'Eastbound & Down' review
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If you've seen a Will Ferrell comedy in the past few years, then you pretty well know what to expect from HBO's new series Eastbound & Down. And if you enjoyed Talladega Nights or Anchorman or Step Brothers, you'll probably like the new show too.
There's something to be said for that. Eastbound & Down may not hang together for its full six-episode run -- heck, there are moments just in Sunday's premiere that feel a little loose. But there are also a handful of real laughs in the show that make me want to stick around.
The similarities to Talladega Nights et al are not accidental; Ferrell and his long-time collaborator, Adam McKay, are executive producers of the show, and other folks both in front of and behind the camera hail from the extended Ferrell-McKay-Judd Apatow comedy family. And like those movies, they center on a man-child who's often clueless, more often shameless and self-aware just enough to make you not want to punch him in the head.
In this case, the man-child is Kenny Powers (Danny McBride, a scene-stealer in Pineapple Express and Tropic Thunder last summer), a former big-league pitcher whose first moment in the spotlight was his best. An opening montage shows us Kenny losing juice on his fastball while simultaneously upping the John Rocker-like behavior, until he's out of the game, broke and applying for a job as a substitute gym teacher in his hometown.
His reduced station in life -- he's living with his older brother (Deadwood's John Hawkes) and disapproving sister-in-law (Jennifer Irwin) -- hasn't, however, reduced his opinion of himself. He still tows his Jet Ski around behind him as a totem of his former glory and listens to the audio book of his autobiography (title: You're F**kin' Out, I'm F**kin' In) for inspiration and still figures the mere sight of him will reduce April (Katy Mixon), a former girlfriend-turned-fellow teacher, to jelly.
Reality intrudes, of course. April is engaged to the school's principal (Andrew Daly of Semi-Pro), and his brother and sister-in-law are on his case to sell the Jet Ski and use the money to move out of their house. And the kids he's teaching aren't nearly enough in awe of him.
McBride has bluster to spare, and it serves him well in scenes like one in the pilot where he takes an argument with his brother and sister-in-law a step too far, and realizes it, but won't lower the volume: "I'm not gonna stop yelling, because that would mean I lost the fight!"
But at least in the first episode, the focus is so squarely on Kenny that there's little room for the other characters to make much of an impression. Hawkes looks like he may make a good, levelheaded foil for his younger brother, but everyone else seems like little more than a sketch at this point.
Eastbound & Down (which McBride also co-created, along with Ben Best and Jody Hill) also displays the Ferrellian tendency to meander off into moments that may be funny in isolation but also tend to slow the story down a little. A couple of those may be excusable in a two-hour movie, but it's not easy to pull off in a half-hour TV show.
The force of McBride's performance (and, by the way, his mullet) is enough to carry Eastbound & Down through its first episode. Bringing the rest of the cast along for the ride will do a lot to make future episodes worth watching.
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Eastbound & Down premieres at 10:30 p.m. ET Sunday on HBO.
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"his long-time collaborator, Danny McBride, are executive producers of the show"
Should be Andy McKay.
Yea, it should be McKay. McKay and Ferrell are producing but the show was created by the Mcbride, Jody Hill, and Ben Best trio, best known for The Foot Fist Way. McKay and Ferrell are merely along for the ride because they love these guys.
D'oh! My bad. Post is fixed.
First of all, Will Ferrell does not equal Danny McBride. McBride is a great 2nd banana or featured player, not a leading man. I loved Anchorman and thought this show was a **** sandwich. Like 3 jokes. Weak.
I've known a lot of former athletes and this show is dead on in a lot of regards. It's not going to be for everybody, but I found it a really refreshing half hour.
I agree it is the consistent Will Ferrell comedy that we see in this show, but having said that I really like this show. Of course there are low points and maybe even somewhat seem less segments but there's a reason they continue to do it, it works! I don't know about the rest of you but it's extremely funny to me and I hope it lasts a long time, or at least helps p*** the time until the next season of Entourage
This is the best show to come out in a long time and the main reason is because it is soooo politically incorrect.
I just have to say, this show is really something else. It is just a razor sharp comedy, and it has all the right moves as far as knowing when to say when, and when to forget to say when. Danny Mcbride is going to be a big star in the next couple of years, and it's about time we had a star who isn't some polished hollywood puff with his face all over the tabs about who he slept with last week versus what book he promised Oprah he'd read this week. This guy is a real person, who just recently made "The Foot Fist Way", and now he's already worked with Stiller, Ferrell, and Rogan. This guy is really something.
I just think that people are giving it bad reviews because they won't take their smug goggles off and really try to understand what the show is doing. I completely get this show. I love this show as much as "Flight of the Conchords" and as much as "The Life and Times of Tim". I am telling you, this show is cutting edge for comedy, as far as sitcoms go. These guys really have an excellent vehicle in the Kenny Powers character, and it's fun to see how far he takes it every week.
HBO will be taking quite a gamble if they don't renew this show for a second season. This show has to be renewed, so we can see where this character can go. We have to see Kenny Powers redeem himself.
The first episode was good enough for me to want to watch the second one. The second episode was absolutely hysterical... Had me laughing for 24 minutes straight. Hope the show sticks around.
the show is just funny as balls!