Life's Too Short Page 15

Quote: 4Name SirName @ November 18 2011, 2:04 PM GMT

It's really hard to say this as a massive G&M fan, but the quality of the show is simply not good enough.

I really have no problem with the premise of the show being a Office-cum-Extras style show, as both sitcoms were brilliant. I can even accept some of the Brent-esque mannerisms that Warwick Davis uses, as he would understandably have been playing the scene as Ricky would have directed him. But to have actual straight lifts of Office and Extras material is really disappointing.

Never once did I get feel during Extras that old ground was being copied - the only thing linking The Office and Extras was the class Gervasian humour and great writing/performances.

Here, it feels as is G&M simply didn't take enough time to write believeable scenarios that would have given Life's Too Short an identity of its own.

The secretary not telling Davis about phone calls is far too similar to Merchant's Extras character neglecting to tell Millman stuff. Davis pointing to the camera telling his ex-wife she is showing off because the cameras were there is a staight lift from Brent exchange with his boss in The Office. Davis dressed as a bear and the ensuing awkwardness at the wedding is remarkably similar to David Brent in an ostrich costume and seemed too easy a tool and too predictable a result.

Personally, I don't think the celebrity A-List cameos add anything to the programme whatsoever. Yes Liam Neeson acted his part well (Johnny Depp was poor IMO), but such scenes feel like entirely separate pieces that don't aid the plot at all and would have worked better at stand alone Comic Relief-type sketches. The whole reason for them coming into G&M's office is just too contrived for any believability to kick in. Where as in Extras the scenes were not only justifiable but integral to the series.

Yes there are still some very funny scenes and well written aspects to the show as you'd expect from a G&M product. But the naturalness, pathos, empathy and story-telling is not strong enough to make Life's Too Short a worthwhile project.

One thing that has stood Gervais's work out from the majority of comedy writers is his pride in having a high level of quality control but, sadly, Life's Too Short has diminished the top-rate body of work that Gervais has produced up to now.

Really disappointed.

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That is exactly how I would have put it, if I wasn't so livid! All good points, well made! Here Here!

Livid?

Quote: Matthew Stott @ November 18 2011, 3:01 PM GMT

Livid?

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Yep, livid! I expect so much from the writing team of Gervais & Merchant (& why would I not), and this is just terrible, hope RG & Smerch aren't going down the same road as Simon Pegg & Nick Frost (don't even get me started on those 2!)

Is it not just the case that Gervais has a limited schtick and people are growing tired it of it? I have never been a big fan, but within his limited range he appears to be maintaining standards.

Last night's episode was a marginal improvement over the first one. Highlight for me in last night's show was when Davis gave his speech at the wedding. The Office and Extras were both quality sitcoms in terms of storyline, originality, and humour which 'life's too short' is lacking in bucket loads for my liking. Maybe it was asking too much of Gervais & Merchant to produce the same quality as Extras and The Office.

I only hope if BBC commission a second series that someone how the writing and the storylines are more believable, but at the same time FUNNY.

Quote: Timbo @ November 18 2011, 3:18 PM GMT

Is it not just the case that Gervais has a limited schtick and people are growing tired it of it? I have never been a big fan, but within his limited range he appears to be maintaining standards.

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No

Quote: Timbo @ November 18 2011, 3:18 PM GMT

Is it not just the case that Gervais has a limited schtick and people are growing tired it of it? I have never been a big fan, but within his limited range he appears to be maintaining standards.

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No I couldn't wait for Life's Too Short and was completely confident of it being another great series.

The issue IMO was the lack of care G&M took in the writing process. I've got no doubt they are capable of writing another classic, but need to lock themselves away from 'media-land' for a while and get back to what they do best - honing a great script.

