Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm (1999 TV Movie) User Reviews

The pilot for one of the best television shows of all-time

[MovieAddict2016 · 9/10 · 23 January 2006]

I just got done watching episode two of the second season of "Curb Your Enthusiasm"; the one in which Larry is mistakenly taken for a sexual "deviant," after his wife is misled into thinking he has sexual fetishes. It's the best episode I've seen.

Coming back to the one-hour-long HBO pilot for the series, "Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm," the humor is just as strong. It's not exactly like the series and is more like a "mockumentary" - with interviews from the cast of "Seinfeld," etc. - but it's just as funny.

I actually read somewhere that this wasn't intended as a television show pilot, but based on its success it spawned the series. I'm not sure, but I do know that "Curb Your Enthusiasm" is one of the best television shows out there, and this was a great way of introducing the concept to viewers.

Help yourself to this great show

[bkinbkin · 9/10 · 12 November 2000]

Years ago America pondered the "Seinfeld" philosophy, climaxed, and then closed the book after the closing episode on NBC. Seinfeld was, at times, a good show, and in more ways than one. Unbeknownst to me, Seinfeld made promises that it did not keep - I would never have realized this had I not encountered HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm. It is becoming apparent that Larry David is the John Lennon to Jerry Seinfeld's Paul McCartney. Curb Your Enthusiasm is awkward, tense and diabolically funny. Although the show resembles Seinfeld, HBO's Larry Sanders and Woody Allen merchandise, it is impossible not to say that Larry David and the creators have not re-re-re-invented the situation comedy once again.

a funny and inspired pilot that's later been surpassed by its endlessly creative series

[Quinoa1984 · 9/10 · 21 May 2006]

The original pilot of Curb Your Enthusiasm, which I've seen a few times (sometimes truly forgetting that it's the pilot at all, as its stylistically 75% of the time identical to the show), has its share of laughs. But it is, in its own right, a slightly different animal, so to speak, when compared to its 5-season-and-running TV HBO series. It's meant as a hybrid of what David was tinkering as the main premise of what his show would be about- mainly him getting into awkward bits of circumstance and everyday things with people (mainly with some embarrassing or just strange results)- and his stand-up routines countered with *real* remarks from Seinfeld and others. Despite what it might seem as too much going on in a one hour show, he makes it work well. The improvisational style later nailed to a T in the seasons to come is a little more primitive here, but Cheryl Hinds and Jeff Garlin are pros at what they do here.

There's also a plot line involving David setting up a special on HBO (hence the stand-up), and then at the last moment stopping to due his "dead" step-father. Like all pilots, its got its imperfections, but its perks outweigh the valleys none-the-less. Surprising still at least in having not seen or heard a shred of David's stand-up material before is how it's actually funnier than expected. It almost makes one wonder why there isn't the occasional drop of the real stand-up stuff in the series (but then again, the very Larry David-esquire curve balls on the show are the bits of stand-up theatrical). It's worth it to check out if you're a fan and pass it by one night if by chance on one of the HBO's or on DVD; it might be funnier as well if you know some of the other little back-story bits from the show (i.e. HBO). A minor display of brilliance.

Next Best Thing to Seinfeld

[10rust · 10/10 · 15 November 2001]

From watching CYB, it is obvious that Larry David was the real genius behind "Seinfeld." Don't get me wrong, Jerry is great and a genius himself, but from watching the show, you can see that Larry David is responsible for the way jerry would act and a lot of the dialogue. Not to mention, he was responsible for the setups and payoffs. The script structure is superb. The production quality isn't the greatest, but this show is by far the best on TV. I hope that it will just last a while.

Absolutely Hilarious!

