Curb Your Enthusiasm 12

[non capisco]

Jeff's funniest moment is in that episode of The Sopranos when Junior is watching an episode of Curb and he thinks Larry and Jeff are him and Bobby Bacala.

[TheMonk]

That's very mean

Na.

[The Mollusk]

Even in the season 3 finale when everyone's swearing their arse off in the restaurant, Jeff's swears are some of the least funny. And shouting swear words is really easy to make funny! AND he's allegedly spent fucking ages doing it between takes on set of the Goldbergs so you'd think he would have developed some skill in the field!

(Suzie and Michael York do the best swears in that scene.)

[chip]

Even in the season 3 finale when everyone's swearing their arse off in the restaurant, Jeff's swears are some of the least funny.

Doesn't he go "CAAHCK!"? That's quite funny

[BeardFaceMan]

Jeff isn't funny. He works perfectly as the post for Suzie to bounce her vitriol off like a big dumb piñata but otherwise he mostly just parrots stuff Larry says or shouts (often at the same time). Obviously he's got his own plot lines and moves the story along but by and large he is pretty much everyone else's foil. I can't really think of any scene where Jeff has been funny without it being the result of someone else's words or actions towards/against him. Comparing him to Lewis or Funkhauser who often crack me up as soon as they enter a scene, Jeff doesn't even come close.

Once I noticed that I couldn't unnotice it, to the point that Garlin started to piss me off and spoil things. It's feels like he was at improv school and someone said to him "If you can't think of something to say, just repeat back what was said to you" and he fucking ran with it.

[chip]

"A BRA-SNIFFING DOG, WHAT THE FUCK!"

[Tombola]

Jeff is good in this scene, first enjoying watching Larry try to naturally bring up the sandwich (the only reason he is there), and then sabotaging Larry's attempts to downplay how awful the sandwich is.

[Kelvin]

Jeff doesn't say much that's funny, but he's essential as Larry's enabler and confidant. Almost all the other characters, Cheryl, Funkhauser, Ted Danson, have a more antagonistic relationship with Larry, even if, at times, they've been close to him. Jeff is just a selfish prick who wants to stay on his client's best side, so always agrees with him about everything, and never challenges him. You need a character like that in a show where Larry is going to be arguing with so many other characters so much of the time. 

In later seasons, Leon fills that role a lot more, admittedly. But he's clearly not got the same money and 'status' as Larry and Jeff, so can't swim in the same circles.

[LordMorgan]

Jeff is good in this scene, first enjoying watching Larry try to naturally bring up the sandwich (the only reason he is there), and then sabotaging Larry's attempts to downplay how awful the sandwich is.

Jesus I was going to mention this very scene

I love Jeff here. Completely fucks larrys shit up

[LordMorgan]

Jeff doesn't say much that's funny, but he's essential as Larry's enabler and confidant. Almost the other characters, Cheryl, Funkhauser, Ted Danson, have a more antagonistic relationship with Larry, even if, at times, they've been close to him. Jeff is just a selfish prick who wants to stay on his client's best side, so always agrees with him about everything, and never challenges him. You need a character like that in a show where Larry is going to be arguing with so many other characters so much of the time. 

In later seasons, Leon fills that role a lot more, admittedly. But he's clearly not got the same money and 'status' as Larry and Jeff, so can't swim in the same circles.

That's spot on, he is  also very funny in the whole Lewis needs a kidney scenario

He does stand up to Larry in that situation , and it goes all the way to the wire with a coin toss. That Suzy over rules anyway

[neveragain]

Pretty good first episode.

Maria Sofia was funny throughout. The scene with Siri in the car was joyous. I'll miss Larry. Ending a bit abrupt but I guess it would make more sense in the States.

[Better Midlands]

Ending a bit abrupt

Spoiler alert

[close]

[QDRPHNC]

Great scene, always loved Ted Danson's delivery of "One tastes good and one sucks."

I adored Curb for maybe the first five seasons, but when I soured on it I really soured, to the point where even going back and watching the classics isn't something I want to do.

The improvisational aspect of it creates problems in all sorts of ways. The biggest one for me is that since there's no script, the structure is never refined and exposition ends up being shouted / delivered with great clunkiness and repeated in multiple scenes, I guess because they don't know exactly what they've got until they start editing. Compared to Seinfeld, it's very hamfisted in this regard.

The next biggest is that so much of it is predicated on people getting angry at Larry, but because of the aforementioned lack of structure coupled with the improv, it can be a deeply frustrating experience. We're watching an ostensibly realistic show, yet so much of the drama and conflict would, in reality, be defused immediately with a short, simple explanation — but that can never happen because the show (broadly) has one trick and it needs to do it over and over again.

The need for endless conflict also started to cloud my perception of the characters - Cheryl for example became so obnoxious and entitled I found her unwatchable, because even when something clearly isn't Larry's fault ("beloved cunt"), the show requires the surrounding characters to treat him awfully regardless.

Added to that, in later seasons Larry just become a rich obnoxious boor, as opposed to the everyman-who-happens-to-be-rich guy who gets into scrapes. To make the obvious comparison once more, Seinfeld was much more adept at observing and deconstructing the minutia of social interactions because the scripts were clearly much more thought-out from every angle.