Quote: 4Name SirName @ November 18 2011, 2:04 PM GMT

Personally, I don't think the celebrity A-List cameos add anything to the programme whatsoever. Yes Liam Neeson acted his part well (Johnny Depp was poor IMO), but such scenes feel like entirely separate pieces that don't aid the plot at all and would have worked better at stand alone Comic Relief-type sketches. The whole reason for them coming into G&M's office is just too contrived for any believability to kick in. Where as in Extras the scenes were not only justifiable but integral to the series.

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Agree.

Laughed more this week but still...

Really liked episode 2. Laughed out loud several times and thought Johnny Depp was brilliant! Reading some comments on here I have absolutely no doubt there are at least one or two people on here who sat down to watch it thinking to themselves 'Come on then Mister big superstar, you think you're hilarious don't you? I bet this won't be funny!"
And if you didn't laugh at Warwick Irish dancing furiously while looking sideways into the camera then just forget it. There's no hope for you! On the other hand, it means you share a sense of humour with Tony Blackburn.

I thought it was far better this week as it was just a lot funnier last week the only it I actually laughed at but this week I laughed hard several times with the reporter, Warwick in the bear suit and all the bits with Depp until they were in the office as the highlights I didn't really laugh at most of the scene with Depp and G&M but I think it was because I had seen it all in the trailer but as soon as the parts id seen finished I was laughing again especially as he stormed out.. I also think Davis seemed less Brentish this week

I also think it's odd that nearly every review only talks about how it's Gervais' new sitcom and he seems to do everything without Smerch getting a look in

Wasn't that local reporter guy who had trouble trying to remember Warwick Davis's name annoying

Quote: Stephen Ryder @ November 18 2011, 6:09 PM GMT

Wasn't that local reporter guy who had trouble trying to remember Warwick Davis's name annoying

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Sidekick Simon, Sidekick Simon, Sidekick Simon.

Quote: Ringo @ November 18 2011, 5:01 PM GMT

Really liked episode 2. Laughed out loud several times and thought Johnny Depp was brilliant! Reading some comments on here I have absolutely no doubt there are at least one or two people on here who sat down to watch it thinking to themselves 'Come on then Mister big superstar, you think you're hilarious don't you? I bet this won't be funny!"
And if you didn't laugh at Warwick Irish dancing furiously while looking sideways into the camera then just forget it. There's no hope for you! On the other hand, it means you share a sense of humour with Tony Blackburn.

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You win, have a head rub on me

Quote: Stephen Ryder @ November 18 2011, 6:09 PM GMT

Wasn't that local reporter guy who had trouble trying to remember Warwick Davis's name annoying

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I thought he (Tim Key) was great, there's probably a lead sitcom character and show idea right there.

Quote: 4Name SirName @ November 18 2011, 2:04 PM GMT

It's really hard to say this as a massive G&M fan, but the quality of the show is simply not good enough.

I really have no problem with the premise of the show being a Office-cum-Extras style show, as both sitcoms were brilliant. I can even accept some of the Brent-esque mannerisms that Warwick Davis uses, as he would understandably have been playing the scene as Ricky would have directed him. But to have actual straight lifts of Office and Extras material is really disappointing.

Never once did I get feel during Extras that old ground was being copied - the only thing linking The Office and Extras was the class Gervasian humour and great writing/performances.

Here, it feels as is G&M simply didn't take enough time to write believeable scenarios that would have given Life's Too Short an identity of its own.

The secretary not telling Davis about phone calls is far too similar to Merchant's Extras character neglecting to tell Millman stuff. Davis pointing to the camera telling his ex-wife she is showing off because the cameras were there is a staight lift from Brent exchange with his boss in The Office. Davis dressed as a bear and the ensuing awkwardness at the wedding is remarkably similar to David Brent in an ostrich costume and seemed too easy a tool and too predictable a result.

Personally, I don't think the celebrity A-List cameos add anything to the programme whatsoever. Yes Liam Neeson acted his part well (Johnny Depp was poor IMO), but such scenes feel like entirely separate pieces that don't aid the plot at all and would have worked better at stand alone Comic Relief-type sketches. The whole reason for them coming into G&M's office is just too contrived for any believability to kick in. Where as in Extras the scenes were not only justifiable but integral to the series.