[shurnp · 10/10 · 25 August 2004]

I saw this special for the first time on the "Curb Your Enthusiasm" season one DVD. As an avid fan of "Seinfeld" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" I was very excited to see the "prequel" to the HBO series. It did not disappoint. It was immediately obvious to me why HBO decided to pick up the series. It was absolutely hilarious! I can, however, see why Larry David was a failed stand-up comedian. His sense of humor is not for everyone, but if you are a fan, you will love this. People often talk about his offbeat sense of humor, but his facial expressions are also hilarious. There is one scene that I watched five times in a row and laughed so hard, I got a cramp in my side. I'd like to tell you more, but I don't want to give anything away. All I can say is ENJOY!

not the show, this is a special

[nomoretitanic · 19 July 2004]

this was an hour-long mockumentary (pilot?) made for HBO counting down Larry's days to his HBO comedy special. It exposed Larry David to the rest of the world, with a few bits that would later re-surface in the HBO series "Curb Your Enthusiasm", most notably the death in the family bit. It was really funny from beginning to end. It had to be one of the most convincing mockumentaries ever made, through a clever fusion of celebrity cameos, a real solid technical understanding of the "documentary" aesthetics (from the slightly "imperfect" composition to occasional on camera interviews), and a pitch-perfect satire. It was obvious that Larry David was putting on a routine, but the tone of the film was so dead-pan that David seemed distant enough for those kind of neurotic reactions. That, unlike Woody Allen's neurotic New York comic reacting to the LA phonies in "Annie Hall", David's interactions with the people around him were passive-aggressive enough to take place in the actual LA.

Compared to the series, it was more subdued and unpredictable, which made it a little slower and less funny I guess.

Brilliant "pilot" I never knew existed

[zerobeat · 8/10 · 1 November 2009]

I saw this sometime during Season 7 of the series and I had no idea it was from 10 years previous. The only clues along the way were that Jerry looked a lot younger and the joke about the Clinton BJ.

It's not a conventional pilot: It's more like a one-off mockumentary special that probably inspired HBO to pursue a series. The only reason I give it only 8/10 is because the series would become even better in many episodes.

It seems that some of the interviews (with Charles and Seinfeld for example) aren't scripted at all, but are their actual comments about the real Larry David. This isn't surprising, since even the rest of the screen time doesn't seem that outside reality.

The title of the movie prevents me from expressing myself properly

[badtom-2 · 10/10 · 20 October 2000]

Larry David is a master at comic awkwardness. He is a decent actor too even if he is playing a fictionalized, caricature of himself. New, real-life situations are blown out of proportion in Seinfeld style, and while it would be impossible to recreate that show, this new material from Larry David is quite welcome. I am very happy that it has now become a series on HBO.

precursor to the show

[movieman_kev · 8/10 · 24 June 2005]

This hour long comedy special can be found on Season 1 DVD set of the series "Curb your Enthusiasm". It's pretty much a mockumentary akin to "Spinal Tap" or "A Mighty Wind". It details the days leading up to Larry David's first comedy special for HBO. It has him dealing various people interspersed with interviews with various celebrities. It's highly amusing and about on par with the first season of the actual show, but as fans of CYE can attest to, the first season of the show isn't exactly the best of the run thus far (not knocking the special or the show it inspired, just saying a funny show would only grow much funnier)

My Grade: B-

Hilarious - the mockumentary that started the series

[grantss · 9/10 · 1 May 2017]

Larry David, co-creator and co-writer with Jerry Seinfeld of the Seinfeld series, decides to make a come-back to stand-up comedy. His agent, Jeff Greene, has even more ambitious plans - make a TV special of the occasion, including showing the planning behind the show. This is that TV special. Sort of.

Absolutely hilarious. I had already seen Curb Your Enthusiasm the series before I watched this, so knew what to expect but, even so, this is brilliant. Fresh, original, off-beat and actually feels like a real documentary.

While mostly a faux documentary, there are semi-serious interviews with people like Jerry Seinfeld and Jason Alexander and these help you understand Larry David more. The "real" documentary sections help the humorous parts.

Plus, a bonus in that you get to see Larry David do some stand-up - didn't get that in the series. Better still - it's great!

A must-see if you're a fan of the series or of Seinfeld, or just appreciate good humour.

A Lot of Fun

[tkdlifemagazine · 7/10 · 9 June 2023]

This is a really fun and clever Mockumentary, which became the pilot for the long run running show. The joy is that there is inability to distinguish David the character and the man. Much of what is in here is true- the structure of David as the Co-creator of Seinfeld. Much of the cast is real, including Caroline Ray, Jerry Seinfeld, Jason Alexander, Richard Lewis, and more. Much of the rest of the cast, like his wife and manager are characters. He performs stand-up, something Jerry did in his show and was never an element of Curb. The movie is a lot like Curb but not exactly the same, I like this, but the series even more.

