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March 28, 2024, 11:20:43 PM

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Ricky Gervais's After Life series 3 [split topic]

Started by Cursus, July 23, 2020, 09:33:21 PM

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Menu

Quote from: MrsWarboysLover on January 22, 2022, 10:00:38 AMInteresting coming from Boyle. He's worse than Gervais for making edgelord jokes and then intellectualising them later to justify it and hide the real reason he finds them funny. To then preach and condemn others for it shows he might have even less self awareness than Ricky. Even if he is right on this.

I have no problem with Boyle making the jokes he makes, or even Rick really, it's just exasperating to hear them try and pretend their edgy humour is somehow noble and making a social point, when it broadly isn't.


Couldn't agree more. I find FB funny but he's shockingly hypocritical about what constitutes comedy and what doesn't. And yes Tramadol Nights was awful. As is one of his books - can't remember its name but it was that same sort of sinister surrealism. Which sounds good but is actually just very very tedious.

Blue Jam

Quote from: Menu on January 26, 2022, 05:22:12 PMAs is one of his books - can't remember its name but it was that same sort of sinister surrealism. Which sounds good but is actually just very very tedious.

Scotland's Jesus? I got that as a two-for-one Kindle deal with My Shit Life So Far. Enjoyed MSLSF, found SJ unreadable. Like one of those ranty Jeremy Clarkson-esque toilet books destined to end up as lazy Fathers' Day gifts.

Menu

Hey, Blue Jam! No it was called "Work! Consume! Die!", and it was dreadful. Yeah MSLSF was quite good. The only problem was I got the audiobook and, for whatever reason, he doesn't do the narration himself. Instead it's some weedy-voiced actor instead, and you really lose a lot without FB's delivery.

chip

Quote from: Blue Jam on January 26, 2022, 06:45:37 PMMy Shit Life So Far

I haven't read it but it's possibly my favourite autobiography name ever. Tickles me whenever I see it.

Blue Jam

I tell you what, My Shit Life So Far made for bloody good holiday reading. Reading about bleak Glasgow housing estates while sitting on a sunny beach in Lisbon made the experience all the more enjoyable.

It genuinely is a good title as well.


paruses

Was just thinking of the scene with tubby Ricky Gervais on the punchbag. Really made laugh remembering his strong arms and podgy belly in that singlet. Love how it's the intro to him being a lapsed athlete.

frajer

Quote from: paruses on January 27, 2022, 09:18:25 AMWas just thinking of the scene with tubby Ricky Gervais on the punchbag. Really made laugh remembering his strong arms and podgy belly in that singlet. Love how it's the intro to him being a lapsed athlete.

That was so fucking weird. I didn't get far beyond that moment but it was such a surreal scene to put right at the start of an episode (must have been ep 2), I genuinely didn't realise what was happening at first.

And in contrast to him farting on her head or pissing in her Cornflakes or whatever pranks the Rickster was pulling on the reg, Godliman's way to "get back at him" is to sneak up on him when's being a furiously muscly and strong boy in a sleeveless top and filming his hench bod while it's in full-on Streets of Rage mode.

"Oh you startled me while I was being such a strong boy! You're not filming that, are you? Oh nooo. You got me good and proper. At least it's not going out on Netflix or summat!"

BritishHobo

I'm so glad I did first and last episodes only, and so missed all this mad shit with Tony being amazing at sports. It sounds like absolute wank.

Cuellar

Jesus christ it's like that bit in The Office when he's 'backstage' after his motivational speaker gig and he draws his stomach in and puffs his chest out when that woman comes in.

MrsWarboysLover

does anyone have any predictions for his next project?
I'm trying to think of which of his obsessions he hasn't already tackled

celebrities = extras
ironic bigotry = everything
people who are different to him = derek and life's too short
kindness = derek and afterlife
working class people are angels = derek and afterlife
atheism = the invention of lying
music = life on the road
philosophy and science = that sam harris podcast

i think he's just about covered all of it now. Maybe he'll waddle off into the sunset, like Tony, carrying a bindle full of all his awards, and this will be our last major Gervais work



Quote from: MrsWarboysLover on January 27, 2022, 10:34:55 AMdoes anyone have any predictions for his next project?
I'm trying to think of which of his obsessions he hasn't already tackled

celebrities = extras
ironic bigotry = everything
people who are different to him = derek and life's too short
kindness = derek and afterlife
working class people are angels = derek and afterlife
atheism = the invention of lying
music = life on the road
philosophy and science = that sam harris podcast

i think he's just about covered all of it now. Maybe he'll waddle off into the sunset, like Tony, carrying a bindle full of all his awards, and this will be our last major Gervais work




