For the most part. Anyone else? Maybe it was because it came out in '92 and I was born in '89 but I didn't find very much of it funny, and I think most of Stiller's other movies are hilarious. I think some things I didn't even know what they were spoofing but some of it I did, and didn't really find that very funny either. It had its moments though, but I shouldn't have bought the DVD so blindly.
Management - 9/10
Maxed Out (2006) - 8/10
i think you hit the nail on the head. my girlfriend was born in '89 and hated it too. i was born in '82, so i was a pre-teen when this came out, and i have vivid memories of a lot of the things they were making fun of on the show...
for example, during the U2 rock-umentary on the first episode, it randomly cuts to a swinging flash-light for a few seconds here and there... i remember a lot of MTV shows having random "action shots" editted in to give them more of a kinetic feel...however, if you're not familiar with MTV's programming in the early '90's, you wouldn't get that.
when it comes down to it, this show is only really funny if you're a gen-x'er.
That's one of the main problems with the show. I didn't see it when it aired. I watched it a few years back (mostly because I like Janeane Garofalo and Bob Odenkirk), and it was disappointing. Much of the comedy is completely dated (like the MTV programming "shot" you mentioned, plus parodies of TV shows that were on at the time), and a lot of it just isn't very funny.
I think it got a big reputation because it got cancelled and hadn't been seen in years. When things go unseen for years, their reputations can supersede their actual quality. This is one of those examples.
Great sketch comedy doesn't date. Monty Python's material and Dave Chappelle's show are still hilarious even if you weren't around during their heyday. The Ben Stiller Show is really for Gen Xers who are feeling nostalgic.
I really haven't seen the show in a while, but I can remember a few of the skits and some of the jokes would just be too obscure now. For example, there's a black and white sketch that features clowns in a smokey club. Well, there was a commercial on the air at the time for Keds shows that features jazz musicians in a similiar environment... I'm fairly certain I had to watch that sketch two or three times before I remembered the original commercial.
shareI agree.. I was born in '87 and have just finished watching all the episodes for the first time and for the most part didn't find the sketches funny.
shareThe show is a parody of a lot of things that were happening in pop culture and media at the time. So if you don't understand what they are referencing then the jokes won't make any sense.
shareMy problem with this show is that you have to sit through the filler talk, and some weak skits in order to find the funny skits. SNL, In Living Color, Mr. Show, etc. would hit you with one strong material after another in one show! Ben thought it would be clever to sit in between the skits and gab about something stupid with his co-stars and it slowed the pace down. That's not going to work in an era where SNL, In Living Color, and Mr. Show were the major competitors...which is why this show didn't last.
Now u know why they call me Chicago Wind, fool.
This show really had an odd shelf life: I was 15 when this show aired, and I understand why it won an Emmy, but also understand why it was cancelled. It was a "niche" sketch comedy, more or less. I think it benefitted the players that it was cancelled, as the core group moved onto other projects (Ben Stiller with "Reality Bites", Andy Dick with "News Radio", Janeane Garofalo, stand-up and various films).
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