November 16, 2009

"Curb Your Enthusiasm" gives Michael Richards his (hilarious) absolution.

Last night's new episode of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" — which has been working the "Seinfeld" reunion theme all season — finally got around to doing something with the painful subject of Michael Richards's disgrace over the shouting of racial epithets at some hecklers in a comedy club. Spoiler:
After learning that he suffers from the fictional Groat's disease (last mentioned in Season 2 of "Curb Your Enthusiasm"), Michael Richards once again finds himself in the line of fire for a racially fueled attack on an African American ... who just happens to be Larry's house guest Leon (the always hysterical J.B. Smoove), who posed as Groat's disease sufferer Danny Duberstein but who looked more like Louis Farrakhan from the Nation of Islam than a Jewish CPA.

Skewering Richards' brush with notoriety, Larry David has Richards angrily confront Leon in full view of several dozen camera phones, leading to him proclaiming that he wished he could call Leon a word that would make him as angry as he was right then. It's a savage parody of Richards' race-fueled rant to an African American heckler during a 2006 stand-up performance ... which happened to be captured on a cellphone.
Brilliant. Highly satisfying.

18 comments:

Chase said...

Saw it too. Funny, but redemption?

Highly satisfying?

I'll believe you when Mel Gibson does something that allows you to forgive him.

Bender said...

By far, the most UNFUNNY guy on Seinfeld. A one-note annoyance.

Fred4Pres said...

I would love to see Larry David take on Mel Gibson and get him on the show. Not because Mel deserves absolution so much or I think he is a victim (he is not), but it would be very funny.

Scott said...

I thought it was hilarious also. Curb Your Enthusiasm is worth the price of the HBO subscription!

Chase said...

Sometimes people can be so aggravatingly inconsistent.

It's that tricky word "forever" . . .

Henry said...

How much would one pay for absolution? This sounds like a good gig for comedy writers. Take it the public. Sell it by the sin.

mccullough said...

It would have been brilliant and hilarious if he had shouted the same thing at Leon as he did at the club patrons.

But, alas, Larry David is too P.C.

ricpic said...

Michael Richards career is over. He'll never be allowed to get off the floor by the same people who have been braying about the horrors of McCarthyism for decades.

Elliott A said...

Too bad these shows cannot be seen by more people. Larry is a true genius.

froggyprager said...

I can't wait too see the season when it comes out on DVD. The summary doesn't sound that funny but I bet the show was great.

Anonymous said...

Well you can buy each season of Curb Your Enthusiasm for 20 bucks on iTunes. Apple is up to season 6 now. Or you can buy the season 7 DVD for a comparable amount of money from Amazon.

If this is the only thing on HBO you really want to watch, it's probably a better deal just to go that route. I dropped HBO after having kids and Curb is the only thing I miss, although the last season I saw was 5 and that was way downhill from the first couple years.

James said...

Um, mccullough, he had an entire episode of the show last season based on the N-word, saying it many times. I guess knowing anything about what you talk about is a little too much to hope for.


And why doesn't Larry David make fun of Muslims!?!?!?!? (oops, sorry, thought this was the previous Curb-related post)

Scott said...

"And why doesn't Larry David make fun of Muslims!?"

I seem to recall an episode where Larry (who is Jewish) walks into his Muslim lawyer's office while he is praying -- prostrating himself at Larry's feet.

But I'll be damned if I can tell you which episode that is.

Ann Althouse said...

@Scott It's an episode I think of as being called "The Racist Dog." It's actually "The Bowtie."

Ann Althouse said...

In just this most recent episode, the black character was mocked as looking like Farrakhan.

Ann Althouse said...

In just this most recent episode, the black character was mocked as looking like Farrakhan.

Anonymous said...

yeah i have to agree with chase... i also blogged about it, and there are some other interesting things about this episode and what larry is trying to do with race

http://hearthesiren.wordpress.com/2009/11/17/can-michael-richards-really-be-redeemed-i-think-not-but-good-try-larry-david-i-still-love-you/

Scott said...

@Ann A.: Thank you.