MovieChat Forums > F Is for Family (2015) Discussion > For hardcore Bill Burr fans -

For hardcore Bill Burr fans -


Did you actually find this funny?

I'm asking as someone who has followed Bill Burr for quite some time and I love his politically incorrect humor. When he said that this show was one of his best projects, I had high hopes.

But...

F is For Family was not funny. I WANTED to like it but I couldn't. Actually, it was plain awful. Even the vulgar language - which Burr usually makes hilarious - was unfunny and just felt angry and vulgar for the sake of vulgarity. Same with the nudity. I could almost hear the writers discussing some scenes: "Hey, in this scene, let's put a midget with a boner banging some broad on Frank's car. That would be so edgy and hilarious."

There were a lot of jokes I was hoping he would expand on but never did. The whole time I kept thinking about how evolved the jokes would have been if this was created by Seth MacFarlane.

The depth that exists within Burr's standup was not there in F is For Family. It felt like a middle aged dude was trying to be funny without realizing that the crux of his jokes don't hold up to modern hilarity.

In other words, this show might have been edgy or unique a decade ago. But now, the jokes feel dated, unevolved, and even a bit superficial. Which is weird, considering Burr's humor is none of those.

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I loved the show. I was sad it was only 6 episodes. He was everything he stated his dad was in his stand-up. Justin long was great, and Laura Dern was great too.

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I like it a lot, but I don't think it's supposed to be crazy funny. At least not all the time. There's some darkness there. And a lot of it shows the hard times and realities that families go through. Fighting, money problems, social awkwardness, work stress, bullies. There's a lot of depth there.

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OP no offense and with all due respect, but I gotta ask: how old are you?

I grew up in the 1970s and 1980s in Canada and this pretty much captured what it was like. Right down to the way telephone calls happened at dinner time, and the latest TV was like 2000 pounds and had a terrible picture (and easily killed by a magnet ;) ).


I found it hilarious in a funny-cuz-it's-true kind of way, similar to how Arrested Development was cartoonish but accurate for dysfunctional families. Burr yelling and swearing reminded me of him at his peak, too (before he got married :( )


The comedy comes not from complex verbiage describing situations we can all relate to -- in this it comes from its truth. Again, like AD (although in FifF it is less dialog-driven and more visual, imo). In some ways it's a kind of subtle humour like Office Space -- did you enjoy that movie, with its less obvious style of comedy driving the ridic-but-relateable plot?


PS: I am a huge fan of Seth MacFarlane's stuff too -- I enjoy laughing out loud dozens of times in an episode at silly stuff (and sometimes deep stuff!), but also just as much I enjoy the cringe-comedy of stuff like F Is For Family. Cringing because it's true. Did I mention it's accurate?


- - -

Chipping away at a mountain of pop culture trivia,
Darren Dirt.

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Grew up in the 80s and 90s in America and I love the nostalgia watching this

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I think the show is exactly what our whiny, overapologetic culture needs, rife with babying kids and making villains out of men who wont lay down for anything but their families. I fear for the future and Burr constantly expresses similar fears.

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Not to sound like a di k or maybe I do I don't know but sayin Bill Burr is politically incorrect is rubbish. You are not intelligent enough too look at the larger picture of what he is saying. He is like Dave Chappelle in that respect. "Too smart for the world it's unsettling."

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your not alone - I love Bill's standup - even if you know what your going to get with each new special - it's still god damn hilarious. Unfortunately none of it translates over to this show well. Honestly, I've watched 4 episodes and barely cracked a smile.

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I enjoyed the show a lot. I'm originally from southern Ontario and this show reminds me of home and a lot of the folks in my family. A lot of the men in my family worked jobs like the father has (General Motors factory, working the docks and port, etc.) The father character especially reminds me of my own father and grandfather and, ironically, I think as I get older I see more of myself in that character. Even the mother reminds me of my own mom in a lot or ways. Overall this is one of the more relatable shows imo.

Really the only thing I disliked about the show were those two white trash kids (especially the one with the diaper). They annoy the Hell out of me.

"Whats for dinner?"
"Free food, quit your bitching".

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Go and rewatch the first season of "The Simpsons", "Family Guy" and "South Park", and you'll see that they were pretty poor too. Good first seasons do happen but usually everything comes together after the staff have had time to settle and become familiar with each other.

I love Bill Burr's stand-up and I was disappointed after watching the first season, but I will give it another go if/when season 2 comes out.

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