Curb Your Enthusiasm - Series 1-5 - Complete (DVD)

...of you who aren't familiar, Curb Your Enthusiasm is a comedy by Larry David, co-creator, writer and executive producer of the long running American comedy 'Seinfeld'.

The show centres around the life of Larry David, played by himself, after Seinfeld finished indefinitely. The show tends to play with the criticism that Seinfeld got as 'a show about nothing' in a very tongue in cheek manner. Some episodes such as the excellent 'Car ...
...as the other series of Curb Your Enthusiasm, but once you have seen this and know how Larry David thinks in the show, the show is opened up to so many more laughs it is unbelievable!

Season 2

This season follows Larry's quest to start a new TV show, firstly starring former Seinfeld star Jason Alexander, and then fellow star Julia Louis-Dreyfus. The show has the premise that an actor has finished doing a long running ... more

For those of you who aren't familiar, Curb Your Enthusiasm is a comedy by Larry David, co-creator, writer and executive producer of the long running American comedy 'Seinfeld'.

The show centres around the life of Larry David, played by himself, after Seinfeld finished indefinitely. The show tends to play with the criticism that Seinfeld got as 'a show about nothing' in a very tongue in cheek manner. Some episodes such as the excellent 'Car Pool Lane' see Larry simply going to a baseball game and getting some drugs for his dads glaucoma, and whilst this may sound fairly dull and eventless, much hilarity ensues! Other characters include Larry's wife Cheryl (Played by Cheryl Hines), his loyal manager Jeff (Played by Jeff Garlin) Jeff's hot headed wife Susie (Played by Susie Essman) and stand-up comedian and close friend Richard Lewis (Played by himself).

The show is filmed using handheld cameras and shot on location to provide a documentary type feel, although the show is in no way a documentary/mockumentary. Whilst scenes and storyboards are laid out, most of the dialogue during the show is improvised from a vague script, and in light of knowing this I am more in awe of the quality of this show. Larry's character is not afraid to speak his mind, and is always saying things that no one else would ever dare to say, and a lot of the comedy comes from the situations Larry gets in because of this. For example in one episode Larry and Cheryl go to dinner with some friends and at the end Larry only thanks the husband for the meal, and goes on to say how he should only thank the husband as he works to earn money and his wife doesn't... whilst this is true it is not something that the normal person would argue over, however Larry will always speak his mind instead of just ignoring it and being polite!

Each season, with the exception of season 1 has one underlying story strand that holds the series together across all 10 episodes. Season 1 is more of an introduction to the character of Larry David. For that reason i am going to go through season 1 episode by episode, and then give each other season a brief outline:

Season 1

Season 1, as mentioned does not have a common story that follows through; instead there are many different stories. The episodes are as follows:

Episode 1, 'The Pants Tent'
Larry goes to the cinema with his wife Cheryl's friend as Cheryl can't make it. Larry is wearing some trousers (known to Americans as 'Pants') that bunch heavily at the top due to the zip and excess material. Much hilarity ensues, I shan't spoil it.

Episode 2, 'Ted and Mary'
Larry and Cheryl go bowling with Ted Dansen and his wife Mary and someone takes Larry's shoes home accidentally. Larry is baffled as to how someone can not notice that they have someone else's shoes.

Episode 3, 'Porno Gil'
Larry and Cheryl are invited to a party at his friend Gil's house, Gil is a former porn star. The David's don't realise that it is a dinner party and eat before they arrive!

Episode 4
The Bracelet', Larry wants to buy a bracelet for Cheryl but is not dressed appropriately so cannot get into the jewellery store. Larry and Richard Lewis also help a blind man move house.

Episode 5, 'Interior Decorator'
Larry is not happy with the way things run at his doctors office as they do not work in his favour at that moment. He gets them changed but then regrets it on his next visit!

Episode 6, 'The Wire'
Cheryl wants Larry to convince their neighbours to let them bury the electrical wire that runs outside their house. They say they will under the condition that Larry sets up a meeting for them with former Seinfeld star Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Episode 7, 'AAMCO'
Larry takes a drive in Jeff's car but ends up in a bit of a mess following hearing a fake horn sound on the radio and mistaking it for the car behind!