Porn
2 lesbians,sisters probably, hes just watching

poodlefaker

Could totally see him trying a lazy third-rate CYE-type thing drawing on his own life.

rude soil

Tim Key, on Off Menu, said that they really push the outtakes on After Life so you'd be an idiot not to laugh along. It was part of a joke about something else but it does make me imagine a working environment where you have to laugh along every time you hear this cackle because you know it's going on the compilation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2vElLG0rc0&t=351

Quote from: MrsWarboysLover on January 27, 2022, 10:34:55 AMdoes anyone have any predictions for his next project?
I'm trying to think of which of his obsessions he hasn't already tackled

celebrities = extras
ironic bigotry = everything
people who are different to him = derek and life's too short
kindness = derek and afterlife
working class people are angels = derek and afterlife
atheism = the invention of lying
music = life on the road
philosophy and science = that sam harris podcast

i think he's just about covered all of it now. Maybe he'll waddle off into the sunset, like Tony, carrying a bindle full of all his awards, and this will be our last major Gervais work




I can see him fully pivoting to one of those ITV Martin Clunes or Paul O'Grady style shows about how much he loves dogs next

frajer

Quote from: poodlefaker on January 27, 2022, 12:02:32 PMCould totally see him trying a lazy third-rate CYE-type thing drawing on his own life.

I reckon this'll be it. He has such a limited perspective that anything not cribbed directly from his own life ends up being a demented trip into a fantasy land version of reality (hiya Derek mate).

It's not even necessarily a bad thing that he can only draw from his real life experiences. It's just that he's increasingly lazy with it and doesn't want to do any research, so it all feels flimsy and boring as fuck.

"What would it be like for me, Ricky Gervais, if - *looks around room* - my wife died? I'd be sad probably. I mean she wouldn't exist anymore so she can just be a 2-dimensional cyber angel, that works. And when I say I'd be sad, I wouldn't be all pathetic, like a junkie who deserves to die. I'd be an edgy misanthrope who triumphs over everyone around me because I just don't give a shit, yeah? And I'd have a dog. Fuck this is good stuff."

Ferris

Quote from: rude soil on January 27, 2022, 12:28:34 PMTim Key, on Off Menu, said that they really push the outtakes on After Life so you'd be an idiot not to laugh along. It was part of a joke about something else but it does make me imagine a working environment where you have to laugh along every time you hear this cackle because you know it's going on the compilation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2vElLG0rc0&t=351

desolation

Hat FM

Quote from: poodlefaker on January 27, 2022, 12:02:32 PMCould totally see him trying a lazy third-rate CYE-type thing drawing on his own life.

him just sitting on twitter looking smug every day with his awards behind him.

sevendaughters

there'll definitely be an endless parade of Netflix Specials designed to make people press their twitter and go OOK OOK OOOK

Mr Farenheit

Quote from: MrsWarboysLover on January 27, 2022, 10:34:55 AMdoes anyone have any predictions for his next project?

Sitcom where he does the inner voice of a dog, goes on walks and meets other dogs, sniffs their arses LOLLLLL, calls out other dogs for being 'fat cunts'. There's another dog he meets who's always humping human's legs or chairs, with a suitably lewd voiceover by David Earl. Ricky-dog loves his owner (a vicar!) but can't understand why he seems to think fairy storeys about an old human who lives in the sky are actually real! Each episode he does something that proves dogs are kinder than humans (he doesn't actually do anything to prove this, he just goes into the garden where a wise old lady tortoise tells him how kind he is). Every episode plays out exactly the same way until the final five minutes of the series where he prevents his owner from commiting suicide and persuades him that God isn't real.

Peabo Bryson Is Not Dead

I've given this a lot of thought, much more than it deserves but, Ricky Gervais is ok.

Not great, not a genius, but ok. He's found a path, a formula, and he's milking it for all it's worth. Kudos for that. I'd be happy if I had similar accolades and riches.

