MovieChat Forums > Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000) Discussion > Slate's negative review

Slate's negative review

posted 2 months ago by Jes' Sayin' (6014)
20 replies | jump to latest

https://slate.com/culture/2024/03/curb-your-enthusiasm-larry-david-season-12-episodes-seinfeld.html

My reaction to this review is that probably to the extent that this season is not as sharp as past ones is down to the pandemic. Larry was not able to go out during these past years and record interesting show ideas in his famous notebook. Hence he had to deploy lesser ideas, probably older ones that didn't make the cut in previous seasons. It might have been preferable to wait a couple more years, but his age (76) kind of precludes that.

Still, I very much prefer having this season 12 much more than getting no more Curb at all.

[–] nyctc7 (41528) 2 months ago

I thought Curb jumped the shark in Season 9 (Fatwa story arc). I am a huge Seinfeld fan and of Curb through Season 8. A lot of Curb now is rich people's issues and problems. Nothing wrong with that per se, but I just think it lost its consistent funniness.

[–] TrentnQuarantino (8659) 2 months ago

I thought the Fatwa season was super. Though with Salman Rushie's injurious assault it feels sad to watch. The season with the swimming pool and the fat Latina girl was cringeworthy. And that horrible old lady. She might have been funny but they just made fun of her as the butt of jokes.

Also, it's like Ted Dansin won't even come back on the show, and even Cheryl Hines Kennedy only shows up occasionally. Leon is not funny anymore, he's just disgusting, and it's a bummer Bob Einstein passed away and was replaced with Vince Vaughn who is terrible.

I think it's because Larry is misinformed about being a vegetarian and not eating any meat has led to brain atrophy.

CYE has definitely lost its consistent funniness, though it does have its moments, but they are rare now and forced. And one other thing I noticed was that much of the music that was so perfect in the earlier seasons is gone and it doesn't have the same feeling.

Uh, let's see ... I think that's everything. ;-)

He should have written some stuff about getting old and how rotten it is.

[–] nyctc7 (41528) 2 months ago

Yah, I seem to be in the minority with my opinion of Season 9 (amongst fans, at least). But early in the very first episode, the issue in the hotel lounge with the cookie tongs, I immediately thought, uh-oh, this isn't funny, and felt like recycled Larry humor. I felt the whole Fatwa thing was in poor taste.

The swimming pool thing is one of the things I meant about rich people's problems. Would have made a funny bit perhaps, but as the arc of the whole season? Sheesh. I think Curb has started to show that Larry lives in a bubble.

[–] TrentnQuarantino (8659) 2 months ago

I agree about the cookie tongs. That was an early sign of declining
funniness. But the alias of Buck Dancer was a chuckle. Ted dating
Cheryl was pretty funny too and the divorce. And it was nice to see
Elizabeth Banks. Dr. and Mrs. Templeton ( Bryan Cranston ) was
pretty good.

But the relationship reset and shit where you eat thing was harsh and
mean-spirited - the mailwoman and the waitress. There was a meanness
that was not there before or at least not as out there.

Larry defending the guy who cut in line was more side of Larry I want
to see, and that led to the end of his Fatwa. The shucker was good
too. There was a lot of funny stuff in S9 ... assuming you're not a
Muslim maybe?

I went back to Wikipedia to check the episodes and there was even some
pretty good ones in S10. But these were written and filmed before the
pandemic too.

Not everything has to be hilarious if there is a consistency of humor,
and that has been missing in S11 and S12 especially.

[–] nyctc7 (41528) 2 months ago

Not a Muslim. What happened to Salman Rushdie was a sad way to validate my feelings about that story arc. Fatwa not funny.

[–] TrentnQuarantino (8659) 2 months ago

To a million people who are watching CYE S12, and probably more for S9 thought it was funny. What a cheerful person you are.

Validating a Muslim terrorist act makes no sense at all unless you are a Muslim.

Another ugly comment from an ugly troll. What MC seems to specialize in these days. This is like troll asshole nursery school these days.

[–] nyctc7 (41528) 2 months ago

I think you misunderstood my post. I was in no way condoning or validating Fatwa. Quite the opposite. If I wrote it in a way that it was easily misinterpreted, I am sorry.

[–] TrentnQuarantino (8659) a month ago

Sorry if I read your comment wrong.