Episode 8, 'Beloved Aunt'
Cheryl's parents want Larry to write the obituary for their recently deceased aunt, however the printing press make a typo on this entry... very very funny!

Episode 9, 'Affirmative Action'
Cheryl and Larry travel to L.A. to pick up a prescription and Larry makes an inappropriate remark to an African-American doctor.

Episode 10 'The Group'
Cheryl is offered a role in 'The Vagina Monologues', while Larry attends an incest survivors group meeting with an old girlfriend.

Highlights of this season would have to be episodes 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 10. This season is definitely not as funny as the other series of Curb Your Enthusiasm, but once you have seen this and know how Larry David thinks in the show, the show is opened up to so many more laughs it is unbelievable!

Season 2

This season follows Larry's quest to start a new TV show, firstly starring former Seinfeld star Jason Alexander, and then fellow star Julia Louis-Dreyfus. The show has the premise that an actor has finished doing a long running show (a la 'Seinfeld) and is struggling to lose the character name that he/she has been tagged with from doing the show. Highlights of this season include Larry getting a job as a car salesman... hilarious, Larry refusing to give kids candy on Halloween because they aren't in costume, Larry tripping up Shaquille O'Neal during a basketball match and Larry cutting the hair of the ABC executives daughter's doll.

Standout episodes:
The Car Salesman
Trick or Treat
The Thong
The Doll
Shaq
The Baptist

Season 3

In this season Larry joins with a group of investors who are investing in a new restaurant, one of these investors being Ted Dansen. The whole season leads to the opening of the restaurant. Larry has trouble getting on with the other investors and also has a tendency to disagree with the plans for the restaurant. If there was to be only one highlight for this series (which there isn't, there are so many laughs in this season!), it would be on opening night of the restaurant, when they find out that the chef (who is cooking in a kitchen that opens straight on to the restaurant so people can see the food being cooked) has Tourette syndrome!! This season guest stars Alanis Morisette too if you're a fan.

Standout episodes:
Chet's Shirt
The Terrorist Attack
Mary, Joseph and Larry
The Benadryl Brownie
The Grand Opening

Season 4

After a spell of karaoke, Larry is offered the lead role in Mel Brooks' musical, the Producers. The series follows Larry learning the role he plays and honing his musical skills. Ben Stiller initially co-stars with Larry in the musical, however he is later replaced by David Schwimmer as Stiller cannot stand working with Larry! A sub plot is that Larry remembers a promise Cheryl made 10 years ago, that, as her present to him, in the weeks before their 10th anniversary, Larry can sleep with one other woman. The season ends with the final performance in which Larry forgets his lines! Highlights include Larry befriending a surrogate mother, stealing a golf-club from a friend's fathers coffin and the hilarious meeting between a survivor of the holocaust and a contestant from the television show 'Survivor'!

Standout episodes:
Ben's Birthday Party
The Blind Date
The 5 Wood
The Car Pool Lane
The Survivor
Opening Night

Season 5

Comedian Richard Lewis is very ill and needs a kidney in this season. Larry accidentally offers one of his if Richard cannot find a suitable donor in time, which leads Larry on a mad rush to find a kidney donor, during which he befriends an orthodox jew who happens to be the head of a kidney donation board. Another possible donor is Richard's cousin who is in a coma, Larry visits him frequently in the hope that he may pass away so that he can give Richard his kidney. Highlights of this season include Larry's near death experience, his disgust at the 'Larry David' sandwich, his racist dog and when he buys his housekeeper a bra. These however are but a few of the many many highlights of this season, which is probably one of the funniest of the 5.

Standout episodes:
The Larry David Sandwich
The Christ Nail
Kamikaze Bingo
The Ski Lift
The End

Extras:
The extras in this boxset include absolutely loads of background footage and interviews and commentaries, plus some interesting little documentary features etc. These aren't really what the box set is all about, the sheer strength of the programme more than compensates for needing any extra features!

In summary this box set is an absolutely mighty force to own, if you are a fan of comedy you should be a fan of this, the humour hits a note that is often laugh out loud 'Fawlty Towers' style funny, yet also the cringe humour of 'The Office'. I would definitely recommend this boxset to anyone i meet that loves comedy, they will surely not be disappointed!

I hope this helps at least one person out.

Jon 

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