MovieChat Forums > Life's Too Short Discussion > Can Ricky's ego be seen from space?

Can Ricky's ego be seen from space?


I used to like Ricky, I mean I still do to an extent, and enjoy some of his work, but his arrogance and inflated opinion of himself has really grated on me. For a while we were told it was all part of his comedy act. We've since learnt with tireless references to his awards and nominations that he is genuinely very arrogant. And now again in this he's found ways to pat himself on the back; the man saying he'd heard of Ricky and not Warwick, the line from Barry about The Office, and other general examples of self-indulgence.

So yeah, is he the most arrogant man on the planet?

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I think he's about as arrogant as any celebrity who goes from nothing to working with the likes of Johnny Depp...

But the truth is, famous people obviously hide their pride and arrogance otherwise people dislike them. While all humans are arrogant about their achievements, arrogance is still a dislikable character trait so we just tend not to show it. You can be sure that there are massive Hollywood celebs who are 10x more arrogant than Ricky Gervais.

I think Ricky Gervais used arrogance as part of his comedy act but now just doesn't care... I'm the opposite of you. I used to hate Ricky... but now I don't even notice the arrogance.

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I think Ricky Gervais used arrogance as part of his comedy act but now just doesn't care... I'm the opposite of you. I used to hate Ricky... but now I don't even notice the arrogance.


I think he does as well, but while he treats it as an outlet for his comedy I honestly think he believes his own hype deep down. He must do to self-reference his achievements so often. I wish he could change his tune because it's now very boring, unfunny and makes him come across as a smug pr!ck.

I'm glad he had that moment during the Princess Diana concert, even if it only brought him back down to Earth for several minutes.

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I'm also surprised people still come up with such comments as Jimothy3. Ricky's writing is so clearly packed full of irony. I don't think you understand his comedy at all.

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This sh!t gets really tiring to explain. You really don't understand much about comic personas. You call him the most arrogant man on the planet and yet, had you seen episode 2 of Life's Too Short, you'd see the guy has an incredibly self-deprecating sense of humour.

Some people, like yourself, just can't get their heads around the idea of comic personas. He says arrogant, bigoted, small minded things in his act not because he actually believes them, they're their to target people who ACTUALLY think those sorts of things.

I mean, have you heard Johnny Depp's dialogue in Life's Too Short?

"What is nastier than Ricky Gervais' jokes? His teeth"

"Why do people take an instant dislike to Ricky Gervais? BECAUSE IT SAVES TIME! HAHA"

"Why isn't Ricky Gervais circumsised? Because theres no end to that prick!"

Guess who wrote all this dialogue? Gervais and Merchant.

I'm sure truly arrogant people would write this about themselves.

"Most arrogant man on the planet". Bit hyperbolic, don't you think?


Bing bong, sing that song, your name's Al Gore 'coz your views are wrong. - Troy, Community

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Nice try. But just because he shows signs of self-deprication it doesn't mean he doesn't harbour a deep-seated arrogance. If you watch him in his stand-ups being himself he always gloats about his awards without fail, and regularly slips it into conversation whenever possible. Notice how his name is prevalent in all 3 of those jokes. As long as he's getting mentioned it doesn't matter that it's self-depricating humour, least of all by an A-list celebrity. Bet he thrives on that level of ass-kissing.

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"But just because he shows signs of self-deprication it doesn't mean he doesn't harbour a deep-seated arrogance"

He probably does, but then again I don't know the guy. It's kind of arrogant of yourself presuming that you DO know him.

"If you watch him in his stand-ups being himself he always gloats about his awards without fail, and regularly slips it into conversation whenever possible."

Again, his persona. It happens to be funny when he self-aggrandises. He has also managed to successfully merge that into a way to flog his gear. Maybe that is the ultimate ploy, cushioning his own self promotion in a "joke. But like I said, I am not arrogant enough to presume I know the guy.

"Notice how his name is prevalent in all 3 of those jokes"

Bit difficult to make a joke about someone if you don't name them isn't it?

"As long as he's getting mentioned it doesn't matter that it's self-depricating humour, least of all by an A-list celebrity. Bet he thrives on that level of ass-kissing"

I've watched and listened to everything him, Merchant and Pilkington have ever done and he has always struck me as being rather honest about his own flaws. I'm sure he'd be the first to admit he is a little arrogant. Maybe deep down he is arrogant, hey, maybe deep down he is also really a racist homophobe as well. If so, he has been very clever in turning it into a comedic voice.






