Mr. Show with Bob and David: Genius or Overrated?

Writer #1: "Now that is fuckin' funny! Ha, ha, ha!"

All writers: (riotous laughter)

Writer #2: "Ooooh, man. Ohhhh, shit."

Writer #3: "That situation is kind of like this other situation..."

(and there's your rolling segue)

Writer #4: "It's totally the opposite of this other situation..."

(and there's your rolling segue)

No, I don't think it they were TRYING to be loopy and inspired, I think they just WERE. They came at comedy from every angle and tried to cram as many jokes as they could into a single episode.

xpost

"if you don't like it, go take a dump in your hat."
Don't you mean on the American flag?

I can sort of see how if you don't get that vibe, it could be a really good show, but it's a bit like "if an elephant was small, white and round, it'd be an aspirin".

Oh really. Sure he wasn't just trying to be funny?

"Take it from me, I love you!"

scott so fucking OTM today. lemonade salesman, too.

btw, when was the last time you were funny? i'm thinking it was well before you threatened to get in a fistfight with roger adultery.

The show is certainly inconsistant, but they had some really incredible material. Both Mr. Show and the Upright Citizens Brigade tv show had some interesting ideas about working improv and live sketch formats into a television show, but I think both ultimately make the case for the supremecy of the live experience. (although Arrested Development plays with some of the same tools in a manner much more effective for television)

Hm...all right, let me serve up an example -- one sketch I found egregriously painful was the one in the restaurant where the staff is all falling over themselves to take care of the dude when he poops. So, was that a 'fake' sketch (and was I apparently unaware not to notice?)? (I'm not objecting to that approach -- see also SCTV, MST3K, etc. -- but I don't think it worked well here.)

like ILX is a good arbiter of what's funny. get off yo own nuts!!

-- miccio (anthonyisrigh...), April 23rd, 2005.

I mean even America's Funniest Home Videos has that smug Bob Saget cracking wry over the shots of dogs sliding around on ice.

-- miccio (anthonyisrigh...), April 23rd, 2005.

i'd understand the complaint if they, like, gratuitously paused for applause or something, but the show has a pretty zippy pace.

-- miccio (anthonyisrigh...), April 23rd, 2005.

otfm!

I was referring to the live segments--i.e. the "Space Dog" sketch.

As dumb as Lemonade Salesman's argument is, I don't know if "trying too hard" is a particularly useful criticism as it's phrased, especially when so much sketch could stand to try a lot harder (Michael Showalter, I'm looking at you). I haven't seen the poop sketch in a few years, but I'm remember it being executed very well--great raising the stakes, strong beats--but predicated on pretty weak ideas. Blount brought up Chappelle Show, which suffers from the opposite problem; great (if sometimes same-y) ideas, half-assed execution.

Is "Trying Too Hard" In Art Really THAT Bad?