Synopsis
Larry David (playing himself) has never met a good situation that he couldn’t turn into adisaster. Though his friends and relations have his best interests at heart, the creator ofSeinfeld he sabotages them at every turn, and manages to alienate just about everyone heencounters.
The series is not unlike a cross between The Larry Sanders Show (with its causticityand plethora of actors and other Hollywood players appearing as themselves) and the mundane-…made-monstrous approach of Seinfeld. In its elaborate depictions of social humiliation,Curb Your Enthusiasm is also a close cousin to The Office.
Audio
The series looks and sounds cheap. Partly, this is deliberate, creating a pseudo-documentaryfeel. But the distortion of the sound seems a bit worse than necessary. Particularly when raised,voices disintegrate into loud buzz. The music sounds fine. As for surround effects, there are noneto speak of, but that is because the soundtrack itself consists in very little else beyond dialogueand the occasional snippet of music.
Video
The shot-on-video look of the series is not conducive to glorious colours and pretty pictures,but nor is it intended to. The flesh tones and colours are good, but the edges are prone toshimmer and break-up. The pictures on the case look better than the image on the screen.
Special Features
The only extras are episode descriptions and an ad for The Office. The menu’s mainscreen, intro and transitions are animated and scored.
Closing Thoughts
Apparently, the attempt to create an American version of The Office is running intotrouble. I can’t see why they’re bothering. There already is an American equivalent, and this isit.
Special Features List
- Trailer for The Office
- Episode Descriptions
