Will Ferrell might be a comedic genius but there are only a handful of movies he acts in I actually like.
Anchor Man was hilarious and highly original, The Other Guys had me laughing from literally the first scene and even though Stranger Than Fiction had a bit of a shit ending, it was based on a great premise and it was refreshing to watch him in something where he hardly shouted or swore at all.
But you gotta give the man credit where it’s due. His flamboyant, completely unpredictable, loud, crass and bizarre acting style has spawned an entire genre of American slapstick humour which the series Eastbound & Down steals shamelessly from.
The protagonist (Kenny Powers, played by Danny McBride) is an egotistical, washed up ex-baseball player with a killer mullet who is a gigantic asshole to everyone he lays eyes on.
His unapologetic, borderline-retarded, male chauvinistic world view is so narrow that it encompasses him and no one else. This is made all the more cringe-worthy by the fact that while he used to be a pitching sensation and baseball superstar, at the start of the series he can barely hit the broadside of a barn, a fact that his gigantic ego refuses point-blank to accept.
Bottom line is I was determined not to like this series right from episode one and yet, I’ve just finished watching the series finale for season one and I have to admit, it’s a pretty funny series that threw a few unexpected curveballs (yes. I just did that) in the later episodes.
I also really enjoyed Kenny’s sidekick in the series, Stevie the band teacher at the highschool where Kenny ends up working. I swear to God, the minute they start giving Stevie more scenes this guy steals the show completely.
He’s like the male version of ‘Mel’ from flight of the concords, only more awesome. I almost felt more sympathy for his character than I did for Kenny himself because Stevie is hilariously dorky, awkward and totally unfaltering in his loyalty to Kenny.
Of course, the reason why the whole project feels like a Ferrell rip-off at first might have to do with the fact that he produced and acts in it, but it still has enough originality to break out of the Ferrell mold and the ending is one of the best cliff-hangers I’ve seen in a good, long while.
Needless to say, I’ll be jumping right into season 2 tomorrow and apparently season 3 is on the cards (that’s going to be the final series from what I’ve read) so hopefully the show can maintain the momentum it picked up over the course of season 1, but I’ll be sure to tell you how it all turns out.
For the time being, just watch season 1 if you haven’t already and tell me what you think, I’m always open to feedback. And group hugs.
C’mere. Mmmmmmmm…
-ST
