Talking Funny

You may be wondering, “Wasn’t Talking Funny promoted in the 2011 season of the Daily Show? Doesn’t that mean you don’t have to review it?” Yes, that’s true, I don’t have to. But on Friday night I happened to watch it, and I also happened to need something to review for this week, so it worked out all around.

Talking Funny, an HBO special created by Ricky Gervais, consists of Gervais, Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, and Louis C.K. sitting around and talking about comedy for about 45 minutes. However, despite the title, Talking Funny is just not funny. Granted, I don’t know that humor is its intention; instead of making jokes, the four comedians talk about standup, how they got involved, and their take on the trade.

To be honest, I was disappointed. Though their discussions were interesting enough, when four of my favorite comedians are together, I want to hear some jokes, damn it! Also, Seinfeld came across as pretty self-involved and arrogant—and not in a funny, intentional way like Gervais does. And sometimes the conversation wasn’t that engaging (who cares whether or not Rock does a sound check?). Neither funny nor interesting? No thank you!

There’s really not that much to say about the special; it was okay, worth the 45 minutes it took to watch, but not that much more. It gets a 2/5. However, if you’re looking for some great stuff by these comedians, catch an episode of Seinfeld or Louie (the best rated TV show in Daily Shill history), watch Chris Rock’s documentary Good Hair, or watch one of Gervais’s “Out of England” comedy specials.

Watch Jon Stewart's interview with Ricky Gervais

Ricky Gervais: Out of England II

As a present to me, the last week of Daily Show interviews in 2010 featured a movie, a TV show, a book on the economy (okay, that one wasn’t much of a present) and a picture book. That, my friends, I can handle. Especially when the TV show is Ricky Gervais’s comedy special Ricky Gervais: Out of England II.

I will say from the get-go that I am a big fan of Out of England (I)—my family will still quote it from time to time—so I was definitely pre-disposed to be a fan of the second. And Gervais did not let me down. Though, as with any stand-up, every joke didn’t hit for me, I laughed aloud plenty of times.

Gervais is one of those comedians who will push the limits between a hilarious joke and an offensive one. And he doesn’t hold back in this special—grandparents and sensitive folk beware, this is not the show for you.

The highlight of the special for me was a segment Gervais spent riffing on a picture book that he received as a child. The pages of the book, an illustrated retelling of the story of Noah, were projected on a large screen, and Gervais read the book aloud, stopping to make jokes. I just loved it.

In the end, I’m going to give Ricky Gervais: Out of England II, a 4/5. I enjoyed the show as a whole, but I liked the first one even better. If you don’t mind being a little offended, it’s worth the watch.

Watch Jon Stewart’s interview with Ricky Gervais

The special is currently on HBO on Demand

Hot in Cleveland (Day of Reviews, Post 5)

I thought Sex and the City 2 would be the worst thing I’d watch today, but I was wrong. That place was taken by Hot in Cleveland, TV land’s original sitcom. It bases itself on this premise: three ladies traveling from LA to France have to emergency-land in Cleveland and decide to stay because the guys there find them hot. Every joke is broad and heavy-handed, but the laugh track (or, possibly, the live studio audience) eats them up. I, however, did not.

Betty White is the show’s silver lining. Her timing manages to make a few of the bad jokes tolerable, but even she can’t save them all.

I was really hoping to give this show a 4, since then I would’ve given one of each rating to everything I reviewed today. But, you know, that’s clearly not going to happen here. It’s getting a 1/5.

Watch Jon Stewart’s interview with Betty White. (Watch it. She is a delight)

Watch Hot in Cleveland on Hulu

Louie (Day of Reviews, post 1)

Today, Friday, July 9, will mark a day in Daily Shill History. (Perhaps it will be the only day in its history. Time will tell). Today, I am going to attempt to make as many Daily Shill updates and reviews as possible. I have done just a little bit of prep work. Last night, I watch the episode of Louie that I am about to review (but, it was after midnight, so, technically, it counts as today), and over the past week, I’ve read all but the last 15 pages of No One Would Listen. But other than that, everything that is reviewed today will have been seen today. So I’d better get started.

But before I jump right in to my first review, I have to fix something from last week. When I wrote my thank-you section in my “Progress Report” I thanked my friend Brodie for designing the Daily Shill logo, but forgot to thank him for the more important thing he did. Brodie came up with the name Daily Shill. I came to him with my mission and asked him what I should call it. (I had no idea, and I knew he was awesome at this sort of thing). It was a tough one, but in a day or so, Brodie came up with the Daily Shill, which is perfect. So, thanks again, Brodie! And now, the review.

Louis C.K. is a funny guy, but being funny doesn’t always translate well into a sitcom. Louie, however, gets every word right. The show, which is about one-third standup, two-thirds sitcom, blends the two together nicely, with switches between the two not feeling abrupt. I watched the first two episodes, (yes, I enjoyed the pilot enough to keep going) and the issues in the shows I saw (and likely in the whole series) mirror ones in C.K.’s life: namely being a newly divorced father of two children.

