Product Description

Larry David has it all - money, security, famous friends, a nurturing wife, a devoted agent, a new oceanfront home. So why is he still so intent on making a mess out of his life? Just because you've made it doesn't mean you've got it made. Curb Your Enthusiasm, folks - it's the HBO comedy series starring Larry David...as Larry David!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #177 in DVD
• Brand: EMI
• Released on: 2004-06-15
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Dubbed in: French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: .63 pounds
• Running time: 300 minutes

Features

• Larry David has it all - money, security, famous friends, a nurturing wife, a devoted agent, a new oceanfront home. So why is he still so intent on making a mess out of his life?Just because you've made it doesn't mean you've got it made. Curb Your Enthusiasm, folks - it's the HBO comedy series starring Larry David.as Larry David!Running Time: 390 min. Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY

Amazon.com
It's more of the same for Larry David's sitcom from HBO, and for fans, that's a good thing. The show--largely extemporized--follows suit of David's former series, Seinfeld: it's a show about nothing, just the everyday life of the star going about his pseudo-real world. But David's show has far more edge (thanks, in part, to airing on cable TV) with all the bad luck, embarrassing situations, and dreadful behavior as its premiere season. The closest thing to an arc is David's season-long pitch to the networks for a new show starring former Seinfeld stars Jason Alexander and Julia-Louis Dreyfus. Each network is lampooned, especially HBO, which David has a bad history with in this alternate world. Sure to repel those with soft funny bones, Curb's acerbic comedy allows jokes where David is accidentally framed--if ever so briefly--as a child molester, wife abuser, or murderer. But for those who do love his shtick, there are big laughs, especially when we bump into characters as unbridled as David, like a fellow writer who is quite protective of his dad's invention, the Cobb salad.

Many comic actors pop up, some as "themselves" (Richard Lewis, Rob Reiner) and others as characters (Rita Wilson, Ed Asner) along with the delights of co-stars Cheryl Hines as David's wife and his affable manger, Jeff Garlin. There are several touchstone bits: what a thong brief can do to a relationship, a run-in with pro wrestler, Larry's first baptism, and one very collectible doll. To pick one episode to capture this second season--and its grandstanding nature--it would be "Shaq," in which the NBA star is accidentally tripped, changing David's usual bad luck with gut-busting results. --Doug Thomas

Customer Reviews

Funniest Show on Television
Season 2 of CYE is arriving in June! Here's hoping HBO keeps the sets coming more frequently than they've done with Oz. Season 2 ranks up there and has some priceless moments including the doll episode! I would like to see more bonus features on the CYE discs...maybe outtakes or the ultimate idea...the cast roasting Larry!

List of Season 2 episodes (air date):

The Car Salesman (9/23/01)
Thor (9/30/01)
Trick Or Treat (10/7/01)
The Shrimp Incident (10/14/01)
The Thong (10/21/01)
The Acupuncturist (10/28/01)
The Doll (11/4/01)
Shaq (11/11/01)
The Baptism (11/18/01)
The Massage (11/25/01)

Still superior to all other TV comedy series...
I rated this four stars relative to the series as a whole; in relation to every other comedy currently on the air, it really warrants the full five stars. In short, I have to agree with other reviewers who feel Season Two is probably the weakest in the "Curb Your Enthusiasm" series. Still, this is worth the price of admission for the "Doll Head" episode alone, maybe the funniest 30 minutes ever aired in television history, even if the rest isn't quite up to the usual Larry David standards. And while I'm not generally a fan of DVD extras, shelling out 35 bucks for a no-frills five-hour's worth of viewing seemed a tad inflated compared to similar DVD sets on the market (really, all the HBO series DVD's are over-priced).

It was still worth it in the end, as nothing makes me laugh harder than watching this poor shlub stammer his way through ridiculous situations of his own making. Priceless moments this season include an uncomfortably realistic bit with Jason Alexander suffering the slings and arrows of post-Seinfeld Costanza-typecasting; Ed Asner's hysterical turn as a gruff and horny old geezer on his last legs; and a horrified Larry encountering his shrink sporting a package-revealing thong at the beach -- not to even mention the nightmarish water bottle incident in the "Doll Head" episode.

This is "Curb Your Enthusiasm" undergoing growing pains, unsuccessful in fully re-capturing the spontaneous greatness of Season One and not yet on the reliably steady legs that will later hallmark its prime. While the writing and guest spots improve markedly in subsequent years, this series is still superior to everything being served up by the networks, even in its weakest hour.

Curb Your Enthusiasm
Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm is the gold standard in comedy series at the moment. I just started getting in the show a few months ago after renting season one on DVD. While season one was enjoyable season two raises the bar even higher. In the second season there is a common theme that runs throughout the episodes. Larry David tries to pitch a new TV show to variety of networks. Season Two has many appearances by former Seinfeld stars Jason Alexander and Julia-Louis Dreyfus as they try to pitch the new show.

The writing and acting on this improved show are great. I cannot wait for season three to come out on DVD in January. More good news is that Larry David is working on a new season right now. I recommend this show for anyone that is a big fan of Seinfeld. I would also recommend Arrested Development and the UK's The Office. These shows are creating the best comedy today.

11 - The Car Salesman
12 - Thor
13 - Trick or Treat
14 - The Shrimp Incident
15 - The Thong
16 - The Acupuncturist
17 - The Doll
18 - Shaq
19 - The Baptism
20 - The Massage