Cast: Larry David, Jegg Garlin, Susie Essman, JB Smoove
Certificate: 15
SEINFELD fans might agree that CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM’s seventh season was as great a call back to the show as we could ever hope for, and overall it was by far the best season of Larry David’s latest conquest.
There’s no denying that CURB’s a great show and in some respects takes the same obnoxious, argumentativem and pedantic characteristics that made SEINFELD so brilliant, and builds on them, and boy does it do it well…
After season seven, it was hard to imagine how Larry David and pals would ever manage to top it. There is nothing worse than seeing a show reach its peak and gradually decline.For this reason it was nerve wracking tuning into the first episode of season eight. Fortunately however, the quality of the show even at this point season remains staggeringly high.
As usual we follow Larry around in everyday life as he alienates those around him, questioning the codes and conventions of the society of which he is apparently a part. After Larry’s own pathetic and poorly-executed weaseling he is forced to spend a substantial amount of time in his hometown New York City. You might think that as New Yorker, he would be in his element… think again.Without giving too much away, you can expect to see Larry more involved in the dating scene than ever, and subsequently see his character reach some new lows and occasional highs as he plays the field.
Despite being a very funny and impressive, season eight is not quite as good as seven: the story arc is engaging, and the episode structures are still second to none. In some instances they’re as good as some of SEINFELD’s best episodes. The season ties up very nicely, as do each of the episodes, and even more interestingly the show seems to have adopted a EASTBOUND AND DOWN-esque quality whereby one episode will end and the next will carry on only moments after.
This season of CURB did do very well to recover from last year’s stunning finale, and this season is a testament to the production team, who still come out all guns blazing. Yes, it’s very funny and again it’s still a fantastic show, but it just hasn’t quite been able to trump season seven’s SEINFELD reunion.
Despite this, the DVD does have a couple of cracking extra features including an interview with cast members and even more delightfully, a tour around NYC with Leon, which is an absolute scream.
For any comedy fans, Larry David is pretty much a household name now. He’s a legend within the genre and everything he does (and probably will do) is bound to get serious thumbs up. Season eight of CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM is no exception, and manages to retain and expand on the show’s original real-life farcical sentiment, which in turn allows Larry David’s character to open up even further. It’s pretty much an essential watch for any comedy fan, even if it doesn’t quite top the previous season.
CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM season eight is available to buy 11th June