The thing about Louie is that it’s not funny in the traditional, expected sit-com style (though, since it is on FX, I guess you wouldn’t expect an Everybody Loves Raymond). Instead, much of the humor is irreverent and out there, dark and dirty. The show takes you by surprise, too; towards the end of the first episode, a woman on a terrible date with Louie escapes in an almost whimsical way that is never addressed by the show. And in an opposite type of surprising, within the first five minutes of the second episode, Louie gets in a conversation with another comedian (who happens to be gay) about whether it is okay to use the word faggot in stand-up for the laughs. The conversation, for the most part, is not funny (and not trying to be), yet it didn’t feel out of place in this comedy. It was an engaging question, given a thorough answer that, when finished, naturally transitioned into jokes.

I’ve never given a TV show a 5/5 before, but I think with Louie, I’m going to do it. Sure, every joke didn’t make me laugh out loud, but many of them did, even though I was watching it alone in my room. If you’re looking for a different take on a sitcom, I definitely recommend it.

Watch Jon Stewart’s interview with Louis C.K.

Watch Louie on Hulu (You can also watch it on FX on Tuesdays at 11)

Weapons of Self Destruction

I will always have a fondness for Robin Williams because of Aladdin and Mrs. Doubtfire, two of my favorite movies as a kid, and The Birdcage and Dead Poets Society, two I enjoy now. However, it turns out that that affection does not extend to his stand-up.

Watching Williams’s comedy act, Weapons of Self Destruction, I was disappointed at how un-funny I found most of his material. Though you could argue that I was not his intended audience—as many of his bits centered on sex, masturbation, and profanity, something thought of as “boy humor” – I expected to enjoy the comedy special more than I did.

Williams did make me laugh, however, with his political jokes. Though those bits mainly consisted of one-sentence summaries of current events that would surprise people from the past, Williams had the timing down and edited these “headlines” in a way to maximize their humor.

I give Weapons of Self Destruction a 2/5. Watching it didn’t make me want to cry, but I wouldn’t recommend it either.

Watch Jon Stewart’s interview with Robin Williams

Buy the DVD (Or, if you have HBO on demand, it is currently watchable there).

The Marriage Ref

I'm ashamed to admit this: I actually enjoyed parts of the Marriage Ref. (I watched the episode with Ricky Gervais, Larry David, and Madonna.)

So the show has this really stupid idea: let's get married couples to send us videos showing their biggest gripe with other, and then we'll decide who wins. (The real answer is neither person wins because America now knows their problems. I guess you could say America wins, but I wouldn't go that far. I think we may lose, too). Anyway, there's this guy, Tom Papa, who isn't funny (but he's supposed to be) who is there every week as "the Ref." His job consists of introducing the couples' videos to the panel and making "the call" (of who wins) in the end. And let me tell you, he gets annoying quickly.

But then, in each episode, there is a different celebrity panel who is there to "advise" (read "make fun of the couple"). To tell the truth, I know this panel is the only reason I liked the show. Larry David and Ricky Gervais are just funny guys (and Madonna, though she wasn't intending to, was a decent straight-man).

Really, the show seems to be a facade to get more than one comedian in the room. They should just ditch the feuding couples and, instead, feature a couple of comedians an episode to riff on anything. Or, to go a different route, ditch everything and start with a brand new show. At one point in the episode I saw, David and Gervais joked about having a reality show where they were roommates. That's actually the show I'd want to see. Jerry Seinfeld, spend your money on that instead.

Despite enjoying parts of the show, I'm only giving it a 2/5. I found all of the regular portions stupid and liked it only because of David and Gervais. Plus, deserves a low score just for interrupting the Closing Ceremony of the 2010 Olympics. Not cool, Marriage Ref. Not cool.

Watch Jon Stewart's interview with Jerry Seinfeld

Watch an episode of the Marriage Ref on Hulu

The Ricky Gervais Show: not funny

I find Ricky Gervais hilarious. That being said, I didn't once laugh while watching The Ricky Gervais Show on HBO.

For those unaware of the concept, let me catch you up. Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, and Karl Pilkington sit around and talk. Or, rather, Pilkington says something odd, and Gervais and Merchant make fun of him for what he says (and for how round his head is). This whole thing began as a podcast (with the same title), though it has recently expanded into an animated show on HBO.

The medium of the show puzzles me; why animate three guys sitting around talking? Sure, you're able to also animate whatever it is they're talking about, but there's also a lot of time spent showing three men sitting at a table. Also (and I'm not sure here), I think the show might've been funnier if I could see the men's facial expressions. But, even casting humor aside, the Ricky Gervais Show was not that interesting. As a whole, the show worked better as a podcast (though I wasn't a huge fan of that either) because people often are occupied while listening to podcasts and split their attention. Sitting down and entirely focusing on the conversation these men were having caused me to quickly lose interest.

There's not much more to say about the Ricky Gervais Show. It wasn't funny or good, it wasn't terrible. I won't watch the show again, but I'm not cursing the 22 minutes of my life that this episode took up. I give it a 2/5.

Watch Jon Stewart's interview with Ricky Gervais

Go to The Ricky Gervais Show's website