I've always enjoyed Lisa Kudrow as an actress. I think she has a gift for comedy and creating humor in situations of angst, misery, and the pathetic. While I enjoy her as an actress, and do think she is incredibly gifted for her unique acting abilities, I don't think that those talents, alone, are enough to support an entire sitcom as a lead character.
I watched this entire web-series in two evenings. First off, I enjoyed them. I do think her take on the character is viable and relatively believable, despite the sheer heinousness of her. However, I think the supporting guest appearances by other notable actors and actresses were far more interesting and humorous than Kudrow's character. Guests like Molly Shannon, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael McDonald, etc., provided their well-known comedic flair that, I think, stood out over Kudrow's. I think this is mainly because much of these well-known comedians' parts in the show replicated the humor for which they previously became famous. Molly Shannon plays an over-the-top, eccentric reporter who has a complete meltdown, entirely in the gruff style of Shannon. Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays her usual middle-aged, stressed-out female with the a propensity towards dramatic, heated outbursts. Many guests play parts that have characteristics reminiscent of their well-known characters in the past.
Kudrow, on the other hand, doesn't seem to have the same comedic connection, most likely because most of her comedic parts were either supporting, or if they were lead characters, they were short lived, i.e. Valerie Cherish. Thus, I kept wanting to see a more predictable comedic pattern in Kudrow's Wallice character. To be clear, Kudrow's portrayal is very consistent and remarkably believable for how "character-ish" Wallice is. But it falls short for the reason above.
Secondly, I don't find Kudrow's character to be particularly new or ingenious. I've seen several mean, rich, bitchy, self-absorbed, insensitive, calculating woman characters many times on TV in the past several years. Karen Walker, Lucille Bluth, Samantha Jones, Lucretia, Ilythia, Atia of the Julii, among others, have introduced many traits present in the Wallice character that others on this board seem to think are so novel. For sure, Kudrow puts her own spin on the character, usually with great success. But I don't believe it to be a particularly ground-breaking portrayal given what I've watched in the past few years.
Despite the above criticisms, it really is a cute show. The story lines, while short, are interesting and deserve attention. The recurring Craig/McGreevey/Haggard issue is very funny and well played. The other women that come into the script as a result of this issue have some hilarious bits.
I did see the Meryl Streep episodes. While she is not well known for her comedy (aside from 'The Devil Wears Prada' I don't think I've seen her in any comedies), her portrayal of the vapid, over-confident, saccharine Camilla was exceptionally wonderful. I don't know if Streep is a method actress, but her talent as a gifted performer far outshines that of others on the show. She literally became that woman in every part of her being. Her comedic performance in 'Web Therapy' seemed just as carefully crafted as her great cinematic roles.
Lastly, the concept of the show is really quite interesting. It reminded me of Choderlos De Laclos' 'Les Liasions Dangereuses,' written completely as letters between the characters. While the webcam offers a more complete observation of the characters, the action is limited only to what the computer camera captures. This struck me as similar to same limitations presented by the letter-writing in Laclos' book. Thus, much of the action depends on the performers' true acting abilities, and less on sets, costumes, and blocking. The closed feel of the webcam definitely limits what the characters can do, which I believe must have been challenging. I applaud the cast for dealing deftly with that limitation.
To sum it up, while it's compelling, funny and interesting, I don't think it is Kudrow's best work. However, like I expressed, I don't feel this is due to any lack of command in performance on Kudrow's part. She is extremely gifted and talented, but I don't think this particular project suits her talents. Secondly, the other guest characters' shenanigans and their portrayals are so funny, I think Kudrow's performance gets stifled. Personally, I imagine her as a much more deft dramatic actress with a comedic undertone (similar to her performance in 'The Opposite of Sex'), as opposed to a fully comedic character actress. I also don't see her character, nor her portrayal of her, as exceptional or novel. The performers do well with the limitations of the use of the webcam device and it provides an interesting cinematic tool. I give it 6 out of 10. Thanks for reading.
I watched this entire web-series in two evenings. First off, I enjoyed them. I do think her take on the character is viable and relatively believable, despite the sheer heinousness of her. However, I think the supporting guest appearances by other notable actors and actresses were far more interesting and humorous than Kudrow's character. Guests like Molly Shannon, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael McDonald, etc., provided their well-known comedic flair that, I think, stood out over Kudrow's. I think this is mainly because much of these well-known comedians' parts in the show replicated the humor for which they previously became famous. Molly Shannon plays an over-the-top, eccentric reporter who has a complete meltdown, entirely in the gruff style of Shannon. Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays her usual middle-aged, stressed-out female with the a propensity towards dramatic, heated outbursts. Many guests play parts that have characteristics reminiscent of their well-known characters in the past.
Kudrow, on the other hand, doesn't seem to have the same comedic connection, most likely because most of her comedic parts were either supporting, or if they were lead characters, they were short lived, i.e. Valerie Cherish. Thus, I kept wanting to see a more predictable comedic pattern in Kudrow's Wallice character. To be clear, Kudrow's portrayal is very consistent and remarkably believable for how "character-ish" Wallice is. But it falls short for the reason above.
Secondly, I don't find Kudrow's character to be particularly new or ingenious. I've seen several mean, rich, bitchy, self-absorbed, insensitive, calculating woman characters many times on TV in the past several years. Karen Walker, Lucille Bluth, Samantha Jones, Lucretia, Ilythia, Atia of the Julii, among others, have introduced many traits present in the Wallice character that others on this board seem to think are so novel. For sure, Kudrow puts her own spin on the character, usually with great success. But I don't believe it to be a particularly ground-breaking portrayal given what I've watched in the past few years.
Despite the above criticisms, it really is a cute show. The story lines, while short, are interesting and deserve attention. The recurring Craig/McGreevey/Haggard issue is very funny and well played. The other women that come into the script as a result of this issue have some hilarious bits.
I did see the Meryl Streep episodes. While she is not well known for her comedy (aside from 'The Devil Wears Prada' I don't think I've seen her in any comedies), her portrayal of the vapid, over-confident, saccharine Camilla was exceptionally wonderful. I don't know if Streep is a method actress, but her talent as a gifted performer far outshines that of others on the show. She literally became that woman in every part of her being. Her comedic performance in 'Web Therapy' seemed just as carefully crafted as her great cinematic roles.
Lastly, the concept of the show is really quite interesting. It reminded me of Choderlos De Laclos' 'Les Liasions Dangereuses,' written completely as letters between the characters. While the webcam offers a more complete observation of the characters, the action is limited only to what the computer camera captures. This struck me as similar to same limitations presented by the letter-writing in Laclos' book. Thus, much of the action depends on the performers' true acting abilities, and less on sets, costumes, and blocking. The closed feel of the webcam definitely limits what the characters can do, which I believe must have been challenging. I applaud the cast for dealing deftly with that limitation.
To sum it up, while it's compelling, funny and interesting, I don't think it is Kudrow's best work. However, like I expressed, I don't feel this is due to any lack of command in performance on Kudrow's part. She is extremely gifted and talented, but I don't think this particular project suits her talents. Secondly, the other guest characters' shenanigans and their portrayals are so funny, I think Kudrow's performance gets stifled. Personally, I imagine her as a much more deft dramatic actress with a comedic undertone (similar to her performance in 'The Opposite of Sex'), as opposed to a fully comedic character actress. I also don't see her character, nor her portrayal of her, as exceptional or novel. The performers do well with the limitations of the use of the webcam device and it provides an interesting cinematic tool. I give it 6 out of 10. Thanks for reading.