Curb Your Enthusiasm - Season 7 review
From jerk to bully: a meaner, less funny Larry David
Oct 31, 2009
Since Curb Your Enthusiasm first aired in 2000, Larry David has portrayed himself as a cranky misanthrope who appears to be oblivious of the effect his insensitive and jerky behavior has on others. But viewers could still empathize with his plight, because the people around him were even bigger jerks. However, in this season he's been coming off as really hateful and unlikeable, and with each new episode, it's becoming harder and harder to empathize with him. There is a line that Larry has crossed in which his social ineptness and crankiness has turned into flat-out mean-spiritedness.
Forced And Unfunny Bits
For instance, in the "The Hot Towel" episode, his behavior is borderline sociopathic. It starts off with him randomly ripping into this poor slob sitting next to him on a flight for wearing shorts. This guy hasn't said a word to him, but Larry verbally attacks the guy for having "ugly legs" and tells him he should never expose them in public again. The bit is forced and unfunny. But that's child's play compared to what else Larry does in the episode. For starters, he cuts off Sammy (Jeff and Susie's 15-year-old daughter) while she's singing for guests at a party and later tells her to "shut the f*ck up" in her own house; he then demoralizes a singing waiter by interrupting him and telling him to stop singing. He also harasses his doctor at home who foolishly gave Larry his home phone number. These bits, for the most part, were awkward, forced and unfunny, and Larry comes off as a boorish, mean-spirited bully.
But the nadir of the season thus far would have to be the "Denise Handicapped "episode. It was so bad that it didn't even feel like a Curb Your Enthusiasm episode. It was crude, over-the-top slapstick humor that provided very few laughs. The show is known for being non-PC, and that's a good thing. It's always refreshing to watch a show that isn't afraid to offend and doesn't constantly censor itself to appease the PC police. But this episode was crude and distasteful without the laugh payoff. If you're going to push the limits of good taste, you better damn well be funny.
Season Lacking In What Made The Show So Great
For the most part, this season has been devoid of the wit and ingenuity that made this show one of the funniest series not just on HBO but on television period. Most of the scenes on the show are improvised with only an outline for the actors to work with. This gives the show a fresh, spontaneous feel. However, this season the actors seem lost in their bits and appear to be trying to force something to be funny. In the other seasons, the actors didn't seem like they were trying to be funny; they just were. Much of this has to do with the scene set-ups Larry has written. The situations are becoming more and more outlandish and unrealistic, which makes them more and more difficult to improvise and make genuinely funny. There always needs to be a strand of reality to work from to connect with viewers. But the bits are so absurd and way-out this season that it's really hard for the viewer to connect with any of the actors in them.
Seinfeld Reunion
And the much-anticipated Seinfeld reunion has been pretty much a bust so far. The funniest moment with regard to the reunion involved Michael Richards (Kramer) meeting Larry at a restaurant that displays nude pictures of beautiful women all over its walls. Richards, clearly distracted, excuses himself halfway through the meeting, and the next scene he's in, he appears to be more clear and focused. This is a very funny and clever reference to the legendary "The Contest" episode from Seinfeld (for non-Seinfeld fans, the contest being who can go the longest without masturbating). In that episode Jerry tells Kramer that he'll be out of the contest before they even get the check, and on the Curb Your Enthusiasm episode, Michael Richards leaves before the check arrives. Other than that, the Seinfeld reunion has been lackluster.
Nonetheless, there have been a couple of promising signs this season that restore some hope that maybe the show hasn't jumped the shark yet. One of them is Leon (hilariously played by comedian and actor J.B. Smoove), who was introduced last season when Larry and Cheryl took his family in after their home was destroyed in a hurricane. Leon and Larry have great rapport, and nearly every scene that involves Leon is extremely funny and momentarily raises the quality of the episode. It was a wise move on Larry’s part to keep Leon's character around after the rest of the Blacks left this season. Another promising moment this season was the "Vehicular Fellatio" episode. The episode was sharp and consistently funny and reminded viewers of why they became fans of the show in the first place.
The Remainder Of The Season
Hopefully the remainder of the season will have more episodes like "Vehicular Fellatio" and will include more scenes with Leon in them. This is a critical time for the show. If Larry David cannot come up with anything better than what has been seen so far this season, maybe it's time to pull the plug and end the show on a high note like Seinfeld did.
