Stella - Season One
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Movie Reviews of Stella - Season One
Movie Review: Very Pleasently Surprised!
Summary: 5 Stars
Since this show flew under the radar so greatly, I was expecting it to be a self-congratulatory skit show. So many skits these days fall so flat, I just figured this would be full of 'groaners.'
Happy to report this is much more like 'Strangers with Candy.' It's total nonsense, but very clever and each episode follows a storyline, rather than just being isolated skits.
Now for a very odd coincidence: I'm actually only to the last episode of Disc One (but the fact I watched them all in a row in sheer delight tells me I will keep watching all through the night). The show I really was going to compare this to is Chris Elliott's 'Get a Life.' Then, as I'm starting to write my review, what do they do? Become Paperboys!
Gotta be a nod to Chris--Stella certainly takes his skewed view of reality, but nothing is stolen from that show. Simply 'carrying the torch.'
I freakin' love 'Get a Life,' and now I freakin' love 'Stella'.
But no wonder it got cancelled. Still too 'far out' for the masses.
UPDATE: Another 'Get a Life' nod: Like I said, I was only through the first disc. But another concept they borrow from Chris is when two of them get girlfriends--their relationships develop like 10 years (i.e. completely settling down in family life ruts, etc.) within ONE DAY. Just like 'Girlfriend 2000.' Again, all the jokes are their own, just fun to see such unquestionable tips of the hat to the legend (along with Garry Shandling) that created the whole Bizarro sitcom universe.
Movie Review: The Highest Praise
Summary: 5 Stars
This show earns the highest possible praise for a comedy series: it compares favorably with "Red Dwarf." Of course it's conceivable (though just barely) that not everyone considers "Red Dwarf" the standard against which all other comedys are to be judged. So if you don't count "Red Dwarf," then "Stella" becomes the gold standard of comedy. The fact that it only lasted one season of ten episodes pretty much proves that Comedy Central is to comedy as SyFy is to science fiction - and believe me, that's no compliment. The show isn't just funny (almost any show can be funny); it's surreal, whimsical and absolutely absurd all at the same time. "Stella" is definitely not for those who want their comedy doggedly "true to life" so they can glean little snippets of everyday wisdom from the situations presented while they laugh at the all-too-obvious story line; in a word, it's not a show to guide you through life's perils. Just the opposite: it creates an endless array of perils for the characters where there needed to be none at all. And, best of all, there's no way on earth you can guess how everything resolves. By far your biggest challenge watching the series is deciding which episode is your favorite; it seems almost obscene to call any one episode better than the rest. Even so, I'm going to stick my neck out and call "Vegetables" my favorite. It took all the magic of the show to an even higher plateau - which I wouldn't have thought possible. "Stella" is to American comedy as "Red Dwarf" is to British comedy. And that's as good as it gets.Movie Review: Excellent Stella
Summary: 5 Stars
Stella is a quirky, eccentric show that ran for one season on Comedy Central. It combined the talents of David Wain, Michael Showalter, and the incomparable Michael Ian Black. While it was technically a show about three guys who live together in an apartment, the comedy displayed in the show has never been done before in any setting. It is difficult to find words to describe it, but I found it consistently laugh-out-loud funny, but in an intelligent fashion.
The three men are veterans of the comedy troupe "The State", and "Stella" is one of the progeny of that late, very lamented entity (along with other children "Reno 911", "Viva Variety", and "Wet Hot American Summer". They bring a sophistication and intelligence to their craft that is all too rare in these days of Larry the Cable Guy. Unfortunately, this show brought with it only cult interest, and as a result, was not renewed for another season. The rumor has it that Comedy Central may make a Season Two should this DVD sell well (along the Family Guy model.) As a result, I am very much hoping that this becomes a sensation; in this frequently depressing world, 'Stella' represents a product that is always innovative and frequently hilarious. My fondest recommendations.
Movie Review: Truly fabulous!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been following Stella from afar for a few years now. I live in England, I'm English and sometimes comedy doesn't translate well across the pond. But this is probably one of the funniest things I've ever seen.
I love comedy, and have a broad range of tastes, so maybe that's why I lapped up every ounce of hilarity to be squeezed from this glorious show. But you have to give it a chance, you can't watch a single episode in isolation and dismiss it.
Sure, there's more than a hint of self-indulgence and a great measure of self-gratification evident in the antics of our 3 heros and their alter-egos. But that's what makes it funny. Maybe some people don't like to invest their time in their entertainment any more, maybe they can't be bothered to get to know the perfomers and their scope and multi-talented endeavours. Well that's their loss, because that's why this nugget of comedy gold shines out like a beacon in a river of dross.
Put in some groundwork people, don't be lazy. Fast food is one thing, but that kind of instant gratification doesn't apply here. Stella needs to enjoyed like a gourmet dinner. And best of all, it's calorie free.
Movie Review: A Comic Goldmine
Summary: 5 Stars
Stella only lasted for a season on Comedy Central, but it's one of the funniest things they've ever done next to TV Funhouse (and I've watched every show on this channel all the way back in the Higgins Boys and Gruber Days).
The humor used in this show is unlike any I've ever seen before, and it is something you'll laugh at every time. I can't really describe what they do or how it's funny, but I used to look forward to this show more than any comedy on the air, even Chapelle (Though it's apples and oranges there). Stella manages to have a humor that is amazingly intelligent and witty while simultaneously being ludicrously stupid at the same time. The one liners, the strange events, the bizarre plotlines, the hot neighbors, it's comic gold.
The cast is superb (all veterans of MTV's "The State" and the force behind "Wet Hot American Summer" as other reviews have mentioned). If you like either of those shows or the folks in charge of Reno 911, you'll probably dig on some Stella. I'll cut this review short because this show is something that has to be seen to be understood.