Sam Wiens

2 episodes down, and once again, Vince and company deliver something (pretty much) air-tight and original. Are there a couple obvious cap tips here and there? Sure. But they’re intentional. Instead of starving you of answers, as I braced for, the first steps of this show are satisfyingly revealing. The concept is so compelling, and while Carol has some obvious “rough edges”, as Vince has said, I was rooting for (and laughing at…yes, there’s his signature humor in it!) her from the beginning. The scope of it all is insane. Criticisms: Not the most gripping opening minutes, and the technical jargon kind of threw me off a bit as I settled in, but nothing to call home about. There are a handful of small-talk lines and deliveries in the first act or two of the pilot I wasn’t crazy about…again, hardly worth noting as the show finds its footing. The Good Stuff: So far, the acting, namely by Rhea Seehorn, is fantastic. The score is a refreshingly foregrounded, too, and I like where Dave Porter is going with it. Stellar cinematography by Marshall Adams. Par for the course. I’m almost certain it’ll only get better from here, and I’m thrilled to be able to watch this show at the same time everyone else does, something I wasn’t able to do with Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul. Don’t read any more reviews and get all wound up with expectations before watching. Just hit play and enjoy.

This is one of the most bafflingly horrendous, out-of-touch “films” I’ve seen in recent memory. It pains me to say that, because Jonah and Eddie are some of the best in the business. The script is jacked. The blatant attempts to force a laugh out of the viewer instead turn into some of the most cringe-inducing interactions I’ve EVER seen from a film of this “highly promoted” caliber. The actors have less chemistry than a bag of flour. The script is so desperate for socio-political validation that I felt like I was being lectured rather than told a heartfelt story. And that’s the other MAJOR issue here. The story is void of life in every way. I don’t have sympathy for any of the characters in this movie, and I feel genuinely embarrassed for those that worked on it. I love movies, and I wanted to love this movie so much, but it made me mad less than ten minutes in. That should NEVER happen. I hope Jonah Hill’s contributions to the script were minimal, because I know his writing isn’t this amateurish.