benbess
Senior HTF Member
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2009
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- Ben
I'm not even sure how to describe this strange new "reality" show on hbomax. Here's the trailer:
I watched the first episode, and it gave me uncomfortable feeling, which clearly was intended. I had sympathy for both the creator of the show, Nathan Fielder, as well as the first "subject," Kor Skeete. Although it's supposedly clear within the show what's "real" and what's not, I actually wasn't completely certain if the whole thing wasn't a fabrication. But it seems like probably this really is happening, and if so the moral issues are complex. Not sure if I'll continue watching, because sometimes it feels almost like watching a car accident in slow motion. Somewhat surreal.
Here's the Reception section on this show from the wikipedia article on it....
en.wikipedia.org
"Reception
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 92% approval rating with an average rating of 9.2/10, based on 38 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "The Rehearsal gives Nathan Fielder carte blanche to take his absurdist comedy to the limit, which he pushes even further past with deadpan aplomb in what might be his most uncomfortably funny feat yet."[15] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 89 out of 100 based on 22 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[16]
In The New York Times Critic's Pick review, James Poniewozik wrote, "the show has a philosophical core: Is it ever possible to truly understand another person? And there’s a tender, even beautiful side to its surreal moments."[17] The Rehearsal has been compared to the work of Charlie Kaufman in Synecdoche, New York.[18] The show has been described as a spiritual successor to Nathan For You, since both shows share a premise of Fielder helping average people in humorous ways. Vulture described Fielder's "willingness to screw with people" to put them in situations that might embarrass them or cause them to do things that are out of character being the core thread of his work.[2]"
I watched the first episode, and it gave me uncomfortable feeling, which clearly was intended. I had sympathy for both the creator of the show, Nathan Fielder, as well as the first "subject," Kor Skeete. Although it's supposedly clear within the show what's "real" and what's not, I actually wasn't completely certain if the whole thing wasn't a fabrication. But it seems like probably this really is happening, and if so the moral issues are complex. Not sure if I'll continue watching, because sometimes it feels almost like watching a car accident in slow motion. Somewhat surreal.
Here's the Reception section on this show from the wikipedia article on it....
The Rehearsal (TV series) - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
"Reception
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 92% approval rating with an average rating of 9.2/10, based on 38 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "The Rehearsal gives Nathan Fielder carte blanche to take his absurdist comedy to the limit, which he pushes even further past with deadpan aplomb in what might be his most uncomfortably funny feat yet."[15] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 89 out of 100 based on 22 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[16]
In The New York Times Critic's Pick review, James Poniewozik wrote, "the show has a philosophical core: Is it ever possible to truly understand another person? And there’s a tender, even beautiful side to its surreal moments."[17] The Rehearsal has been compared to the work of Charlie Kaufman in Synecdoche, New York.[18] The show has been described as a spiritual successor to Nathan For You, since both shows share a premise of Fielder helping average people in humorous ways. Vulture described Fielder's "willingness to screw with people" to put them in situations that might embarrass them or cause them to do things that are out of character being the core thread of his work.[2]"
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