They used to make movies like this. As a matter of fact, this Netflix series is based on a movie of the same name that was released back in 1981. I saw it at a screening. That was a big thing forty years ago. You would be walking down the street, shopping at the mall, and be offered tickets. And most people who signed up went, because they wanted to be an insider. L.A. was a company town, driven by movies, they were a constant source of banter and they impacted society. Not anymore. I get invited to screenings on a regular basis. Ooh, do I want to go to the Paramount lot? NO! I've got to drive there just to see a movie that is almost never great, no thank you. Basically I want a link to a screener, that I can watch at my leisure at home. Everybody's begging for publicity and they hope I'll provide it. But when it comes to straight ahead movies (not music docs), does anybody really care? There are genres. Superhero, horror and animation, those are the only ones with a good chance of success. And if you have any success, there are endless sequels, it's too heavy a lift to start from scratch in a world where you can't reach anybody. "Must-See TV" died with the nineties. There's not one place that garners all the eyeballs. Other than maybe the Netflix homepage. And screen real estate is important, and there are some people who watch based on what appears, but mostly we pull up stuff we've heard about from our friends, from seeing scuttlebutt online, our interest is piqued and we dive in. Honestly, I'll check out anything Tina Fey is involved in. Then again, I've never watched a full "30 Rock." Nor "Mean Girls." In those cases Fey is in her environment, i.e. delivering laughs based on stereotypes, played broadly. And I must admit that "The Four Seasons" has an element of that, but it does not override the quality. What you've got here is relationships. The world runs on relationships. Which is why we used to have movies about them. Ultimately the relationship film world devolved until only Nancy Meyers was left, but even she lost the plot, the look and feel became more important than the story. Her movies became like influencer productions on steroids. Showing all the accoutrements of upper middle class living. And the audience of women loved this. But the men ultimately fell out. At what point does it steer into chick lit? Because if you're selling to the females, odds are the men are not interested. How do you walk the line, make it interesting to both? Well, if you're not completely supportive of women, they won't partake. And if it's too soft, too tilted toward women, the men won't bother. It's a tightrope, which is why many don't even start. But Tina Fey did. What you've got to know about Tina Fey is that she's now in her fifties. And she looks it. In a good way. What I mean is everybody's trying to cheat, to look younger in Hollywood. When you see someone who looks and acts their age suddenly you can relate. The odds of getting involved with, even having contact with, some facelifted, botoxed man or woman trying to pass for twenty years younger are low. But someone who is your age, with a personality... Whether it be romantic or not, you can relate, you KNOW these people. As for Will Forte... I never cottoned to him. Ultimately I realized it's his voice. He turns it on and it's kinda nasal and rough and unbelievable...the funny thing is when he acts normal, he's much more palatable. The secret sauce is Kerri Kenney-Silver. Now in the old days, you knew all the productions actors were in, you followed them as they moved up the ladder. Kenny-Silver has a ton of credits, all in shows that are not up my alley. Broad comedies. Genre pics. I like something more real. And Kerri Kenney-Silver as Anne is totally believable. She has moments that are over the top, but mostly she plays true to type. The scorned woman, the wife the husband left for the younger woman. And the thing about Anne is she can understand it on one level, she's no longer young and hot, but she radiates an intellect and a personality that make her so appealing. Arm candy is nice in public, but at home you have to have something to talk about. Colman Domingo as Danny, one half of a gay couple, plays a bit too broad this season, he was a bit more believable last season, but in many ways he rings true. Which his husband, Marco Calvani as Claude, does not. Claude is a caricature. There are people like this, gay men parading feminine characteristics on steroids, but Claude's behavior detracts from believability. I mean why would Danny be interested in Claude, who is idiosyncratic and oftentimes complaining. But despite some broad characters and broad scripting... There is a ton of real stuff in "Four Seasons," and I recommend all adults watch it, preferably couples together. Because everything is not always hunky-dory. The couples argue, fight, make up... Jack and Kate... Jack (Will Forte), can't get over the death of Steve Carell's Nick. How is Kate (Tina Fey) supposed to handle this, and how does it affect her? Do you enable, are you sympathetic or do you tell the other person to get it together. It's a constant challenge, and it ends up affecting your own mood. And you're living together but emotionally apart. So ultimately you acknowledge this distance, but finding a solution is tough. And all Kate wants is for Jack to be happy. She tries to get the rest of the group to go along for Jack's benefit. But people don't always pay attention to him and things get worse. Should Danny and Claude have a baby? Very rarely are couples in agreement on major issues out of the box. And some people go along to get along, but does this blow up after the fact? And I can't tell you how many over fifty men and women have receded from the dating pool. They say their lives are full, and they've been hurt and they don't want to risk and should friends push them or leave them alone? And the issue of male friendship is addressed. And how women accede to men's desires in the beginning of a relationship, but when years go by and it gets real... In other words, watch "The Four Seasons" if you want to connect, relate. Almost all of the adult issues are addressed here. And watching you see what the couples do and wonder if you should be doing them too. Have group vacations... Should you maintain bonds with people you've outgrown? And will your spouse support your dream? Let's be clear, this is a Tina Fey show, so there are quips, jokes littered in each episode. It's not overbearing, but this is not how people talk on a regular basis, they're just not that quick...although these quips do add laughs and do not undercut the gravitas. I don't want to say "The Four Seasons" is believable, never mind perfect, but it's addressing human, adult issues, and I hunger for this. This is why I read books, and sometimes you get these issues addressed in streaming TV series... But never forget, comedy is very hard to do. And "The Four Seasons" is ultimately a comedy. And when a comedy misses, it's unwatchable. And very few comedies hit every note. The writing and the performing and the directing have to harmonize to create an alchemy that works, and that's a lot of moving parts. This is what Tina Fey specializes in. And a hell of a lot more is right in "The Four Seasons" than is wrong. It is not a huge commitment, each season is only eight half hour episodes. Nothing is dragged out. But it's addictive. An episode ends and you're hungry for the next one, you can't take a break, because you're in this environment... It's less needing to know what happens on a macro level than finding out how the couples are going to deal with the smaller issues, the everyday issues, that arise. "The Four Seasons" might not be your kind of show. Then again, I know a lot of men who love this stuff even though they wouldn't admit it out loud. In a perfect world I'd watch the series with a group of couples on a vacation, one sans outside diversions, where you're all in it together. "The Four Seasons" stimulates not only thoughts, but conversation. You're invested. It's real. And I recommend it. -- Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/ -- Listen to the podcast: -iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj -Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp -- http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz -- If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter, http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1 If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25 To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25
