There are very few spin-off shows that are as acclaimed as the predecessor, but Curb Your Enthusiasm could very well be more so. Seinfeld had some brilliance, this show shows where all of that comes from. Perhaps the best example of this is this episode. Had I seen any film that had such an amazing ending, it would be worth the two hour wait. With previous seasons of CYE, finale's weren't anything special, this episode was nothing short of fantastic. All the harsh judgment, human nature, insane attention to the mundane, and just Larry David's performance, made this episode the best I have seen yet. Much like Seinfeld episodes, it is sometimes necessary to see the preceding seasons, I suggest you do so if not only to fully enjoy this episode.
3 Reviews
One of my favourite episodes, hilarious, witty and intelligent
nimstic5 May 2016
Warning: Spoilers
CYE is one of the best shows ever. Larry is my favourite funny guy. Whatever he does, thinks and says I find funny and intelligent. No, strike all that off. Consider me as someone who never heard of Larry. And believe me, this is one of the funniest shows you'll see.
This one (*Grand Opening*) in particular is one of the funniest of the many fine episodes the show has produced. I love how Larry got inspired by the kids at Jeff's daughter's school who shaved their heads in solidarity to a fellow student who had to go through chemos and gone bald. Wonderful use of Larry's well-known allegory around baldness bias. While its funny, it makes you think too. Watch how Larry turned around challenging situations (first no chef, then a swearing chef) around his restaurant. Enjoyed every bit of that last scene. One of the best episodes!
This one (*Grand Opening*) in particular is one of the funniest of the many fine episodes the show has produced. I love how Larry got inspired by the kids at Jeff's daughter's school who shaved their heads in solidarity to a fellow student who had to go through chemos and gone bald. Wonderful use of Larry's well-known allegory around baldness bias. While its funny, it makes you think too. Watch how Larry turned around challenging situations (first no chef, then a swearing chef) around his restaurant. Enjoyed every bit of that last scene. One of the best episodes!
Season 3: Another step up in quality with a very enjoyable season
bob the moo9 November 2009
Warning: Spoilers
When I first dipped into this show, it was mainly in season one and to be honest, it didn't impress me that much. Indeed I did think that my girlfriend's hatred of the show as a "painfully obvious and unfunny adult version of Mr Bean" had an element of truth (at least about it being an adult Mr Bean). Watching the first season in full didn't change this too much as it did seem quite obvious and exaggerated even if it was pretty funny. Season two was an improvement and I moved swiftly into season three, which I was happy to find was an improvement again. As with the previous season, the sow benefits from having a central narrative thread running through the season - in this case, Larry investing in a restaurant, because it provides much more in the way of structure that the first season had. This gives much more of a "real" place on which to build the comedy and it does prevent it all feeling contrived - even if it often is.
While all the seasons may have focused on Larry, season three continues what two did well by not just having him as the character but rather doing a better job of bringing the situations out of his character and out of the characters around him. This means that he is often the driver for things rather than coincidences and the like. Of course it does still use these as well but in season three they are less obvious and done with a great deal more wit and invention than in the first season - the sponge cakes being one such example. By using Larry's character more the show also becomes stronger in terms of how it appeals to me. He continues to be a tremendous A-hole but by having things happen to him / as a result of him from the small to the big, the viewer is able to see parts of him that we can relate to. We all play along with the rules of polite society even if we moan about them when they apply to us and moan about when others fail to observe them - this is what Larry is like and, although he goes too far for our amusement, we can still relate because below the level things get to, we can kinda see his point.
The plots this time are a fine example of that as most of them come from Larry being Larry. We have plenty of small social faux-pas that snowball out of control because of who Larry is as well as plenty of bigger things. The terrorist attack episode is brilliant because it shows how Larry simply cannot learn even a simple social lesson and repeats the same mistake again simply for his own benefit, while of course the season ends on the brilliant restaurant scene where we see Larry do "good" - which, in his world involves an entire restaurant full of people yelling obscenities. Although some of the episodes are quite silly compared to others, all of them are delightfully absurd and, as much as I don't care for the music used as the score, it does fit the style of humour. The cast are all great - with Essman being better than before while the rest deliver as expected and guests like Danson and Sykes being used well and certainly not being the novelty guests that some sitcoms would use them as.
While not being taken by season one of this show, season three represents another solid improvement in quality. It is clever, funny, absurd and inventive while also keeping a base that many viewers can relate to in Larry's inability to deal with the unwritten rules of society. Took me a minute but I'm seeing what everyone has been loving for all these years and, to a borrow a phrase, Curb, you had me at "f**k you, you carwash c**t".
While all the seasons may have focused on Larry, season three continues what two did well by not just having him as the character but rather doing a better job of bringing the situations out of his character and out of the characters around him. This means that he is often the driver for things rather than coincidences and the like. Of course it does still use these as well but in season three they are less obvious and done with a great deal more wit and invention than in the first season - the sponge cakes being one such example. By using Larry's character more the show also becomes stronger in terms of how it appeals to me. He continues to be a tremendous A-hole but by having things happen to him / as a result of him from the small to the big, the viewer is able to see parts of him that we can relate to. We all play along with the rules of polite society even if we moan about them when they apply to us and moan about when others fail to observe them - this is what Larry is like and, although he goes too far for our amusement, we can still relate because below the level things get to, we can kinda see his point.
The plots this time are a fine example of that as most of them come from Larry being Larry. We have plenty of small social faux-pas that snowball out of control because of who Larry is as well as plenty of bigger things. The terrorist attack episode is brilliant because it shows how Larry simply cannot learn even a simple social lesson and repeats the same mistake again simply for his own benefit, while of course the season ends on the brilliant restaurant scene where we see Larry do "good" - which, in his world involves an entire restaurant full of people yelling obscenities. Although some of the episodes are quite silly compared to others, all of them are delightfully absurd and, as much as I don't care for the music used as the score, it does fit the style of humour. The cast are all great - with Essman being better than before while the rest deliver as expected and guests like Danson and Sykes being used well and certainly not being the novelty guests that some sitcoms would use them as.
While not being taken by season one of this show, season three represents another solid improvement in quality. It is clever, funny, absurd and inventive while also keeping a base that many viewers can relate to in Larry's inability to deal with the unwritten rules of society. Took me a minute but I'm seeing what everyone has been loving for all these years and, to a borrow a phrase, Curb, you had me at "f**k you, you carwash c**t".
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