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Cursed
(also known as : "The
Weber Show")
A Review by Techtite
Many critics are scared off each year, by what NBC usually offers at
8:30 on Thursdays. After all, we've been forced to deal with the
retooled-twice (and it still was bad) sitcom, Jesse (Will Diego and Jesse
get together? WHO CARES?), the embarrassment of Kirstie Alley's career
named Veronica's Closet, and on and on. So fearful of seeing
truly bad TV, some critics may even go on auto-pilot, and flame the
latest offering, Cursed, without even giving it a chance.
This would be a shame, because Cursed is still the best
offering in that time slot to date. Sure, that isn't saying much, based on
what is normally put after Friends. However, it does
have its fair share of comic potential, regardless of numerous flaws. The series
starts off with Jack (Steven Weber) breaking up with his off again, on
again girlfriend (Amy Pietz) for the fifth time. So cliché is this
repeated break up, that she starts to mimic his every word, line for line,
followed by her assurance that, soon enough, he'd be back. This is
obviously more truth than fiction, since Pietz is a regular cast member on
this show. As it so turns out, Jack will need her help sooner than he
thinks. On his very next date --a blind date-- he tells the
woman a typical "It's too soon after a messy break up for me to get
too serious" line, then she places an old gypsy curse on him. He will
now be cursed for the rest of his entire life. The curse begins as soon as
he reaches a taxi outside, when he gets accosted by (of all things) an out of work
clown! The next day, he even loses the promotion he was positive he'd get,
and instead gets demoted. No sooner is he ready to get rid
of his obnoxious friend who sleeps on the sofa (Chris Elliott), then he
needs him around, to help pay half the rent. In particular, he suddenly
finds he needs his ex-girlfriend back, if just to get his extra pair of
apartment keys, which the angry clown threw in the gutter! Acting by one and all is
excellent, particularly when Weber's character finally opens his heart out
to Pietz. Afraid to get her heart broken again too soon, she
understandably says she's "about to go on a date" with another
guy. The episode ends showing that she was actually too afraid to get
"close" to him again to let him stay, as she closes the door,
gets out of her jacket and shoes, and starts watching TV on her couch. The
small smile she gives --the last shot of the episode-- excellently shows
how she actually still cares for him. Not
many TV actors could evoke emotion in this final scene, and both Weber and
Pietz succeed. If there's one flaw in the series, it's if the series
writers don't tap its potential. The premiere (and summary of the next,
second, episode) don't seem to have enough fun with the curse-coming-true
premise as they should. I think that they should have some outrageous fun with the
idea! The only problem is, while Weber is a good comedy actor (as shown in
Wings), and Pietz was a breath of fresh air in Caroline
in the City, I don't know if they could do slapstick comedy. That
is probably the best way to go with a sitcom like this, when the premise
is so off the wall. After all, the most amusing possibility here is to see
how far this "curse" will pan out... While there's nothing as
hilarious here as in other, Emmy-winning comedies on NBC, there is
that level of acceptability, and even that is a rarity in sitcoms in this
time slot. Remember how annoying the first episodes of Christina
Applegate's Jesse sitcom were, because of the brother who refused to
speak? Thankfully, there are no annoying characters like that in Cursed;
this series is at least
"blessed" with a very strong cast. With its amusing plotline
concept, it may even succeed. As for me, I'm just glad that I have
something to watch at 8:30 on Thursdays...finally.
| All text, Title
graphics, and pix not of reviewed product, are created by Techtite,
copyright 2000; all rights reserved. Screen captures of program
reviewed are discrete thumbnails, used only for the purpose of
review, and by no means represent any affiliation with Techtite and the distributors of that product. For further "legalese"
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