I realize that I am late to the scene (once again), but I recently took in the entire run of Ricky Gervais' critically-acclaimed comedy series Extras. By now I'm sure that anyone who comes upon this blog knows that Gervais is the creative mind behind the immensely successful series The Office and have probably heard about, if not seen, his “controversial” hosting of the 2011 Golden Globes. Controversial or not, it was hilarious and so is Extras!
To put is succinctly, Extras is both a pleasure to watch and, quite frequently, very difficult to watch. I say difficult because some of the situations that the characters find themselves in are so uncomfortable and awkward it is almost unbearable... and therein lies the delightfully twisted beauty of it. What co-creators Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant have come up with in nothing short of comedy gold!
Extras follows the professional lives of three primary characters: struggling film/TV extras Andy Millman (Gervais) and Maggie Jacobs (Ashley Jensen) and Millman's utterly incompetent agent Darren Lamb (Merchant). Millman is the every man – easily overlooked, but with huge ambitions for himself. As he and best friend Maggie bounce from job to job Andy continually tries to rub shoulders with the celebrities that they happen to cross paths with (the series' guest stars) but he finds himself not getting anywhere.
His failure to advance professionally is due in large part to his worthless agent Darren, who in addition to not really trying to help Andy, doesn't actually think very much of him as an actor, which in a twisted way serves as a reality check for Andy.
However, despite all of the problems Andy faces, he writes a pilot for an semi-autobiographical sitcom which manages to get picked up by the BBC. Suddenly Andy's life changes but he quickly learns the high price (and dark side) of success. He quickly discovers he is going places that he doesn't want to be and yet they seem to be the only way he can taste the fame and fortune he so desperately wants for himself. He becomes famous but despises the keys to his own success. In essence, Andy has to sell out and he hates every bloody minute of it. His reality, it seems, is not compatible with his dreams. It may not sound funny, but believe me, it is.
As I've said, the journey we are taken on in Extras is simultaneously hilarious and painful; it contains some of the funniest and most awkward scenes I have ever seen! Equally entertaining is the high profile list of celebrity guest stars that join the fray, a list that includes Sir Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Kate Winslet, Ben Stiller, Daniel Radcliffe, Clive Owen, Orlando Bloom and David Bowie to name a few. (just do a YouTube search for Extras + any of the aforementioned celebs for a taste if you haven't seen the show)
Unlike the original British version of The Office (Gervais and Merchant's earlier collaboration), Extras is not done in the “mockumentary” style, but it definitely pokes fun at the world of show business. It's often dry and deadpan, but it scores with every episode! Gervais and Merchant put their comedy genius on full display and keep you laughing and cringing the whole way through. If you haven't already checked it out, definitely add it your queue!
1 comment:
The FX series Louie starring Louic CK is also hilarious but very painful to watch for the same reasons. Recommend it, though.
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