Bing bong, sing that song, your name's Al Gore 'coz your views are wrong. - Troy, Community

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I'm no expert but if someone brings up his accolades and self-proclaimed greatness on a constant basis, there has to be a level of arrogance there, even if it is being used as a vehicle for humour. You say that it happens to be funny. I say that sctick stopped being funny a while ago. Maybe Gervais too realises this and it comes out these days as genuine arrogance. That was the impression I got from his last stand-up performance.

"Notice how his name is prevalent in all 3 of those jokes"

Bit difficult to make a joke about someone if you don't name them isn't it?


My point is that you can be arrogant with self-deprication. The word 'self' itself being a clue. There's an extent of arrogance already in the fact that he's written an A-lister in Johnny Depp, as someone who would care that Ricky Gervais has made fun of him. So regardless of whether the jokes poke fun at himself, it's that the topic revolves around him. Of course the way Ricky turns the situation in that scene around in his favour, by making the others laugh, and forcing Depp into a hissy fit, almost negates the self-deprication that came before it anyway.

The guy's ego has been stroked so many times it's started developing fur.

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Some of this is frustrating to read. How many arrogant and egotistical people would write jokes about themselves being arrogant and egotistical? Really, think about it.

You have to separate Ricky Gervais the character (which includes the guy doing stand-up and the guy presenting the Golden Globes) from Ricky Gervais the real person. I just can't understand why that's so difficult for some people to do.

It probably doesn't help you that he stays in character often in interviews but, come on, he's giving the audience credit for being intelligent enough to understand the irony. Watch a proper interview with him where he's 'out of character', like when he's on Inside The Actor's Studio. He's actually quite an honest and articulate guy.

You wouldn't think, say, James Gandolfini is like Tony Soprano in real life. So just because Ricky is playing Ricky Gervais or Larry David is playing Larry David it's no different for them.

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I completely agree with the OP and let's not forget that those jokes were there to make Depp's character look like a pr!ck and were in no way supposed to be close to home, hence, why Warick's character doesn't laugh. But as soon as a joke's made about Pirates of the Caribbean 3 that's meant to be the funny moment, Warick starts laughing and Depp has a hissy fit.
Also OP you forgot to mention Brent's, sorry I mean Gervais', but then in truth what the hell's the difference?, smug face as he mentioned that he writes and directs his own stuff, great job pal, doesn't stop you from being a gargantuan twat!
I reckon those jokes were Gervais' attempt to nullify some of the criticisms that've been levelled at him over the years, in the same way gay people nullified the word queer by claiming it themselves, here Gervais does exactly that, he claims it himself by writing it himself. Except those jokes were the only genuinely funny thing about the episode because they were spot on, every single one of them (except perhaps the teeth part, that was a tad harsh).

Without love life is rarely appealing, with it it cannot end too late

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I think you missed the point of the scene with Gervais and Depp.

Ricky Gervais being smug about writing his own stuff was part of the subtle pride-war between Johnny Depp and Ricky Gervais... Also the jokes about Gervais were deliberately supposed to be true but NOT funny. If you really did think those 'jokes' were the funniest thing in the episode then you're not watching the right show. Ricky Gervais is quite simply taking the piss out of himself as well as being arrogant about his success.

The reason no one laughed at the jokes Depp made was not because "they were in no way supposed to be close to home" but because they were clearly out of spite and not said in a funny way which made the situation awkward.

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Ricky Gervais being smug about writing his own stuff was part of the subtle pride-war between Johnny Depp and Ricky Gervais... Also the jokes about Gervais were deliberately supposed to be true but NOT funny. If you really did think those 'jokes' were the funniest thing in the episode then you're not watching the right show.

Are you joking? Of course they were meant to be funny, that is the "embarrassing" humor Gervais has always used right from his early days on channel four.

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Way to COMPLETELY miss the point of a paragraph.

Did you even bother trying to understand what I said?

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Ricky Gervais being smug about writing his own stuff was part of the subtle pride-war between Johnny Depp and Ricky Gervais...


Yeah but unlike Johnny Depp he said it as if it was a noble achievement. Depp was blatantly taking the piss, Gervais was just over-compensating as he's felt he's had to do ever since The Office turned him into an overnight sensation. And before you state it, I know it's a comedy show and not real life but, as the OP mentioned, the gap between Gervais' portrayal in this show, and others, and his real-life persona is pretty much non-existent.