Yes there are still some very funny scenes and well written aspects to the show as you'd expect from a G&M product. But the naturalness, pathos, empathy and story-telling is not strong enough to make Life's Too Short a worthwhile project.

One thing that has stood Gervais's work out from the majority of comedy writers is his pride in having a high level of quality control but, sadly, Life's Too Short has diminished the top-rate body of work that Gervais has produced up to now.

Really disappointed.

View original

I completely agree with this too, and I can honestly say that I wasn't expecting too much of it, nor was I expecting it to be poor, so those arguments don't apply at least in my case.

The interesting thing is that I was one of those people who thought I probably wouldn't bother with it as Gervais' recent non-sitcom work has been poor and getting steadily worse, and this did look like a cynical use of a potentially controversial subject in order to get attention and cheap laughs (which, coincidentally, is what Gervais seems to 'get caught out for' in the press suspiciously close to any new project of his being launched - i.e. monged up faces).

However, I watched the programme that he, Merchant and Davis made about the sitcom prior to the first episode and it did persuade me that actually, they weren't going for cheap laughs, and that it did look quite interesting.

But guess what? By ep. 2 it turns out that they ARE going for cheap laughs, rehashing old stuff without even bothering to hide it, and, worst of all, not even having very good jokes in it.

I'm sorry but "Can you give me a quote for the office?" was a pun of Roy Walker standard. F**k sake you two, have some self respect. No one asked you to make a new sitcom. Either do it properly or don't f**king bother.

And Davis is looking directly at the camera far too much and for too long, not helped by the fact that he is supposed to be punctuating a joke that has just fallen on its arse. It's painful, and perhaps made more so because it's Warwick Davis that is forced to suffer this on screen crucifixion in place of the two writer/stars. It's as if Gervais has a talent for sniffing out and pinching all the best parts for himself, but wisely let some other mug take the fall this time.

4name Sirname has nailed it on the head for me. It's these celeb cameos that I don't really get. Liam Neeson just walks into R&S's office?! And just dropping Johnny Depp in the show just seemed like they were doing it for the sake of doing it. With Extras I could understand it.

The writing also seems lazy, the whole bit about paying for an autograph with the tumour seemed directly lifted from Extras and the kid in the hospital. Then again with the diary and the wedding couple compared to the sick kid's mother asking Andy if he could come to the funeral. Then again with the speech at the wedding, which IMO was very funny, but again just seemed lifted from when Brent did the whole Eric Hitchmo spiel.

Dan's Media Digest gets it spot on as well:

...Gervais and Merchant have been very careful to assure people that the show isn't being nasty about "little people", but this episode was very close to the bone. Okay, so Johnny Depp (playing himself as a resentful, irrational, malicious actor) may have been the one making Warwick Davis dance an Irish jig or sit inside a toilet, while making fun of his appearance ("a grub coming out of an apple"), but it was still uncomfortable to watch. So-called cringe-comedy is something that The Office excelled at, but this just felt like meanness-by-proxy. A way for Gervais and Merchant to ridicule a disabled person with the excuse that it's not them being nasty it's an evil version of Depp. Considering the fact Life's Too Short is all about a version of Warwick Davis living his life "like an open wound" for a fly-on-the-wall documentary, I find it rather sad that the real Warwick has basically done a similar thing in allowing Gervais/Merchant to find endless ways to belittle dwarves (no pun intended)...

I also feel a bit sorry that Steve seems to have been pushed to the side in this. He hardly gets a look in, looks like Ricky is just hogging the screen and the gags. Steve in my mind has always come across as the sane one and the true funny one of the duo. I feel a bit embarrassed for him watching this to be honest.

I'll stick with it though until the end, hopefully it will improve