The World Beyond BetterMost > Anything Goes
Can someone explain Steve Carell to me?
serious crayons:
It's just a matter of your particular sense of humor, I guess. The Office brings out extremes -- people either love it or hate it. I'm one of the former; it's probably my favorite TV show these days.
I call it cringe humor. It makes you cringe in embarrassment for the characters, yet that's exactly what's funny. Everybody on the show is hilarious, often in a really subtle deadpan way. Steve Carell's character is so annoying and buffoonish and insensitive and clueless and self-centered and un-PC and unwittingly sexist and racist and cowardly and obnoxious and, yes, smug that you laugh at him. Not with him, at him.
Unlike, say, Earl and Randy, who are buffoonish and clueless but are also cute and loveable, Carell's character is basically repulsive. Yet there's also this tiny little grain of dorky vulnerability and well-meaningness that makes you not entirely hate him.
In last night's show, for example, I loved when he was giving the filmmakers (for those who haven't seen it, the premise of the show is that it's a documentary being filmed by an unseen camera guy and interviewer) a know-it-allish tour around Manhattan, boasting about what a great city it is and how at home he feels there, and every single thing he said about the city was incorrect.
Or I keep repeating the line from a couple of weeks ago, when he was asked who his heroes are, and his reply (after a long perplexed pause) was, "Well, first of course there's Bob Hope. And then, well ... Abraham Lincoln. And, let's see ... oh, OK, Bono. And then, um, God, God would be fourth. They've all done so much for the world."
I just love that show. I laugh at almost every line. I like all the other characters, too. I'm always sad when it's over. (I like Earl, too -- the two shows complement each other really well.)
I didn't see "The 40-Year-Old Virgin." But the new movie that he's in, "Little Miss Sunshine," is getting great reviews.
As for the Daily Show, I like everybody on that, too, and Jon Stewart is one of my favorite people alive.
OK, now it's somebody's turn to explain to me the appeal of Adam Sandler. (And, true confessions: I'm not even a huge fan of Will Ferrell, though his new movie is supposed to be good, too.)
David:
Adam Sandler and Will Ferrell? UGH! Two more idiots. I have sat thru some of Sandlers stuff, but Ferrell is too much to take. He is trying to be the next Chevy Chase. Which in itself is a bad thing. But at least Chevy Chase could get our sympathy in some of his characters.
Randy Quaid may have played a dufuss in those Vacation movies, but he has shown that he can be serious in movies like Hard Rain and BBM.
None of these guys will achieve the "Lovable Goofball" status of the likes of Don Knotts or Jerry Lewis.
ednbarby:
--- Quote from: DavidinHartford on August 04, 2006, 02:18:51 pm ---Adam Sandler and Will Ferrell? UGH! Two more idiots. I have sat thru some of Sandlers stuff, but Ferrell is too much to take. He is trying to be the next Chevy Chase. Which in itself is a bad thing. But at least Chevy Chase could get our sympathy in some of his characters.
Randy Quaid may have played a dufuss in those Vacation movies, but he has shown that he can be serious in movies like Hard Rain and BBM.
None of these guys will achieve the "Lovable Goofball" status of the likes of Don Knotts or Jerry Lewis.
--- End quote ---
Hey, you, get outta my head! I *cannot* stand Will Ferrell lately. I've never thought he was very funny, and now he's just everywhere. This interview they did of him on "Extra" last night actually pissed me off - all this B.S. about how he's really gay. God. Please. I reckon you guys would throw him back (as in into the lake) if that were really true. But to *joke* about it like they did - Jesus Christ. Can I please watch the Espys again? And to make it extra painful, can you please black out Jake's beautiful face every time it's shown? Might as well give me a big paper cut and pour lemon juice in it.
I am *so* not watching "Talladega Nights" or anything else Will Ferrell is even within the same time zone of ever again.
Adam Sandler used to irk the bejesus out of me, too. But he hasn't been bashing the crap out of the limelight lately, so I'm not nearly as disgruntled.
serious crayons:
--- Quote from: ednbarby on August 04, 2006, 02:33:51 pm ---Adam Sandler used to irk the bejesus out of me, too. But he hasn't been bashing the crap out of the limelight lately, so I'm not nearly as disgruntled.
--- End quote ---
That's only because you don't have two tween-age boys whom you needed to keep busy for an afternoon and therefore made the mistake of taking them to "Click." YUCK.
I actually thought Adam Sandler was pretty good in Spanglish. Unfortunately, Spanglish was probably my most hated film of 2005. I found it very offensive. But admittedly, Adam Sandler wasn't bad.
Jeff Wrangler:
Among the legion of movies I haven't seen is The Wedding Singer. How was Adam Sandler in that, I'm wonderin'?
Will Ferrell looks to me like he's trying too hard, even when he's not even moving.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version