Breakinger A Brilliant Conflict

Ketrivie It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

Sammy-Jo Cervantes There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

George Grigorian I missed it when it started back in 2009, but somehow I had a feeling that this would be a great show. I started watching now on HBOGO and am loving it! Great story, great acting! One of the only things that helps me relax in these stressful days we live in.I have to say though, I got really sad when George was diagnosed with cancer and I was really bombed that why my favorite show that make me soooo happy has to have such drama in it... just to find out, that it was a mistake!!! :) I love you guys!!! great writing, great acting!!! Love the lines that Ted Danson says from time to time in the show and quote them on my facebook page crediting the show of course! I would love love love to work with you.cheers, George :)

leannebrett Season 1 of 'Bored to Death' has been accused of being too slow; and it does indeed creep slovenly towards fruition. Inertia hangs about the first 2 or 3 episodes like a threatening elephant in the room as we begin to wonder if the whole thing is some sort of clever post-modern parody – is 'Bored to Death' supposed to be actually boring? The immediately apparent lack of plot depth and character development seems intentionally aimed at not engaging its audience into finding sympathy with its characters. The opening sequence of events sees the main protagonist, Jonathon Ames, being left by his girlfriend (she is literally in the moving truck) claiming she feels he drinks too much and smokes too much pot. The sequence feels almost rushed and we are left vaguely suspecting we might need more context; if this is a dark comedy sparked by a break-up, shouldn't the particulars of this be given more weight? In fact we soon find out the gritty reality of Ames' life, his failed relationship and his ex-girlfriend are relatively unimportant both to himself and to the series; the real depth of the drama emanates from the virtual reality world he subsequently creates for himself when he posts an ad listing himself as a private detective on Craigslist. The first episode sees him get his first case which he fumbles his way through as cluelessly and aimlessly as he appears to complete anything else he attempts. He is, in reality, a writer struggling to get started on his second novel, and in this vein, pretty much all of the plot action derives from the central characters creating deliberate distractions from their mundane or 'real' everyday lives. Ames' best friend Ray is played effortlessly from the off by The Hangover's Zack Galifianakis, a struggling animator/cartoonist always trying to distract himself from the miserable reality of his girlfriend, and her children, and her endless 'intimacy exercises' and her withholding of sex. It is worth noting here that not only are all the main characters men, but all the supporting female characters are deliberately underdeveloped and marginalised. This is comedy exploring the inner working minds of men, who seem to need to escape from the tedious reality of the idiosyncratic, nagging behaviour of their female counter parts. However, whilst there is no room for female narrative here, men are ultimately at the butt end of the jokes.There is however enough real life, every day concern in here to just about anchor the series in the observational comedy arena, as the various complaints of the women are undoubtedly common ones we can all relate to. Despite the obvious inadequacies of our protagonist, Ames is affable and likable. He is polite almost to a fault and has a formality about him that both helps and hinders him in equal measure in his various encounters with the broad ranging characters he meets whilst conducting his detective work (he says he in unlicensed, so he rationalises this is fairer and 'more legal') For the most part, the men are generally insensitive and selfish towards the women in their lives and cut humorously pathetic figures in any of their attempts at reconciliation with them. In the opening episode we see Ames attempt to win his girlfriend back by bemoaning, 'I am living like a pig...I have no toilet paper; no milk!'. Their inadequacies as men in relationships are obvious, but instead of trying harder to fix their problems, they retreat further into a fantasy world now largely facilitated by Ames' detective work. By far the most intriguing and fabulously colourful character is eccentric magazine editor George Christopher played magnificently by a rather dashing looking Ted Danson. Foppish but with an irresistible boyish charm, George is enigmatically enthusiastic about everything and anything that comes his way. Unlike Jonathon and Ray, George is sophisticated and wealthy, but despite having the enthusiasm, drive & romantic sensibilities that the other two lack, even he has been alluded by a meaningful relationship with the opposite sex, leaving him cynical and bored enough to want to constantly smoke pot and invite himself along to whatever Jonathon is doing.Cannabis is a prevalent element as both a plot device and a central theme, but this is more than just a stoner comedy. 'Bored to Death' is effortlessly stylish; the tone is often flat and inert leaving room for the most subtle of nuances. The laughs often come from the smallest of charming details - an earnest look from Jonathon, the childish enthusiasm from George or a miserable and defeatist remark from the down trodden and vulnerable Ray. They all genuinely have the best of intentions here, but the humour derives from their constant refusal to live in the real world, the world in this case, represented by women. 'Bored to Death' is by no means laugh a minute, but if you scratch just underneath the off-beat sensibility of the humour, you find something all together more interesting. Couple this with the fact that its writer/creator, Jonathon Ames bases the protagonist loosely on himself and we have some interesting musings on the artistic mentality, relationships, drugs and escapism. All in all the series reminds us in charming and subtle detail that men never really grow up.

Lasse Kärkkäinen The main character Jason in an emo guy and his best friend Zach is a social loser. Every episode seems to repeat the exact same story: the recently- separated protagonist meets with some extremely sexy lady while playing private detective but then that never leads to anything. Solving a case consists of (1) answer the telephone, (2) meet the caller in person, (3) look in the place suggested by the caller and find the missing person there.Meanwhile Jason's boss harasses him with some very personal issues, leading to tacky situations. The loser friend's issues get ignored while Jason keeps going on about how bad it is that his girlfriend left him and how he maybe should be drinking less white wine or smoking less pot to win her back.At the end of each episode the situation resets back to normal: there is no character development and the the next episode is going to have an even sillier story than the one you just watched. Watching this crap makes you dull and I had to give up during the fifth episode of the first season as my brain just could not take this anymore.The title sequence is nice and the music and directing are OK, so 4/10 for that.

emdeewee The characters in this world know that they can do just about anything, but never fall and get really hurt. If course, it happens in dozens of good movies and funny comics, but in this case it doesn't work - to my humble opinion, that is. This is because this world is presented as a modern new york scene, showing 'real' NY people. Why Seinfeld works and this does not, i don't know. Taking a risk in this show means nothing at all. Having cancer in this show means nothing at all. Having your girl breaking up with you means nothing at all. everything is received with an ironic sigh, and the show moves on. Nothing matters. Maybe that's the difference between Seinfeld and 'Bored to Death: in Seinfeld the smallest things matter the world, but here: nothing matters whatsoever. It seems so sometimes, for a second or three. But it really doesn't. Because of that the lives of the characters have something truly weightless, and flat. To me, it makes the characters uninteresting. Their only interest is themselves, which makes this a soap series to the core, but a soap series masked with eccentricity and with a lot of 'funny' action. 'O, the absurd situations they keep finding themselves in!' These characters drown in irony (I thought we were slowly getting past that), self-consciousness, and yes, boredom. But this boredom is not tragic, it is not funny. Someone writing this series confused emptiness with boredom.The actors are funny, but because they are funny themselves. I certainly am a fan of the big guy, just for the faces he makes sometimes. The other two can be funny as well, but not because of the story.All in all just one of those million series that are so ironic, and therefore empty and weightless. It will be forgotten within weeks from the appearance of the last episode.