Being Larry David

[MaxBorg89 · 10/10 · 5 February 2010]

From 1990 to 1998, Larry David was famous as the creator and - during the first seven seasons - head writer of Seinfeld, widely regarded as the best sitcom of all time, in which he also occasionally made guest appearances, most notably as a fictionalized version of New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. After the show ended, Larry decided to try something different, which led to his becoming known as the star of Curb Your Enthusiasm, one of the most daring and hilarious shows on television since, well, Seinfeld. This 90-minute special, produced a year before the show officially debuted on HBO, is exactly what The Seinfeld Chronicles was in 1989: the beginning of a new era in television comedy.

The focus of Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm is the former stand-up comedian's attempt to make a comeback after the end of Seinfeld, even if he technically could spend the rest of his life doing nothing (having written and/or produced most of the series, he gets paid every time an episode is rerun). With the help of his manager Jeff Greene (Jeff Garlin, who also produces), he secures a deal with HBO to make a one-off special out of a stage performance, for which he will prepare by testing his material in comedy clubs throughout Los Angeles. Naturally, between the work-related stress (Larry has to participate in various production meetings) and his habit of speaking frankly on any subject, even with his wife Cheryl (Cheryl Hines), the neurotic writer starts having second thoughts pretty fast...

The "show within the show" theme of Seinfeld's fourth season is heavily present in the special, since it is about an HBO special and shot like a documentary, which adds to the feeling that this is the "real" life of Larry David (and also justifies the improvisational style of the Curb series, although this special is largely scripted). The feeling is further enhanced by interviews with friends and co-workers, including Richard Lewis (a regular presence on the show), Jerry Seinfeld and Jason Alexander (aka George Costanza, Larry's on-screen alter ego). What emerges from their statements is an occasionally unflattering but always spot-on portrait of the man: anecdotes include the famous story of him walking on stage, looking at the audience and walking off again (interestingly, Larry bases a lot of his routines on audience interaction), and the legendary revelation that a scene from Seinfeld which Alexander found far-fetched was in fact inspired by Larry's real-life reaction to a similar situation.

As far as performances are concerned, both Garlin and Hines are terrific comedic forces, as is everyone else involved, but the whole thing would fall apart if it weren't for Larry David's painfully exhilarating non-acting, starring as a not-too-fictional version of himself, with plenty of things to say and no sense of shame when it comes to saying them. His wonderfully absurd relationship with the world is a joy to behold, and the title of his creation is wrong under at least one aspect: Curb Your Enthusiasm is worth getting excited about.

Looks promising, but with several potential problems.

[Graggoz · 6/10 · 22 October 2010]

I have for some reason never seen any episodes of "Curb your enthusiasm" before. But always been a fan of the humour from Seinfeld, which apparently most of it derived from Larry David. so I thought I would give this series a try since the lack of good humour programs are hard to come by these days.

Anyway this pilot give a brief suggestion to what the show is going to be about: Larry's everyday life more or less filmed without any re-rakes, total improvisation or simply natural reactions to situations from everyday life. I really like that concept as I find that genuine reactions makes it so much more realistic compared to the modern so-called acting in which you cannot really identify yourself with any of the characters as they are acting as "actors" and not acting as a "character", making it too obvious it's not genuine social interactions you are witnessing.

One of the concepts about Seinfeld I really like was that it hardly ever lowered itself into cheap death or offensive sex-related humour but just kept going in style, in contrast to 80%+ of all current sit-coms. But from watching this pilot you sort of get an impression that Larry David has planned to loosen up on these restrictions. I hope he doesn't and that it was just a coincidence on this pilot...

Also if the show really wants to be a kind of sit-com/reality-improvised hybrid, I think they need to keep the amount of amazing coincidences at a plausible level, which for instance you cannot really say Seinfeld did. I mean I am sure Larry David has a massive personal social network, but nevertheless, there is a limit to how many persons he can just accidentally ran into during a certain period of time.