There is one scene that always stuck with me because it highlighted Curb's shortcomings so perfectly (and I'm almost positive I've brought it up before years ago). It's the bit where Larry is playing poker with the closeted gay chap and his wife, and Larry calls him a cunt. Then the comedy flows from the severity of the word, rather than the far more interesting direction that a more refined script could have gone exploring the ramifications of calling a gay man a gendered insult in front of his unknowing wife. I still maintain that "pussy" would have been a far more interesting word to use, but (again) because it's improv Curb has to go for maximum immediate impact over something more subtle played out over the longer term.

Anyway, sorry for the long post, I'm on the amphetamines.

[thugler]

Jeff is a bit overbearing on pods, talks over people. But sometimes can be funny, will see how it goes

[Scrapey Fish]

I can't really think of any scene where Jeff has been funny without it being the result of someone else's words or actions towards/against him

"What the fuck were you thinking! A picture of Bush, who gives a flying fuck? I'd fuck her with a Bush mask on!"

[TheMonk]

Listening to episode one of the podcast and I love it. Interesting and entertaining and the two of them clearly have a lot of love for each other. Jeff's fine.

[Mobius]

Pretty good first episode.

Yeah I thought that was a good start, lots of laughs.

[scarecrow]

I really liked the element of Larry attempting to earn money in this one.

[Harry Badger]

Just sent a clip of Maria Sofia's diva antics to my friend, heavily implying the character is based on her. I suspect I'm not going to be tappin' that ass any time soon.

[derek stitt]

Are Americans getting less self conscious about saying the word cunt now? Larry David spouted the word as if he were a native of Scotland or Australia in that episode, an all around good thing.

[Mobbd]

Even in the season 3 finale when everyone's swearing their arse off in the restaurant, Jeff's swears are some of the least funny.

Are you kidding? He says "Cock! Cock! Grandma! Cock!"

I can't remember what anyone else says. Jeff's great.

[Mobbd]

Spoiler alert

Some of it was hack, especially the bit about Siri not listening properly. I kinda liked his frustrated shouting in the car though.

Nice to see Aunty Rae again.

Leon's "APA, Ass Point Average" was very funny.

The thing about LD having "a fucking peanut head" made me laugh.

The fight with South African guy was pretty classic Curb.

Not entirely happy to see Ulman's character again and I can't say I wanted to see Maria Sofia again. Maybe that's just me.

The law Larry breaks at the end is real and it's shocking. I think it's great that Larry used his show to tell people about it. What bullshit.

[close]

The review of the episode in yesterday's Guardian is very poor. It's full of spoilers (a full recap really) and I don't think the reviewer got the gag that

Spoiler alert

LD's mugshot was a fuck-you to Trump.

[close]

[Mobbd]

Are Americans getting less self conscious about saying the word cunt now? Larry David spouted the word as if he were a native of Scotland or Australia in that episode, an all around good thing.

No way, Larry's always been a master of dropping the c-bomb. I think that's why he's on HBO instead of, say, NBC.

There's an episode about it. He uses the word too casually in the presence of a gay guy and it sends him into a personal crisis.

Edit: D'oh, just seen QDRPHNC's reference to this very episode.

[Ferris]

Jeff is fine but he's not the only actor on the show who is shit at improvising.

Cheryl Hines was another one, she'd do a lot of "yeeesss?... yeeeeeeaaaahhh.... ooookayyyyy..." in scenes because as an actor she knew more exposition had to come out via conversation with Larry, but didn't have anything to fill the gaps with. Used to annoy me because for a naturalistic show, nobody talks/holds conversation like that.

[wrec]

I really liked the element of Larry attempting to earn money in this one.

Always good since arguments about money are pure pettiness / matters of principle (delete as appropriate) to millionaire Larry.

I wasn't much into Maria Sofia last season but enjoyed her revelling in her celeb status in this episode, and I also like that's she's graduated to frenemy status with Larry.

I know the neat denouements of the early seasons have to some extent given way to multi-episode arcs but Leon's cake scene seemed a bit pointless, whereas the Siri but was at least funny.

Overall though a good episode with a good ending.

[dead-ced-dead]

Nice to see Sharlto Copley pop up in this. Love that guy.

[Wayman C. McCreery]

Thought this was absolutely shit. A real dud!

[C_Larence]

I don't understand why they even bothered setting up that Larry's phone butt dials, it makes no sense even before the lame "payoff"

[Wayman C. McCreery]

I don't understand why they even bothered setting up that Larry's phone butt dials, it makes no sense even before the lame "payoff"

Yeah. The only good thing that came from that was Leon talking about dick dialling and getting a pizza. I still get some big laughs out of the weakest episodes.

The bereaved server and Leon eating the cake went nowhere either. Maybe they'll return to those later in the series.

[EOLAN]

Yeah. The only good thing that came from that was Leon talking about dick dialling and getting a pizza. I still get some big laughs out of the weakest episodes.

The bereaved server and Leon eating the cake went nowhere either. Maybe they'll return to those later in the series.

The one payoff I am still waiting for is Ted Danson being cancelled or mobbed (or appropriated by the right) due to his role as Robert E Lee.