Also the jokes about Gervais were deliberately supposed to be true but NOT funny. If you really did think those 'jokes' were the funniest thing in the episode then you're not watching the right show.


On this point I'm inclined to agree with you. I'll give it one more week and then that'll probably be enough for me to move onto something a little less irritating. The only enjoyment I'm getting from this at the moment is seeing car-crash telly (makes the Diana tribute look tame in comparison I reckon).

Without love life is rarely appealing, with it it cannot end too late

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Also the jokes about Gervais were deliberately supposed to be true but NOT funny.


Oh I forgot to add that if you think Gevais genuinely believes that he can only write one character, that he is an endless prick, that he has terrible teeth, that he's fit to scare kids away from the fireplace and that he's worth taking an instant dislike to to save time then he should try a lot harder to remedy those things. It's also interesting that you believe those things to be true and yet you still defend the guy.

Without love life is rarely appealing, with it it cannot end too late

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The 1 character joke is an exaggeration, but I hardly think Ricky Gervais is going to deny that many of his characters are very similar, and that is what he is mocking. And he obviously knows he has pretty bad teeth so obviously he can take the piss out of that... it wouldn't be the first time he took the piss out of his physical appearance (e.g. his weight). And of course Ricky Gervais knows that he is very dislikable... he takes the piss out of celebrities, attacks fat people, makes jokes about disabled people and is deliberately incredibly arrogant... however he knows he is controversial, he just doesn't want to play 'safe' comedy like most other comedians. Basically Ricky knows he is very dislikable to a lot of people.

The jokes made by Depp were all obviously exaggerated (as any joke is... just saying "You are very dislikable Ricky" isn't a joke) however they all ring truth and that's why Ricky Gervais wrote it...

Also of course I'm going to defend him... we all have our flaws. I personally think Ricky Gervais is a good person. He does a lot of charity and is a massive animal and gay rights supporter. He is a progressive that just likes making controversial jokes. The fact that he is taking the piss out of himself makes him more commendable because anyone who makes a living out of mocking other people should be able to poke fun at themselves.

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I would argue it was more on the side of annihilating self-criticism than mockery, if supposed to be true which I still highly doubt, even taking into account exageration but you're obviously a very forgiving person, a noble attribute it must be said.

Without love life is rarely appealing, with it it cannot end too late

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You're quite right. The point of the scene was to see Depp being undermined, despite those jokes actually being funny in their own right, and true. Due to Depp's attitude and delivery they aren't deemed laugh-worthy enough by anyone in the room. Gervais comes out the better in that exchange of words.

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This sh!t gets really tiring to explain. You really don't understand much about comic personas. You call him the most arrogant man on the planet and yet, had you seen episode 2 of Life's Too Short, you'd see the guy has an incredibly self-deprecating sense of humour.

Some people, like yourself, just can't get their heads around the idea of comic personas. He says arrogant, bigoted, small minded things in his act not because he actually believes them, they're their to target people who ACTUALLY think those sorts of things.

I mean, have you heard Johnny Depp's dialogue in Life's Too Short?

"What is nastier than Ricky Gervais' jokes? His teeth"

"Why do people take an instant dislike to Ricky Gervais? BECAUSE IT SAVES TIME! HAHA"

"Why isn't Ricky Gervais circumsised? Because theres no end to that prick!"

Guess who wrote all this dialogue? Gervais and Merchant.

I'm sure truly arrogant people would write this about themselves.

"Most arrogant man on the planet". Bit hyperbolic, don't you think?


I totally agree. I have always loved Ricky Gervais and started to get a few concerns that he was starting to get a bit cocky and arrogant, but when I saw this episode I thought "Nah, he is still the same guy we know and love!"

I agree that people who don't like him for this reason, really don't get his humour.

"You're gonna die, Clown!"

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I couldn't care less whether Gervais is arrogant. His work makes me laugh. I'm not obsessed with celebrity enough to nitpick over just how big his ego is.

"If you wake up at a different time in a different place, could you wake up as a different person?"

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I don't feel that he has a large ego. The man has worked hard for everything he has.

Team Coco

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And now he's coasting.

Without love life is rarely appealing, with it it cannot end too late

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And you've got a real need to be noticed.

--------------------
"Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."