During this pilot for instance he accidentally meet a friend who is out jogging. Yet when she stops and talk to him, she is instantly talking fluently without a trace of increased heart beat as a result of the jogging. Surely this doesn't really bother me much, but if the actual show is going to contain many of these similar "goofs" in relation to it being improvised, I think it will take away a lot of the reality feeling it seems so obvious Larry David is trying to create.

This pilot was unnecessarily long and I don't think there was a need to so clearly and repetitively stress what kind of taboos Larry David suspects will be included in the upcoming show. I can really identify myself with many of the everyday social norms Larry David is bringing up, both in Seinfeld and in this Pilot, like for instance how non-nonchalance people often act if they are on the phone when you are entering their room.

I am really looking forward to the actual show which I think and hope will be much better. A show in which I think will have the potential to be a more raw version of Seinfeld with a more realistic yet equally funny set.

This pilot might have been made to prepare viewers not so familiar to Larry David's honest yet border-lining rude humour, but the pilot almost derailed into a narcissistic reality show. I hope this will not be the case for the upcoming show.

Larry's tv show evoluted a lot

[fabrisrocha · 4/10 · 30 April 2022]

I watched all the seasons of Curb, but I just watched the doc, that should work as a prelude of the series, now. Incredible how they pick the original ideas in this documentary and put into a series in a totally better way. Glad that the show evoluted so much, because this begining was full of unfunny stuff. Larry doing the stand up just didn't work. The supporting actings also weren't good at all. In the show all the situations were so much well made and much more funny. Sad that the 11th season was so terrible that I couldn't even finish. Anyway, Larry made history with Curb and did a masterpiece show if we delete from memory the prelude season and the 11th one.

Curb Your Enthusiasm is the best comedy on TV!

[mrwoopey · 12 November 2003]

Curb Your Enthusiasm is the best comedy on TV! I've talked with Larry and he is as funny as on TV! Watch it!

Too bad that the three big networks don't realize that their shows are so bad mostly because they use a cookie cutter method in creating shows!

Pretty, Pretty, Pretty Good!

[justgeetee · 10/10 · 13 February 2023]

The perfect start to Curb Your Enthusiasm. I sweat the small stuff like George Costanza and Larry David. People are people, and I find myself siding with Larry quite a bit. It's fun to yell what I would say in these situations at my television. That's probably too telling of who I am, but that's neither here nor there.

The format of this special was creative. I love a good Mockumentary. Especially when it mixes genres or finds a new way to make me chuckle.

One of my favorite Curmudgeons. I hope to be as Jewish and Funny as Larry David when I get older. I can be funny, but I don't eat Kosher, so I have some work to do.

Hooray for Larry David and Cast! Thanks for the hysteria!

[CurbYourMetsSein · 10/10 · 17 April 2002]

Just when we thought only "Seinfeld" reruns would make the laughter ensue, "Curb..." comes along!"Not that there's anything wrong" with "Seinfeld reruns - I will continue to watch them faithfully! "Curb...", however, perpetuates what "Seinfeld" initiated! "Curb.." is the best, funniest, most brilliant program on the air. In my opinion,"Curb... has the ability to make the most downtrodden individual happy with its sheer brilliance, originality, spontaneity, creativity and credibility. Who needs therapy when we have "Curb" to make us laugh!?! Though the following may be a redundant comment - not since "Seinfeld" has there been a more brilliantly produced show - common denominator - LARRY DAVID! He and the entire cast is brilliant plus! Julia, Jason as guest stars are fantastic, too as the chemistry is just so very right on! Cheryl Hines, Jeff Garlin, Richard Lewis, Wanda Sykes - Everyone - they're the best. My screen name explains it all - CurbYourMetsSein (I love the NY Mets, too). I can't applaud, salute, glorify Larry David and his entire cast enough for bringing laughter into all our lives when we all need it the most (post 9/11/01)!I thank Larry David for his eternal BRILLIANCE, HBO for airing "Curb" and On Demand for affording us the opportunity to watch episodes over and over again! THANKS! Best of Luck and keep the laughs coming via Larry and "Curb" - Kudos!!!!!

