MovieChat Forums > How Do You Want Me? (1998) Discussion > This good?

This good?

posted 17 years ago by justsomerandomirrelevantweirdo
23 replies | jump to latest

Would a Spaced fan like this?...
"Psst...it's me, Death...I'll see you soon...ok?"-Manny Calavera

[–] talime25 17 years ago

It's not like spaced, it is more a dramady than a comedy, and is more like a traditional British TV show (that's not a bad thing..)

DEAR TINA: EVERYBODY HATES YOU.

[–] Ermy1 17 years ago

I love Spaced and I love How Do You Want Me.
They are very different- Spaced is more surreal, but How Do You Want me also has some brilliant characters and I think the comedy is more subtle but still very funny.
Watch it! :-)

[–] FiHappy5 16 years ago

I don't believe your average Spaced fan would think it was worth the money. Dylan Moran's always good value, and it's sort of interesting to see Pete Serafinowicz... but the balance between comedy and drama is very questionable. One minute it's tedious slapstick farse, and the next there's a petty marital tiff that we're sposed to take seriously. Add to that the excruciating music and the yawnsome prejudice against people who don't live in London, and you're better off watching Men Behaving Badly. Or Black Books. Or, well... Spaced.

I can't help but feel people are imagining some sort of hidden depth to this clunky series, in light of Charlotte Coleman's untimely death. Are their lives really so dull they have to buy into other peoples tragedies? But hey, if it works for the "Diana" Mail...

If you want to watch a comedy drama that works, try Happiness.

Fiona x

[–] talime25 16 years ago

I disagree with you. I believe this is a very warm hearted funny-sad look on being an outsider, trying to be part of your wife's life and family and failing again and again. Yes, this is not the best show ever on BBC, but it is worth watching, and I don't believe people love it because she died, maybe it got more of an audiance but that's it. And I think Dylan Moran does great in it, he moves me here more than Black Books, and I LOVE Black Books.
And why are you even compering this to Spaced, a great show on its own, but there is nothing in common there.
And Happiness? works?? really??? Have you seen season 2??

DEAR TINA: EVERYBODY HATES YOU.

[–] FiHappy5 16 years ago

All right, all right... some people are imagining hidden depths in light of Charlotte Coleman's death. There's a definite waft of cadaver-glamour in some of the threads but you're right, I shouldn't soak everyone in that particular marinade.

I really do find the portrayal of rural people tiresome and offensive, although it's not in the same league as, say, The Green Green Grass (I don't want to live in a world where that can get re-commissioned). And I do find the oscillation of tone in HDYWM? quite ludicrous. Is his father-in-law really trying to kill him? Am I supposed to find that funny? How am I supposed to find it funny when I'm meant to care moments later? I'm not sure whether the fault lies with the script or the direction, but those clunky mood changes are asking too much. I don't know how to relate to the characters.

And the music, oh the music! It makes me want to gouge out my own eyes with the foil dish from a Mr Kipling Cherry Bakewell just so that I have something to plug my ears with.

I have seen series 2 of Happiness, yes... but then I've also seen series 3 of Black Books. <g>

Fiona x

PS I referred to Spaced because I was trying to answer the opening question in the thread which was, "Would a Spaced fan like this?".

[–] talime25 16 years ago

Yeah, I have to agree with you on that annoying-want-to-take-your-eyes-out harmonica. Dear god that was terrible!

DEAR TINA: EVERYBODY HATES YOU.

[–] FiHappy5 16 years ago

Maybe they were inspired by the incidental music on Seinfeld, which had a similar effect...

Fiona x

[–] BigJobMan 13 years ago

Totally agree about the music. It's like theyre trying to tell us to be sad, even though we're meant to be laughing too. From the opening credits to the closing credits via the "eyes out" harmonica, it's painful.
Watch what you say about Seinfeld, I love every aspect of it, dare I say it? Dare, dare, ok, 'not that there's anything wrong with that!'.

[–] combatreview 16 years ago

>>>I really do find the portrayal of rural people tiresome and offensive

But isn't the point of this show that it stems from a parody of pre-existing cliches? There's a great big chunk of Straw Dogs lurking at the back of this show, for example. To me, criticising this show for its depiction of rural people is rather like criticising Twin Peaks for its depiction of small town life. Besides, to a large extent the lead character's antipathy toward his new community is HIS fault, not theirs - and in many cases its not a matter of fault at all, but one of those situations where certain people just don't 'get' each other as much as they might want to - much of the show is based on misapprehension and misunderstanding rather than inbred weirdo cliches.

I come from a comparatively tiny rural village and I had no problem with the occasional depiction of the petty and banal realities of a rural community. In fact I speak as somebody whose parents met at a village fete when my father was running one of the stalls, which I don't think would look out of place in an episode of this show. For that matter, I've spent most of the last ten years of my life working in London which means that I'm keenly aware of the difference in mindset that does exist between a village and a city. So... I do actually find that I recognise the things this show is parodying.

