Customer Reviews

Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Book

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Every so often, a television program weaves its way into the cultural fabric of its time. Comedian/writer Larry David has been behind two of those shows. David, co-creator of "Seinfeld" and creator of "Curb Your Enthusiasm," continues the trend of celebrating life's little eccentricities. Along with television shows and movies like "The Office" and Meet the Parents, "Curb" keenly observes human foibles to an exaggerated degree, creating its own "theater of the uncomfortable," which episodes like "The Pants Tent" and "Affirmative Action" aptly demonstrate.

Originally an HBO special, David broadened his cringe-worthy antics into a highly successful weekly show. Unlike other situation comedies, "Curb" is entirely improvised. Each season, David creates outlines for 10 shows that cover the season's arc. He writes them out longhand because he doesn't know how to use a computer. His outlines are passed to his assistant who types them up. He then clues in his fellow cast members --- or not. Most of the actors are briefly told what the scene is just minutes before they start shooting. David believes that the best comedy comes out of the more naturalistic improv process: "When I was doing "Seinfeld," sometimes I'd get to a scene and I'd go, 'Boy, this scene doesn't need me to write it...The situation is all there. You can just bring in the actors and they can do it."

But despite the kamikaze nature of the filming process, actors refer to "Curb" as "hands-down the most fun I've ever had on a set." Each actor brings his or her own experience to his or her role, but perhaps no one had a more difficult task than Cheryl Hines, the actress who plays David's wife. She had to imagine how anybody "could live with someone like Larry day in and day out. I think the only way Cheryl can have a good life is not to be bothered by most of it."

CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM: THE BOOK looks at this popular show from all angles, featuring interviews with David, his co-stars, the directors, his real-life manager and his real-life wife, all of whom claim that, yes, he really is that neurotic. But in the words of guest star Mel Brooks, "there's something about this middle-aged bald guy that is thrilling!" Also included are detailed episode guides and outlines for each show of the last five seasons, along with fascinating tidbits of information such as rejected names for the series ("Life be not Proud" and "No Life to Live"); his various quirks, including his dental hygiene compulsion (he flosses about three times a day); details about his days on "Seinfeld" and his altar-ego, George Costanza; and his time as a struggling comic in New York City.

This delightfully informative compendium is the perfect companion to the quirky and revolutionary show, and a bible for all things "Curb."

--- Reviewed by Bronwyn Miller

This is a great companion to watching the Curb episodes. There are some bits of dialog as well as insights into what made the scenes so funny. If you love the series, this book is for you!

From the HBO page:

With unprecedented access to the set, "Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Book" provides a compelling picture of how things go from bad to worse in Larry David's Los Angeles. His character defies all reasonable expectations, especially when he tries to do exactly what's expected. Nothing is simple; not getting his wife's car washed or exiting a parking lot; not waiting in a doctor's office, or even wrapping, giving, or receiving a gift. In the course of the series' four ground-breaking seasons (the fifth season just began in September, 2005), each of these simple acts is a catalyst for an unthinkable sequence of blunders, inappropriate gestures, and far-fetched coincidences that culminate in the shocking yet expected humiliation of Larry David himself. As fans of the show will testify, the worse things get for Larry, the harder you laugh.

The book opens with an in-depth profile of Larry David, and the structure that follows is based around in-depth coverage of each of the 50 episodes, including:


Anecdotal, behind-the-scene stories from people who were there, including interviews with such stars as Cheryl Hines, Jeff Garlin, Jason Alexander, Mel Brooks, Ted Danson, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Kathy Griffin, Paul Reiser, Richard Lewis, Mary Steenburgen, Ben Stiller, and many others.
150 photographs, including behind-the-scene photos that fans will devour.
First mentions of now legendary phrases.
Reproductions of Larry David's original scene outlines (no dialogue) so readers can trace the actual evolution of classic scenes from "real life" to the cutting room.
Outtakes, such as show titles and scenes that didn't make the cut and storylines that were too outrageous to use.
Answers to nagging questions not revealed on the show.
For anyone interested in David's childhood, his roots as a stand-up comic, his various writing jobs before the breakthrough of "Seinfeld," and how the ideas that had been formulating in his mind for decades finally found its perfect expression in his show, "Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Book" is the perfect tribute.

Features


Author: Written by Deirdre Dolan
ISBN: 1-592-40230-5
Pages: 208
Illustrations: 150 color and black & white photos
Book dimensions: 7 1/2 in x 10 in

Curb Your Enthusiasm ran from 2000 until 2005. Supposedly, a sixth season is in the works. That would be nice. But in the meantime, we have five DVD sets and this interesting, if brief, book about Larry David's hilarious show.

