pool instead of money.
Larry says take the money or fuck off.


Another one has Moca Joe doing the same shit except it's picking up coffee beans to return a favour, a favour that cost Moca Joe no time or effort, a completely unreasonable request to drive miles to get coffee beans.

Jason Alexander insisting Larry come to his office twice in a row, that's not fair.

Larry has a water bottle in his pants now everyone thinks he's a peadophile.

Larry cuts a doll's hair and the little girl lies and said she didn't want it cut.

And so on and so forth.

Part of me likes Curb a lot, another part of me realises that some of at least 5 episodes include Larry getting a real or imagined boner.

[checkoutgirl]

Anyway the biggest and best example I can think of is when he's the only person who doesn't sing "Happy Birthday" for Ben Stiller.

When he says "Hi, nice to meet you" to an army guy instead of thanking him for his service and the army lad runs off nearly in tears.

How many people are thinking the army lad was in the right there?

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Pretty much every time. Admittedly, I've not seen that much of the series, but that's precisely because I find it annoying when the other characters all overreact to some perfectly innocuous thing Larry has done.

There was the episode in which he buys a sewing machine for a friend's flamboyant young son. While the kid is overjoyed, the adults all start freaking out, in a blatant and (IIRC) unchallenged display of homophobia.

[Dusty Substance]

That time he bought a present for the surrogate mother much to the bewilderment of the others at the baby shower was actually a lovely gesture from Larry. Although he went and ballsed it up when he accidentally talked the surrogate out of giving her baby away.

[wrec]

One that hits a nerve is when they're at the beach and an acquaintance borrows his jacket.

Well then, she should have brought her own jacket. I was the only one who anticipated that it was going to be cold. And I should be rewarded for that foresight, not punished.

I tend to have the foresight to bring appropriate clothing / food / drink with me and people who breeze around without anticipating the most predictable circumstances and freak out when they transpire do my head in

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

For every five things LD does that have you almost yelling "JUST LEAVE IT" through gritted teeth, there's at least one or two where you completely empathise with him.

Gonna say that ratio is more like 4:3 for me

One Foot In The Grave is so similarly balanced between Victor being absolutely in the right at times while reacting in such a way as to render his initial entitlement to be upset invalid. In others he is a curmudgeonly arsehole who gets exact what's coming to him in a straightforwardly cartoonlike way. It's great when some episodes of OFITG and CYE play with this dynamic to keep the audience wrongfooted.

[Brundle-Fly]

edit because I misinterpretated somebody's post.

[Brundle-Fly]

I do like the notion of the Larry David character crossing paths with Victor Meldrew. They'd abhor each other.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Not exactly been in the same situation but where he thanks another bloke for getting the tab because he had a card out and then his wife demands he thank her too. Obviously it'd have made his life easier to thank them both to begin with and his refusal to back down was stupid, but the demanding the correction was unnecessary.

[Gurke and Hare]

When he says "Hi, nice to meet you" to an army guy instead of thanking him for his service and the army lad runs off nearly in tears.

How many people are thinking the army lad was in the right there?

In America? About 99% of them probably.

[Noodle Lizard]

Not exactly been in the same situation but where he thanks another bloke for getting the tab because he had a card out and then his wife demands he thank her too. Obviously it'd have made his life easier to thank them both to begin with and his refusal to back down was stupid, but the demanding the correction was unnecessary.

Yeah, this kind of thing is common in CYE, where it's hard not to agree with Larry because everyone he's surrounded by is often so unreasonable. But some of the more typical interactions (e.g. saying "nah, you're okay" to a tour of a friend's new house) hit very close to home for me, though I'll usually err on the side of politeness.

[BritishHobo]

One that hits a nerve is when they're at the beach and an acquaintance borrows his jacket.

I tend to have the foresight to bring appropriate clothing / food / drink with me and people who breeze around without anticipating the most predictable circumstances and freak out when they transpire do my head in

You might find this an interesting read:

https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/comments/e6hy4e/aita_for_not_lending_my_jacket_to_my_girlfriend/

My own answer to the topic was going to be the episode mentioned above with the sewing machine, and the homophobic mother who thinks it's a gay thing. I think what always surprised me about the show though on my first watch is how willing Larry often is to apologise. He comes off as very reasonable in a lot of situations, although obviously there's plenty of other opportunities where he's not.

