Don't Curb it, watch it! (Curb Your Enthusiasm)

Member Name: DannoStanno

Product:	Curb Your Enthusiasm
Date:	28/05/09 (7 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Unscripted, very funny

Disadvantages: Sometimes slightly cringy - you feel sorry for Larry

I never really watched Seinfeld until it was all over. Yes, I found it funny, but it seemed a little dated and I couldn't quite see what all the fuss was about. However, it did make it's cocreator and cowriter, Larry David - a comedian in his own right - into a very rich man and he would have stayed like that, rather than a global superstar and one of the funniest characters TV has ever seen, if it wasn't for Curb Your Enthusiam.

The HBO series features Larry David as himself (though an overexaggerrated form) living the high life in LA off the funds and fame that came with Seinfeld. He and his beautiful wife Cheryl live the showbiz dream and yet the show does not in any way rub this into the face of the viewer. Instead it focuses on the pain and faux pas's that Larry encounters in his everyday life, generally just for speaking his mind and acting like we all wish we did and not biting our lip. This gets him into any sort of situation from racing to be in the front of a queue for the Doctor's surgery, to picking up a prostitute in order to be allowed to drive in the shared lane on the freeway, to placing an obituary in the paper for his wife's "beloved AUNT" which very amusingly gets misprinted with dire consequences for Larry.

There is a whole lot of empathy that he gets from the viewer as he comes over a very genuine and likeable misanthrope who has a case of foot-in-mouth and a whole lot of bad luck.

Now filming its seventh season of 10 episodes (generally half an hour long, though season finales are usually longer), this is a winning formula and very very funny, if a bit cringy at times. The script is ad libbed and thus allow the cast to shine, especially Jeff Green as his agent and best friend with his blue-mouthed hilarious wife. The soundtrack too is a series of classical and jazzy upbeat tracks and help mould the whole sitcom together. Also the fact that this is HBO allows the show to get away with a lot of inappropriate scenarios and language which adds a further reality and a greater sense of humour to the show. Furthermore, there is a feast of real life Hollywood talent mingling with David as themselves, from Ben Stiller, to Richard Lewis, to David Schwimmer and Ted Danson, all playing up to Larry impeccably.

Summary: Hilarious original sitcom starring the very funny Larry David as himself