Reviews

I understand why people are panning this film. It's extremely off the beaten path. Hollywood does replication and repetitiveness very well. There are so few new ideas. That's why we see endless remakes of comic films and outer space franchises. How man Bond films are there? By the way, this is nothing new. The earliest films in America were inspired, in part or in whole, by other, earlier works.

As film viewers, we've become accustomed to this paradigm. So much so, as evidenced in other user reviews, when we don't get it, we get upset. "Poolman" is an odd film. I don't think anyone would dispute that. But it's odd on purpose. Pine was clearly sending up old tropes, like the ones the Sam Spade films, and "Chinatown". This film is not typical Hollywood fodder. I enjoyed the breath of fresh air and a tongue firmly planted in cheek. :-D.

I grew up around Italians. In 1971, my mother remarried and we moved to Elmhurst, Queens, not far from where Ray Romano grew up. When I was 9 (in 1973), I moved to Long Island, one town over from where Ray placed his TV family. We were in the last house on a dead end street. Next door to us was an Italian family. One of the four children was my age, so we went to school together. I remember the first time they invited us to Sunday dinner and we went at 3:00, so I love that scene. Much later on in life, I married an Italian woman. I've known every character in this film and heard many of the conversations depicted in this film. For a directorial debut, Romano hits a grand slam home run. So much attention to detail. Such a profound understanding of the human condition. Nothing seemed forced and nothing seemed fake. What a gem of a film. Well done to all.

As series finales go, they seem to come in two variety. A finale will either be a hit or it will be a miss. When they miss, it's awful. I've seen a few of the big league finales. I saw the end of "M*A*S*H", which I think still holds the record for most watched finale. That was back in 1983. I was 19 years old. It was a great ending to a great show.

Fast forward to 2005. "Six Feet Under" is ending. That could be the best series ending of all time. Of course, that's subjective, and this is my opinion. The end sequence was a montage that used the song "Breathe Me" by Sia. I instantly fell in love with the song, so that was a two-fer. But even better than the song, was the director's choice to end it the way he did. It was masterful. Once in a while, I watch the ending just to recapture some of that feeling.

The series finale to "The Sopranos" was good, and spawned a debate that continues over 20 years later. I actually live less than a mile away from where they placed Uncle Junior's house. Yet, the end of "Breaking Bad", another amazing show, left me flat. It was clever but too tidy.

That brings us to "Billions". In a way, the ending fit the series. It was obvious but clever. No spoilers here, so you'll have to have seen the show to know whether you disagree or not. For my money, it was a very satisfying ending.

Where do I begin with a review of the four seasons of "Barry"? The creators of the show have created something extraordinary. In the same way we were made to love Tony Soprano, a cold-blooded organized crime murderer, we came to love Barry Berkman, a traumatized former military murderer for hire. How outrageous is that? From the opening shot to the final shot, this show had my attention. That's a rare commodity in 2023. So many shiny things vie for our attention, but this show made me want to focus. I never wanted to miss a moment. The concept was unique. The writing was crisp and fierce. The directing was captivating. The acting was top shelf. Every actor, from the top of the call sheet on down, was note perfect. Every character had a razor's edge complexity, and every actor brought their story to full expression. Kudos and thank yous all around. Bill Hader has demonstrated quite clearly that he is one of the most talented entertainers ever. Well done, and again, thank you.

I'm at the point of having to say publicly that I absolutely love this show. The writing, the acting, the stories, are all amazing. Each show is a gem on its own, and fits beautifully in the collection. All of the characters are believable and yet somehow whimsical at the same time. I suppose this is to be expected from any Bill Lawrence vehicle, but it never ceases to surprise me. From "Scrubs" on, I've appreciated his flavor of television. I can be laughing one moment and crying the next. It's a kind of magic act, and I'm happy not to know how the tricks are carried off. I'm 59 and have seen a lot of classic television. This show is top tier in my book, and this episode was simply amazing.

I watched the first episode, and couldn't continue. I got here through Rick Glassman, because he mentioned it on his podcast. I think he's a great stand-up and a solid actor, so I was looking forward to it. The rest of the cast sounded solid as well. After I watched the first episode, I knew I wasn't going to continue watching but I didn't know exactly why I felt that way. I found this to be very interesting. It's the first time I reacted to a television show that way. It took me a few days to finally realize why I felt the way I did. The acting, writing, and directing were so good that my sense of empathy was shot out of a cannon. I was completely drawn in by the struggles the characters were going through; too much so. The show is probably excellent, but that's not a feeling I want when I watch TV. It's totally my own thing. How much do I owe for this therapy session? :-D.

It started strong and got ridiculous at a certain point. Too bad. The film was doing well for a while.

Many of the bad reviews focus on the lack of comedy. Well, it's billed as a Comedy Drama, emphasis on Drama. Also, it helps to be older and have references for the tension (I'm 56). The film did an excellent job depicting how one thing can change everything. JLD proves how capable she is with dramatic themes. Well done.

Great show. The casting is eclectic and inspired and the writing is unique. For me, any show that includes Jimmi Simpson is always a winner. Add a legend like Ben Kingsley, and you just can't lose. As an aside, why hasn't IMDb included Timothy Spall in the cast listing?