The book features a few script excerpts (brief exchanges of dialogue), some behind-the-scenes commentaries -- the usual for a book of this type.

But for a show as fascinating as Curb, this doesn't seem adequate. More in-depth interviews with cast and crew would have been nice. Perhaps some more behind-the-scenes photos. Maybe...?

I don't know. This is an interesting book documenting an interesting show. I could get picky and prattle on about everything not here, but -- like the classic cover shot for Season Three -- I don't want to look at the situation as the glass half empty. For what it is, this book is a must-own for Curb fans. My wife and I stumbled on it at 50% off at a Borders Books in Birmingham, Michigan. Couldn't pass it up. At $15 it's a steal. In fact, at Amazon's $19 price it's a steal.

I recommend this book.

As far as a guide to television shows goes, this could go much further in depth. The Seinfeld retrospective magazine that TV Guide put out about ten years ago was similar, but felt much more complete. Perhaps it's just the fact that Curb Your Enthusiasm is such a unique show: just as plotted, but not nearly as esoteric with its links. There seems to be fewer "stand alone" style episodes that Seinfeld and other network shows do.

Curb's seasonal arc is much sharper, and therefore almost necessitates links from episode to episode. This, along with the improvisation, leads to a lack of trivia. Along with the episode summaries in the book, we get bits of "script" and what little pieces of trivia there are: a producer played a doorman in some episode, and some star turned down and offer to be in this episode. It's all interesting enough, but there's nothing, and certainly not enough of anything, to make this book worth paying full price for (I paid three bucks for it at a Half Price Books).

If you're looking for candid interviews and exclusive this-or-that, this isn't where you'll find it. It's almost as if the show is just too much fun to watch (and make, by the looks of things) for it to do anything seriously. As a coffee table book, it does what it should: look nice, have lots of pictures, and be light on text. Worth a few bucks, certainly.

I love the book because it has tons of interesting behind the scene happenings. I wish it was even more thorough being the immense fan that I am.
If you love the show, BUY THIS BOOK. I've read it twice already, its almost like the show, you need to see it more than once to fully appreciate it. Personally, I thought it was too short but at least it's here and I'm thrilled about it. Many times throughout the book, different people mentioned that there is a great reality show right there as they're all filming. I'm praying for that. I also feel like Larry David is the funniest guy on the planet and this shows needs to be promoted more. Too many people I know haven't seen it or don't give it a true chance.

There's only ever been two American sitcoms which can make you squirm in your seat and laugh out loud! It so happens that both of these sitcoms were heavily influenced by the same man, writer/comedian Larry David. Those two sitcoms are Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
So if you love Curb, you'll love the book. Each episode is outlined with interesting anecdotes from cast and crew to help you re-live the magic, or tragic, brilliance of the series. The book also includes some history about Larry David as related by friends, co-workers, and of course by the man himself. There's not enough info about Larry for my liking, but then again the book isn't a Larry David bio so it's as you would expect. Read the book, buy the DVD's, immerse yourelf in Davidism, just for a little sanity.

Nice coffee-table companion to the 00's greatest sitcom containing interviews, episode guide, trivia etc.

However, although what material there is is good, since it is *impossible* for an aficionado to know too much about their favourite TV show, I reckon there should have been more information fitted in. For instance, we are told that 10 episodes of 'Curb' take six months to shoot and six to edit but actual production dates for the five seasons would have been nice.

Also, we only get short extracts from Larry David's original episode outlines -- would have loved to read at least one in full. (For comparison purposes, these extracts are followed by transcripts of the actual scenes which resulted -- wonderful though it is, 'Curb's' dialogue just doesn't suit being written down!).

If you're a fan ('Curb-crawler'?!), or interested in the show, the book is heartily recommended. It's definitely good stuff, but left me wanting more.

I really love Curb Your Enthusiasm, the show, and the book seemed interesting. It is a great quick read (I think I went through it in about an hour and a half). It has interviews with Larry and the main cast members and then a synopsis of every episode up through season five. Each episode is given two pages in the book so that along with the synopsis, behind-the-scenes bullet points can be given. These were my favorite part of the book. What may be most frustrating is that the show appears to be going on so the book is already a season (or two) behind.

This was an amusing book that details the first five seasons of the HBO tv show, Curb Your Enthusiasm. I love this series, and the book gives a synopsis of each episode, along with little bits of trivia and interviews with the actors and other members involved in the production. Reading through each episode brought back happy memories. This certainly isn't a deep book, and most of this information can probably be found on the internet anyway, but if you'd like something that you can carry around with you or to catalogue the episodes at your leisure, it's worthwhile.