Review – Louie
Louie – FX – 11:00pm Tuesday – USA
In 1989 Seinfeld debuted on television, giving us stand-up comedian Jerry Seinfeld playing a variation of himself in a version of his world, whilst delivering snippets of his stand-up act. Over twenty years later Louie debuts on FX, giving us stand-up comedian Louis C.K. playing a variation of himself in a version of his world, whilst delivering snippets of his stand-up act. Much like Seinfeld, Louie derives a lot of its humour from the inane, horrible little moments that make up our little everyday lives. Instead of a sitcom with an ongoing storyline, though, Louie gives us stand-up comedy surrounded by short films about moments from Louis C.K.’s life.
Louis C.K. is a prominent stand-up in the U.S. who frequently appears in lists of the best stand-up comics, he hasn’t gotten a lot of play in Australia though and other than a wonderful stint on Parks & Recreation most of his work has gone unnoticed by me. Thankfully Louie acts as an introduction not just to Louis C.K.’s life but to his stand-up as well, especially seeing as a third of the show seems to be extended bits from his act. The show opens with Louis moping down the street, wandering into a comedy club and then getting up on stage.
Each bit of stand-up he performs leads into a short story from his life. The first bit about helping out at his kid’s school, leads to a short story about him taking his daughter on an ill-fated field trip that ends in near disaster but is saved at the last minute by Louis calling in dozens of limos to transport the kids home. The second bit of stand-up talks up Louis’s fear of dating, and leads directly into the most horrible date imaginable with an obnoxious young woman who ends the date by running off, leaping into a helicopter and flying away. I mention the helicopter and the limos because it would seem that Louis C.K. (who not only stars, but writes and directs) hasn’t figured out how to end his ‘awkward slice of uncomfortable life’ stories except to be just balls out crazy. “He attempts to kiss her, and then she runs off and jumps into a helicopter.” Maybe that’s the twist, the everyday meets the ridiculous, but I didn’t buy it.
Louis makes for a sympathetic lead, with the emphasis on ‘pathetic’. As I mentioned before, he was great as Leslie Knope’s love interest on Parks & Recreation and again brings a level of humanity to the painfully awkward situations he finds himself in. Unfortunately for Louie, everything else in the show is the wrong kind of painful. The woman Louis dated in the second short film was insufferable to such a point that you wondered why he didn’t just walk off part way through. Everybody he seemed to meet in his life was either a moron, uncooperative or just out and out loathsome. I understand that it makes our dour hero more likeable but it doesn’t make the world he inhabits the sort of place we’d love to come visit every week.
My big complaint with the show though, is the grating jazz-styled soundtrack which blares away over the drama like this isn’t a television show and instead some film student’s entry into the local short film festival. Every moment somebody stops talking there’s that weepy horn and piano to wah-wah over the top of everything like we’re in a silent film. Louis C.K.’s stand-up is funny and dark, while his “actual show” or rather the short films that make up the rest of his show, are funny and dark, but they’re also strangely amateurish.
Good, Alright, Bad Or Ugly?
Alright