It doesn't change my mind that 'After Life' is sub-generic pish, so lazy it was probably written on his phone, and edited by no-one. What I appreciate now though is how lazy the rest of the media, publishers and platforms are in propping up his lack of energy or desire to grow. He's been in "the industry" for over 25 years. He was attached to names for about 10 years before that through his social circles. He is proven shorthand for giving people an opportunity, so much so that more exciting, new, and different talent isn't given that opportunity anymore (they merely have to appear in his dross and hope they get some crumbs from the industry circle-jerk response). His and Merchant's sitcom changed comedy commissioning on both sides of the Atlantic, by luck rather than design. Even Gervais took this as a central conceit of Extras and railed against it. Now Netflix just take anything of his based on his name rather than the quality of the limited work delivered (see also Chappelle).

To criticize Gervais in this forum can be seen as bitterness; from bedroom critics, wannabes and current writers and performers who don't receive the transatlantic, and then full-blown international success Ricky gets. However, he has done something right to still be in the zeitgeist. But Gervais used to repeat ad nauseam that being popular or being rich doesn't mean you're good. I think we're on to 30+ pages on this torrid, turgid topic because we're all disappointed in Ricky Gervais. He hasn't grown as a voice, he refuses to. He fleshes out caricatures he noted down in the 80s and uses decent performers to act them out, under his direction, because of the success subsequently seen by his previously used (brilliant) actors. It doesn't explain why Bowie gave him the time of day but it's the highpoint in Ricky's career, everything else has been downhill since. I'd kill to have half the success of his off days.

If any of us delivered such work as After Life, un-edited and so lacking in structure, we'd be laughed out of offices in London, New York and Burbank. And even Sydney, and they take any old shit. After Life is a serious threat to creative comedy and will blunt commissioning again for a generation. The harder you try, the lesser the reward. It's all so exhausting.

AllisonSays

Quote from: frajer on January 27, 2022, 10:15:23 AMThat was so fucking weird. I didn't get far beyond that moment but it was such a surreal scene to put right at the start of an episode (must have been ep 2), I genuinely didn't realise what was happening at first.

And in contrast to him farting on her head or pissing in her Cornflakes or whatever pranks the Rickster was pulling on the reg, Godliman's way to "get back at him" is to sneak up on him when's being a furiously muscly and strong boy in a sleeveless top and filming his hench bod while it's in full-on Streets of Rage mode.

"Oh you startled me while I was being such a strong boy! You're not filming that, are you? Oh nooo. You got me good and proper. At least it's not going out on Netflix or summat!"

There's a really funny Bob Mortimer anecdote about an unfilmed celebrity boxing show starring Ricky Gervais, on the RHLSTP.

paruses

Quote from: AllisonSays on January 27, 2022, 06:05:24 PMThere's a really funny Bob Mortimer anecdote about an unfilmed celebrity boxing show starring Ricky Gervais, on the RHLSTP.

I was just thinking exactly the same thing. I remembered seeing Grant Bovey vs Ricky Gervais and it was back when it was exciting to see Gervais on something. Even then I remember thinking Bovey should have won but Gervais won on popularity (which they called points in the match). Might be an unfair call but seem to think my friend corroborated it at the time. Bit of foreshadowing, if you ask me for his subsequent career.

The Bob Mortimer story is great, though. Bob's horror at what was coming at him is very funny.

Rob1969in


H-O-W-L

That whole boxing thing was planned to be part of a series but the boxing industry (rightfully) pointed out how fucked up it was for amateurs to be pitted against each other like that (and especially men in their 40s with no sports experience) and the BBC shitcanned it.

AllisonSays

Quote from: Rob1969in on January 27, 2022, 06:38:31 PM

Jesus christ, Gervais should've sacked off comedy and channeled his neuroses into boxing, he's not bad!

The Ombudsman

Quote from: AllisonSays on January 27, 2022, 07:26:57 PMJesus christ, Gervais should've sacked off comedy and channeled his neuroses into boxing, he's not bad!

Bob wasn't the right opponent, it was a daft paring. However Ricky does show aptitude for it for sure. And massive props to Bob, that takes proper guts.

Mobius

I thought he wrestled Anthea Turner's husband Grant Bovey, didn't realise he'd done two matches.

It was great on the XFM show when Ricky was doing that fight, didn't mind taking the piss out of himself. As Steve said he clearly fancied himself as a bit hard, but Ricky was enjoying how ridiculous the whole thing was.

https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-60071367

phwoar look how muscly he is in that bottom pic.

shiftwork2

I haven't subjected myself to this.  However I have over the past month watched some new solid telly starring (and with lots of creative input from) Martin Freeman, Mackenzie Crook and Stephen Merchant.

He has to know he's fucked it.