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IMDb > "Lead Balloon" (2006)

"Lead Balloon" (2006) More at IMDbPro »TV series 2006-????


Overview

User Rating:
8.1/10   171 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 4% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Contact:
View company contact information for Lead Balloon on IMDbPro.
Seasons:
1 | 2 | 3 full episode list
Genre:
Comedy
Plot:
Rick Spleen is a world-weary comedian who ends up doing far too many corporate jobs to pay the bills.
Awards:
3 nominations more
User Comments:
A British version of Curb Your Enthusiasm more

Cast

 (Series Cast Summary - 7 of 8)
Anna Crilly ... Magda (21 episodes, 2006-2008)
Jack Dee ... Rick Spleen (21 episodes, 2006-2008)
Raquel Cassidy ... Mel (21 episodes, 2006-2008)
Sean Power ... Marty (21 episodes, 2006-2008)

Antonia Campbell-Hughes ... Sam (21 episodes, 2006-2008)
Rasmus Hardiker ... Ben (21 episodes, 2006-2008)

Tony Gardner ... Michael (21 episodes, 2006-2008)
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Additional Details

Country:
UK
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.78 : 1 more
Certification:
Australia:PG | Australia:M (some episodes)

Fun Stuff

Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Friday Night with Jonathan Ross: (#11.7)" (2006) more

FAQ

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful:-
A British version of Curb Your Enthusiasm, 7 December 2007
7/10
Author: flapster001 from United Kingdom

Lead Balloon is something like a British version of Curb Your Enthusiasm, although toned down for British sensibilities. But the core is almost exactly the same. Jack Dee plays Rick Spleen, a comedian whose career isn't going as well as it might. The show is mostly about his home and personal life (the kitchen is a staple location), and how he blunders into embarrassing scrapes because of his vaguely sociopathic personality.

It shares the same starting-at-your-fingernails cringe rating as sitcoms such as The Office too, and is less a situation comedy than a 'personality comedy' -- typically the show will wind up with the camera fixated on Dee, as he comes to a sticky end because of his actions.

In many ways this style of sitcom is nothing new. Social faux pas has been a staple of British sitcoms since Terry and June, or The Good Life. What's developed here is the degree of character assassination, which is inherited from The Office or Steve Coogan's shows. Sadly, the only character with any depth is Dee's, and the show sometimes feels like a vehicle for him. The character of Spleen's wife, in particular, makes little sense, and seems to be there simply as a sounding board for Dee's character; at least June Whitfield sometimes got a funny line to say.

While The Office was funny because it was so plausible (and familiar), this sitcom set "behind the curtain" of the media world is less so. Still, there are some very well observed touches, such as Rick Spleen's daughter and her boyfriend, who somehow epitomise modern youth, with their complete self-interest.

The second series is better than the first, but one can still feel comedy cogs grinding against each other. Somehow it doesn't quite work. Ultimately it's a very thin soup. It's not enough to throw characters into an embarrassing situation and watch what happens.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for "Lead Balloon" (2006)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Magda and Rick haze95
Where is this filmed ScopeyRyan
Have to buy a Multi Region DVD Player!!!!! Snowbunny1233
Can you watch episodes online? idol_wild
What is Rick Spleen's real name? tempora_mutantur
the daughter is soo annoying! labrujitarosa
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