The Ben Stiller birthday is a good shout - specifying 'no gifts', and then getting angry at Larry for not bringing a gift. I like that they make Stiller a bit overbearing with his obsession with the social niceties.

[Sebastian Cobb]

lol the whole 'anonymous' donation thing was like that as well.

There's definitely a good few people far worse than Larry in it that are complete cunts but working within the 'social framework' Larry feels alienated from.

[neveragain]

I do like the notion of the Larry David character crossing paths with Victor Meldrew. They'd abhor each other.

Hmm... Interesting. I'm not sure if they would, unless Victor took against Larry's wealth. Or Larry was speaking loudly in a restaurant. I can't imagine Larry giving Victor a second look to be honest.

[DJ Bob Hoskins]

For every five things LD does that have you almost yelling "JUST LEAVE IT" through gritted teeth, there's at least one or two where you completely empathise with him.

Maybe it's something to do with my mental condition and how I struggle greatly with emotional response regulation, but I find it extremely hard to be dishonest, even if it's to protect someone's feelings.

I broadly agree with this except that I tend to do the opposite thing of going out of my way not to offend or make a fuss, often to my own detriment, so watching LD is a great catharsis in the sense that the I can vicariously experience conducting social interactions with zero filter.

This is a very entertaining interview in case anyone hasn't read it. The business with the coffee is pure Curb:

https://www.gq.com/story/larry-david-cover-profile-february-2020

[madhair60]

Should I watch Curb? I have never watched it.

[The Mollusk]

Should I watch Curb? I have never watched it.

The first three seasons (at least) are some of the best sitcom stuff ever made so YEAH MATE PROBABLY

[The Mollusk]

hit very close to home

C'mon I'll give you the tour!

[Sebastian Cobb]

I can't be bothered getting in to a heated argument about it or owt but I thought it took a couple to find its feet and peak, I had the first on dvd and thought the later stuff was definitely a bit better.

There's a gap where I missed stuff around the time Cheryl moved out and Larry was with Loretta up until a specific bit of binging appears to be the last-but-one series hungover round a mates with the Coffee feud and Larry dating Megyn Price but worrying she might get fat, which seemed a bit bleak and grim.

[Noodle Lizard]

I can't be bothered getting in to a heated argument about it or owt but I thought it took a couple to find its feet and peak, I had the first on dvd and thought the later stuff was definitely a bit better.

Oo, I dunno. I can't fault much of the first three seasons (except maybe some of the more observational material becoming a bit ubiquitous since). 5 was quite weak, and I think most of 8 and all of 9 are worthless. Redeemed itself a bit with the last one, but ultimately I think the season 7 finale would've been a perfect ending.

[Zetetic]

Was put off every trying it by a philosophy tutor/psychiatrist who recommended it to me and then insisted that I handwrite essays and didn't have depression.

Which is probably giving him a bit too much power over me, a decade later.

Start with Season 1 or ???

[jobotic]

As always my prejudice against the very rich swanning about put me off this but I'm glad I gave it a go. As everyone says the first few series are brilliant.

And while an awful lot of the people in it are people I wouldn't want to spend a moment with I am quite jealous of Larry's life.

[Chollis]

Start with Season 1 or ???

yes

(e.g. saying "nah, you're okay" to a tour of a friend's new house) hit very close to home for me, though I'll usually err on the side of politeness.

i love this one, i've done it before

[checkoutgirl]

Was put off every trying it by a philosophy tutor/psychiatrist who recommended it to me and then insisted that I handwrite essays and didn't have depression.

I can't make head nor tail of that. Read it 5 times. Gobbledygook.

[jobotic]

No it's not. It was recommended to him by a plum so that put him off.

You never been put off by a band because someone you don't like likes them? Or something like that. Of if someone talks shit about other stuff you probably won't follow their recommendations.