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Yay, it's working! ;D

Without love life is rarely appealing, with it it cannot end too late

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Let's not forget a few weeks ago when he started using the word "mong" on Twitter. A few people including Richard Herring called him out on it and Gervais's response was "They're just jealous. They're not offended by me, they're offended by my success". I think that shows a pretty massive ego.

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This is true.

I remember it was during the Animals or Politics stand-up, he referenced Ian Hislop's rather critical review of the show and called him a "pug-faced C-word", or words to that effect. Then again backstage he dealt with either the same or another negative review in one of the extra features. Now what comedian does that other than one who has a high opinion of himself who thinks he should be loved by everyone?

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Really? I've seen the interview and it really seems like Garry is the one that has the massive ego there... he can't take a single joke. Either he is joking to make the situation deliberately awkward or he has an even bigger ego than Ricky. Ricky Gervais is being his usual self in that interview... if you watch anything he is in where he is being himself you will see that he is EXACTLY the same.

If Garry had really done his homework he would have known that Ricky has an immature sense of humour and either wouldn't have done the interview or would have gone along with it... I'm pretty sure most people Ricky meet are warned about his sense of humour.

Ricky Gervais has an ego and that is undeniable but so does everyone... There are people out there who are so much more arrogant than Ricky... simple fact, they hide it. Ricky uses it as part of his humour.

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You're quite right. The point of the scene was to see Depp being undermined
No. The point of the scene was to make viewers laugh.

So many people on this thread just need to lighten up.

"If you wake up at a different time in a different place, could you wake up as a different person?"

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Well obviously it was to make viewers laugh. That goes without saying. But laughing at Depp being undermined and throwing his toys out the pram.

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But laughing at Depp being undermined and throwing his toys out the pram.
I don't think that Ricky is writing his own character in a more flattering way than he wrote Depp's. He's portraying himself as a smug jerk. Although I suppose that if you think he is one in real life, then you think he's writing himself honestly.

I just think that this kind of analysis is so unnecessary. This celebrity cameos have always been about having a little fun at the celebrity's expense, but you guys are making a big deal about this one just because Gervais's character was their to interact with Depp.

"If you wake up at a different time in a different place, could you wake up as a different person?"

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The references to his awards are clearly hilarious, I like him alot as a person and his comedy is just gold imo, genuinely funny and smart fella, I really don't understand why so many people hate him, they seem so butthurt it's pathetic.

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^THIS

Team Coco

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how is he arrogant or have an inflated ego, he thinks hes funny fair enough he is,

his jokes about his awards are jokes not bigging himslf up.

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Some of the comments on here would be absolutely laughable, if it weren't so obvious that the people posting them actually believe them. I'm far from being a regular poster on IMDB, but on this one occasion I couldn't resist the urge.

This might come as a mounumental shock to you, but we all have an ego. And those people who pursue a career in any form of entertainment or showbusiness possess a much larger one than those who don't. Anyone who sings a song, who steps in front of a camera, who puts pen to paper, or who treads the boards in a theatre is doing so because they are convinced they have a particular talent that is worthy of others time (and money) to stop and appreciate. Some flaunt this, and invariably have a greater level of success than those who don't. Ricky Gervais made his name and fortune by creating and playing a CHARACTER. That the character had some of his own deeper seated angsts, conceits and hang-ups is possible, maybe even probable. But to suggest that every word he's penned since is merely an extension of his own arrogance and agendas is just too myopic for words. And those who spout this kind of crap are very likely the same people who wanted Jeremy Clarkson hung drawn and quartered this week. Some celebrities have a very calculated persona, and play up to that by making outrageous statements that are patently absurd. Do you really believe that someone like Jerry Sadowitz actually believes his own material? No, it's an act. A very well crafted and character driven act.

That Gervais has an ego is beyond question. That when it comes to his stand-up routines and public appearances he massively inflates it to brilliant comedic effect is also beyond question. He's a gifted perfomer, who along with Merchant have hit upon a great little comedy formula. That they were in the right place at the right time was incredibly fortunate, and they've been the first to admit it. But to castigate the guy for playing to his strengths is pathetic. The second he becomes humble is when he'll burn out. In the meantime, I'm enjoying him and others like him bursting a few bubbles of complacency and hypocrisy.

And for those who aren't, I can happily recommend Michael Mcintyre or Russell fu@"ing Howard!!!





I wanna fly like an eagle, I wanna sing like Sinatra...........

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