2009
Despite his abrasive character on HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm," Jeff Garlin seems like a nice guy. He's definitely a funny guy. But the big 'n' tall comic's wit is in short supply on "Young & Handsome: An Evening with Jeff Garlin."
Directed by Bob Odenkirk (who should've rethought placing Garlin's red shirt in front of a blue backdrop, lest he was going for an awry 3-D effect), the comedy special finds Garlin discussing everything from his wife wanting him to caulk the shower to how eating Krispy Kreme donuts saved his life once. And then there's the time he fell down at the masseuse, breaking wind mid-descent.
Trouble is, intriguing though those stories may be, they are, in essence, just stories. He's telling anecdotes, rather than jokes "? which would be great if he were a storyteller, but his tendency to get off-track and branch into asides is aggravating. By the time he gets back to the point at hand, expectations of a killer payoff "? even a semi-killer one "? go unfulfilled.
I never laughed out loud; a few appreciative smiles were all I could genuinely muster.
"?Rod Lott
