wallpapergravity.comAny native New Yorker or avid fan of Borscht Belt humour should know that Larry David is back in town. Does it really matter that Curb Your Enthusiasm’s return from a two-year hiatus features episodes shot in Larry David’s native environment? Of course not. If Seinfeld was shot almost exclusively in Los Angeles then we can all agree that Curb has captured the neck-to-neck social anxieties of New York.
Like the slew of guest stars introduced each season, including Ricky Gervais, Rosie O’Donnell, and Michael J. Fox, New York is not only another character, but a shameless marketing ploy. But even if the show has become formulaic, Curb’s improvised scenes and socially conscious episodes are still some of the freshest and most dynamic on TV. As the ads suggest, “Same Larry, New York.”
Larry carries social situations to the bitter end (we’re all relieved he’s finally given up on ex-wife Cheryl) and carries his jokes even further. Like Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm elevates mindless issues into the center of their fictional world. There’s a reason Curb has stuck around for eight seasons (and 11 years), and it isn’t the loads of money we all assume Larry has. Curb treats sensitive issues with outrageous humour. The season (and likely the show’s) greatest achievement is the third episode, “The Palestinian Chicken.” In the episode, the recent Lower Manhattan Mosque controversy is mirrored by a controversy over the opening of a popular Palestinian Chicken restaurant next to Greenblatt’s Delicatessen in L.A. Not only is the story timely and well rounded, but the scenes with Larry and his friends, who largely improvise the material, are off-the-cuff and fresh.
When Larry David sticks to his shtick, the results are pretty, pretty good.