>>>And I do find the oscillation of tone in HDYWM? quite ludicrous.

This is an interesting point; I don't personally agree, but that's largely because I approached the whole thing with an assumption of it being dark. I don't know if that's properly announced by the show or whether I just had the advantage of watching it after seeing a couple of obviously dark episodes many years earlier. I took all of the darker stuff as being consistent with the main conceit, that of Moran's alienation. In a lot of ways this show is simply a sweeter-natured and less grotesque version of The League Of Gentlemen, and like the League it continually alludes to other sources. Straw Dogs is by far the most obvious, but there are many moments in the show where it seems to be parodying British thrillers of the 70s and the like. The casting of Frank Finlay is absolutely consistent with this whole tone. Though as I say, I don't know if the show managed to declare this early on, or whether I went into it forearmed.

[–] kittymou1 16 years ago

I really like this show, i've only seen 2 episodes of it so far, but im already pondering wether i should buy it, im really enjoying it so far, it's moody, dark and different but it has warm, loving undertones, it's great.

[–] lovedawn 15 years ago

I loved Spaced, but I watched this for around 10 mins then turned it off. It just didn't interest me at all.
And yes, you may argue that I should have given it more time, but there's so many things I want to see that I can't waste my time on something that doesn't grip me from the start.
OK?

You'll have to excuse me, I'm not from this planet.

[–] combatreview 15 years ago

Well, if it's okay by you then you hardly need justify your decision to anybody else. But you ARe missing out. If you only watched 10 minutes, you basically never watched it.

[–] lovedawn 15 years ago

You've just basically repeated what I said. I admitted that I may well be missing out, and I never gave it much of a chance. But so what? I've got better things to do.

You'll have to excuse me, I'm not from this planet.

[–] combatreview 15 years ago

I didn't entirely repeat you. I said that I thought you were missing out because you've not seriously tried to watch it. Absolutely your choice though - I've certainly avoided watching things for similar reasons. I'm just not sure why you posted about it, though!

[–] lovedawn 15 years ago

To present an alternative point of view?

You'll have to excuse me, I'm not from this planet.

[–] combatreview 15 years ago

Well, yes, but... the point of view is that you've not watched this programme and don't intend to. Will you be saying that on the board for every programme you never watched? As a point of view on this programme it's completely valueless, isn't it? By your own admission! It just seems a bit weird, as opinions go.

[–] lovedawn 15 years ago

The OP asked if a Spaced fan would like this. I'm a Spaced fan, and I didn't. So maybe the OP wouldn't either.
I admitted I didn't watch it for long, and gave my reasons why. Now hopefully other people can make an informed decision whether to bother with the show or not.

(Or just argue that my opinion is worthless)

You'll have to excuse me, I'm not from this planet.

[–] combatreview 15 years ago

I'm just saying: You never watched it. Ten minutes is nothing, least of all in the first episode of any show. So you don't actually know whether you liked it or not, only that you have no intention of finding out. I really DON'T mean this unkindly, but your view is surely almost as meaningless as if you'd never even stuck the dvd in your player. If you'd watched a couple of episodes, you'd genuinely have an opinion, but by your own admission you don't.

[–] lovedawn 15 years ago

As I said, I only watched it for 10 mins or so because it failed to keep my interest. Why should I waste my time watching something that's boring me just to see if it picks up later on? I only watched it in the first place because Dylan Moran and Peter Serafinowicz were in it, even though I'd heard nothing but bad reviews.

You'll have to excuse me, I'm not from this planet.

[–] combatreview 15 years ago

Hey, I'm not saying you *should* watch it. You can do what you like, and make your own judgements. But given that you haven't watched it, how can your opinion on this show be in any way relevant?

Sure, you didn't like the first ten minutes but honestly... if you can't get to the end of an episode then you obviously weren't willing to invest in it or give it a chance. And you don't have to - but if somebody asks if they'd like this show and you say "Well, I don't intend to watch it because I watched about 2% of it and then turned it off" you're inferring a criticism that you're in no position to make. Imagine it was a book. If you only read the first chapter that means you have no way to know whether the book is any good - or indeed whether or not you would have liked it if you'd opted to finish it. The only thing that's certain is that your attention span doesn't run beyond 10 minutes.

As a decision on how to spend your personal time, it can't be faulted. As a basis for any comment or criticism it's entirely spurious.

[–] lovedawn 15 years ago

You're just not listening to a word I say, are you? I'm bored with this - go and annoy someone else.

You'll have to excuse me, I'm not from this planet.

[–] scolexmerchandise 14 years ago

you would only give this show 10 mins of your time, because you are too busy and have better things to be doing? then why have you wasted so much time posting on here? couldn't you of tried giving the show more of a chance with that same kind of free time that you used to post these comments? you haven't made much of a point, you only seemed to of given us insight as to the lack of your time management skills.

[–] combatreview 15 years ago

Hi Lovedawn. I'm just replying to your post from the 27th October. I haven't actually read it, and have no idea what it says, but I disagree with it completely.