The first season of "CYE" was a bit of a struggle. It came out on the short end of comparisons with its big brother Seinfeld. There could've been more laughs. Larry David was disappointing as Larry David, compared to Jason Alexander as George Costanza (based on Larry David). The improvisational style was awkward and grating, and there was very little chemistry between Larry and Cheryl David (Cheryl Hines).
Well, the second season of "CYE" (2001) has many of the same elements. The improv style still dominates the show, and it's still annoying. The show can still be awkward and grating. But there is considerable good news. The show is just plain funnier, for one thing. The writing is sharper, and the laughs are bigger and more frequent. The situational comedy, while still following the "surreal of the ordinary" path that "Seinfeld" blazed, is now its own entity. As season 2 progresses, "CYE" feels less and less like a "Seinfeld" spin-off.
Yes, Larry David's particular brand of misanthropy is brutal and grating, but he's funny enough that it doesn't matter. Yes, the stutter-step dialog is still infuriating at times. But the whole show seems to have grown somehow, to have come together to be stronger and funnier than the first season. The flaws are still there, but the superior writing and acting shine through.
Jeff Garlin is still the highlight as Larry's hilariously skeezy manager. And the weak link this season has to be Cheryl Hines. It's only partly her fault, though, as the writers have tranformed her into little more than a stereotypical counterpart to Larry.
But, all in all, "Curb Your Enthusiasm" has come through on the 2nd season and I look forward to even more cohesion in season 3.
Plot & storyline: 8/10
Cinematography & effects: 6/10
Music & mood: 5/10
Performances: 7/10
The Reverend says: 7/10
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Man,this show is so freaking awkward! It's funny, but sometimes the set up to the episode's conflict is so obvious and so socially awkward that you (and by you, I mean me) find yourself yelling at Larry, "No, don't do that! It will be misinterpreted by everyone and you won't be able to explain yourself!" It gets a little painful sometimes.
ReplyDeleteStill pretty funny, though.