User Reviews

If you don't have a passing knowledge/interest in romantic comedies, then I suggest you keep moving. While this show definitely injects doses of reality throughout, the basic premise is nothing more than your standard Rom-Com formula. But while the writing may feel cliché at times, there is also a strong sense of self-awareness, like when the male lead, Gus, throws out his Blu-ray collection of the most obvious, guilty-pleasure Rom-Coms from the past thirty years, criticizing them for their terrible relationship advice. Or like when Bertie, the female lead's Australian roommate, interrupts a studio tour to expound upon the genius of one of her favorite Rom-Coms, The Holiday. In both cases, it's obvious that the characters have an unhealthy relationship with the genre. This is an especially interesting commentary on Gus's character, who, later in the season, tries to encourage the writers of Witchita (the show for which he works) to step up their game, instead of relying on formulas. As Gus becomes completely unhinged during a writer's meeting, it becomes apparent that for all his enthusiasm and idealism, he's actually rather unperceptive. He may have stumbled upon a good idea, but he doesn't seem to understand why it's a good idea. One of the stars of Witchita, a child actor played by Apatow's youngest, nails it when she exclaims, "Why did you make him a writer? Every time he makes a suggestion, it's way off. He just doesn't understand the campy nature of the show." For this reason, I suspect Gus would have similar issues understanding the vibe of 'Love.' Not because he's an idiot, but because this show plays with a lot of subtle irony. Irony which, incidentally, the female lead, Mickey, revels in. Everything she says has a double meaning. When Gus takes her to the magic castle, she derives the most fun from watching the other spectators, an ironic, veiled criticism on magic-fans in general, which Gus takes personally, as he is, after all, one of the spectators for whom magic is a straightforward source of entertainment. Later, when Gus invites her to a party where the goal is to write theme songs for movies without theme songs, she keeps trying to find the second layer, assuming the point is to write sarcastically bad songs in order to make fun of bad movies. Of course, the biggest irony is when Mickey ends up turning into the clingy sort of girl you expected Gus to be, and Gus ends up being more of an asshole. While not entirely new ground, the whole thing about Gus being fake-nice felt refreshing, as it subverts the typical "I Love You Beth Cooper"* formula.

So while this show definitely relies heavily on a vast history of Rom-Com tropes, it engages with them in slightly ironic and often original ways. The title is another good example, as the show both lives up to its name, in that it deals constantly with the pursuit of love, while also reading as sarcastic, with there being very little actual love displayed by the characters (Bertie being the main exception). And yes, the characters are spoiled, materialistic, narcissistic screw-ups, but they also reminded me of people in my life, including myself. It's like the cast of a Rom-Com was dropped into real life, where all their vapid aspirations are suddenly revealed as such, and as a result the characters can actually evolve (for better or for worse), all the while still being subconsciously affected by the Hollywood Rom-Com machine. This technique works especially well for me, as the fusion of platitudes and realism makes the realism seem even more realistic by contrast. In fact, this is probably what I found most enjoyable about this show: the dose of realistic dialogue and acting in an otherwise familiar scene, such as the impromptu jam session at the otherwise typical Hollywood pool party, or the way the unrealistic mismatching of cool, hot chicks with dorky dudes is explained with authenticity by a group of women describing their phases of sleeping with only unattractive men. Unfortunately, for many people this just reads as adding shock value to a played-out scenario. Personally, I find this show more intelligent than that.

*Also starring Paul Rust

This is about Neflix's new (2016) TV series "Love" starring Gillian Jacobs.

First of all this series is seriously mis-titled. Why someone would choose such a wide, multilayered, and with so many different meanings, universal, yet vague without the proper context, word as the title of a TV show, is beyond me. Maybe he thought a generic title like "Friends" could bring him success eventually, but "Love" is broader by far. It even makes it very confusing searching for it in the WWW.

Anyway. This series isn't ambitious enough to justify such a heavy title. It is just a same-o same-o attempt to give you some "insights" about dating in modern USA (basically). I've lost count on how many comedies are/were/will be out there about dating.

So, is there any significant difference from all the previous attempts? Well, no. Not really. The pilot episode tries to be a little bit more "direct" (I could use another word such as spicy or even vulgar here) with Gillian Jacobs's character saying to the mother of her on-and-off boyfriend phrases like "His cum is still inside me."

The thing is that, choices like that, makes you think about the essence of the show and if its purpose is more to provoke than to present any serious aspects and problems of todays relationships.

I wouldn't try to recommend you not to see it. It's not a sin or the end of the world if you do, but hold a small basket and see it as the thing really is. A light and forgettable TV series.

------ UPDATE: After watching All 10 episodes I have to lower the grade. Again the show has absolutely NOTHING to do with Love of any kind. Also it didn't felt like a comedy at all. The last 2-3 episodes were actually quite depressing. ((("Love" is basically the story of a troubled young substance and sex addict and a guy who is the definition of Loser.))) One of the things I hated the most is that the supposedly "Nice Guy" Gus is a Jerk and a Mean person with terrible personality. A truly unsympathetic character with no charisma whatsoever. Plus no one can believe that an ugly lame idiot like Paul Rust could possibly score with 2 beautiful girls like Gillian Jacobs and Briga Heelan in the same week.

Mickey and Gus are terrible people, cheating etc. While those things would seem like a good set up for conflict, the other person never finds out or they are just forgotten by everyone. Instead of the truth about Mickeys affair coming out, it's swept under the rug and the show abruptly ends with season 3. Gus never finds out, there is no resolution to this conflict.

Had to write a review because there is no way this cute cool crazy impulse control girl would ever everrrrrrrr hook up with that annoying dud who makes jokes from the 60's and needs to rhyme everything. I can't stand him. Why not give her something realistic? Best thing on the show is Iris Appatow, Judd's daughter, as Arya, deadpan bored and super threatening. Love her. Say no to Gus. I can smell his bad breath through the computer.

Ok I really love how they tried to make a realistic show but dude come on there's not a slight chance in real life that so many hot girls will want that one super nerdy guy.