I just watched the finale. So disappointing Such a sad end to an otherwise brilliant show.

[–] nyctc7 (41528) a month ago

Thanks.

Oh wow that's right he said Season 12 was it. Now I am wondering what the finale is!
Ok I just read a summary. Mirrors the Seinfeld finale.

[–] TrentnQuarantino (8659) a month ago

I would say it "nods to" the Seinfeld finale.

[–] nyctc7 (41528) a month ago

From your post above I take it you didn't like it. Do tell.

[–] TrentnQuarantino (8659) a month ago

It's just the whole 2 last seasons have not felt right or as funny to me. Just my reaction. In addition two things have changes.

1. Larry is meaner and ruder than usual which makes him a harder "every man" to relate to. Where this worked was in the bit about the tossing the keys, which was funny, and backfired on Larry when Conan tossed Larry the keys because it's fun - and hit him in the eye.

For instance his instults comments to Richard Lewis make it difficult to believe why they remain friends, and he even said "why don't you die?" which was ugly and not funny.

2. The level of disgusting behavior of the Leon character, especially in the finally. It is never explained or a part of the show as to why Larry keeps this guy around. He used to be funny, now he is just unpleasant.

[–] nyctc7 (41528) a month ago

Yes, the show "jumped the shark" but for me a little earlier as I indicated above. It's too bad about meaner and ruder. Larry went from being somewhat endearing to not endearing at all.

[–] TrentnQuarantino (8659) a month ago

Yes, he was no longer endearing, he went total AH.

[–] TrentnQuarantino (8659) 2 months ago

There's only been two episodes this season that I have liked. The last one, 9, was particularly bad.

> I very much prefer having this season 12 much more than getting no more Curb at all.

The last two seasons have been not that good, repetitive, not continuous with the other seasons and Larry's not the same guy, and the acting seems forced.

I was particularly annoyed with the many scenes where Larry urges Richard Lewis to die. And why does this old white guy keep Leon the disgusting , ignorant, moron around. I think it's because he cannot invent new ideas so he just relies on Leon's crudeness which has really gotten over the top and dragged the show down.

You can also tell when he does interviews if he is really laughing or not. When Larry is fake-laughing he purposefully moves his lower jaw up and down, but he doesn't do it when something is really funny.

[–] nyctc7 (41528) 2 months ago

Leon made me laugh a lot but he has worn out his welcome.

[–] TrentnQuarantino (8659) 2 months ago

Yeah, there were times when Leon could be hilarious ... jack lit??
Now all he does is talk about his "johnson" and the story line about the surrogate
father was so moronic, I could hardly believe this was the same show?
But Leon is just a disgusting bum at this point, and JB Smoove is all over podcasts
and interviews and he is just such a untalented cretin. He owes his whole life
to LD.

It just doesn't make a lot of sense that Larry is so picky about people, and yet
he lives with Leon. And Leon is the kind of guy who you know what you be
swiping shit from Larry's house and selling it or pawning it.

"The Tourist" is pretty good, watch that. 2 Seasons.

[–] TandyMan (10445) a month ago

I thought the season was a solid enough sendoff. The show dropped in quality a few seasons back but it plateau'd at that new level. This review is very nit-picky. Long running shows tend to get far, far worse than this before getting off the air.

[–] Heisenberg (6390) a month ago

Yes, season 12 was not the best, maybe the worst, but still a good show. Good enough for the other 11.
And I liked the finale finish.

[–] Lucia2016 (525) 13 days ago

Maybe my expectations were so low it couldn't fail but i didn't mind this last series. Maybe because we knew it was coming to an end so theres a kind of sadness so i was more grateful and kind to it.

Also knowing Lewis had died in real life so expecting only that one ep early on i was pleasantly surprised he stayed until the very end.

I thought this last series was more stripped back in a back to basics kind of way. LD was'nt as over the top or cartoonish as the last few.

Series 7 was the last good one and should have ended it there 8 had a couple great eps but it got really bad from 9 to 11 almost unwatchable.

I agree also Leon is an overated character it was funny to begin with but less is more with him

Cheryl's a funny one because i know a lot of people hate her i did as well but i actually think she was integral to the show and got the best out of Larry. Funny how the show went downhill when he got divorced