Best Comedy on TV

[LarryLegend28 · 10/10 · 30 July 2002]

This is hands down the best comedy on television. I started watching from the beginning and it gets better every week. The two best episodes to date were the one where Larry David accidentally trips Shaq at a Lakers' game and the one where he interrupts the baptism of his future brother in law when he mistakenly thinks he's being drowned. I am predicting this show wins the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy.

Unbelievable!! That's all I can say.

[jschuldt · 10/10 · 29 August 2002]

This is the funniest thing that you will ever see on television. You thought Seinfeld was funny??? Think again you fool. Larry David saved his best for last apparently. This series will make you laugh so hard that you will miss part of it because you will have to go to your bedroom and change your underwear because you peed your pants. It is that funny.

Geeky Randy's summary

[Geeky Randy · 8/10 · 27 January 2014]

Incredibly funny comedy-special about SEINFELD writer/co-creator Larry David, filmed in a raw/mockumentary style similar to THE OFFICE, that ended up being the premise for the hit show CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM. In many ways, it can be looked at as the pilot, and is as equally hilarious as the show's best episodes. This story follows Larry (with Jeff Garlin, Cheryl Hines, Richard Lewis, and other series favorites in tow) as he tries to rebuild his standup career, and despite going very smoothly, conflict can never unstick itself from the half-billionaire who can't afford a closed-mouth.

***½ (out of four)

Too much, already . . .

[skp-43271 · 2/10 · 29 December 2021]

It began as a "must watch", but in 2021 it's simply a rehash of the same predicaments of the past seasons. Nothing new, even though he attempts a spin on the same.

The last straw, was his blatant liberalism overtaking this latest episode with Vindman taking the lead, and David's political stance. My answer, wthf cares what the elitist Larry David thinks?

A fun route for Larry David

[Mooby · 30 October 1999]

Although CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM isn't exactly an in-depth look at the creative process of a comic who's preparing for a big show, it remains fun to watch nonetheless. David's writing is strongly sensed in many of his scenes (although CYE is presumably improvised), while he makes himself look like a lost little boy who just wants to do stand up being bullied by showbusiness. Pressure keeps closing in on him for the entire hour of this mockumentary (one that isn't as good as SPINAL TAP, but faaar surpasses Blair Witch), with the most exciting points coming in when we actually see David doing his stand up act ("one thing I admire about Hitler is he didn't take shit from magicians"). aLL IN ALL, ITS WORTH THE OBSCURE PROGRAMMING OF HBO TO SEE THIS.

the best (most painful to watch) show on tv

[linusmoke dot com · 7 July 2001]

this show, starring Seinfeld creator Larry David, has got to be the funniest and most interesting new show on tv. i highly recommend you check it out, sunday night 10pm eastern on HBO. i would describe it as the next step after seinfeld: another show about nothing, but pushing the envelope of acceptable comedy even farther.

ok first of all i think larry david is really funny. i can really relate to him a lot. i warn myself that i could be exactly like that guy in about 25 years. ::teeth::

and the other thing i like about the show is that its SOOO real. its not like a sitcom in that way. it feels very reality-based to me. sometimes the show is so real that its uncomfortable to watch. this guy really gets a lot of $#;+, but really thats what makes the show so funny. larry david is really willing to make fun of himself and be honest about who he really is as a person.

in this way, i would call this show "the sequel to seinfeld."

Still the funniest

[johnclark-1 · 23 June 2007]

Here it is June 2007, and this viewer still eats dinner in front of the TV enjoying Curb, followed by Extras, both of which are multi-layered and watchable many times over, oftentimes catching things previously missed. It says a lot for the new way to record snatches of seeming real life; multi video cameras, creative actors and casting, and above all busy editors. Based on well motivated and strong story ideas. Result: No false notes.

My only carp is that without these wonderful improvisationally creative and probably underpaid supporting actors it wouldn't work, and to roll their credits by so fast so that one has no chance to actually read them, is petty and mean-spirited on the part of the supervising producers. As though they'd really rather not mention them, except for contractual commitments to the performer unions. C'mon!