Girls - season 3 (2014) - Life-troubled bunch start to give grey hairs

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The recurring cast members of the third season of Lena Dunham's Girls in a messy hotel room arrangement makes up its poster

Creator/co-director/co-star Lena Dunham's (Camping (2018, TV-series)) amusing New York-set youth comedy returns with regulars Hannah (Dunham), Marnie (Allison Williams (American Dreams (2004, TV-series)), Jessa (Jemima Kirke (Wild Honey Pie! (2018)) and Shoshana (Zozia Mamet (The Boy Downstairs (2017)) as the girls, and regular boyfriends Adam (Adam Driver (Frances Ha (2012)) and Ray (Alex Karpovsky (Happy Baby (2016)).

The following contains SPOILERS:

 

Jessa has been to rehab, and three of her friends drive up to take her home from there, but all four are caught in teenage-like behavior systems (ep. 2: Truth or Dare). Hannah's crazy magazine editor boss (John Cameron Mitchell) gets found dead in the Hudson River, and Hannah's response doesn't compute as the proper amount of grief according to her surroundings (ep. 4: Dead Inside). Hannah escalates her blunted reaction by using his funeral as a venue for her getting a good book deal. Marnie begins an illicit affair with Shoshana's first real boyfriend Ray. Hannah somehow lands a job at GQ magazine and worries about her creative writing, and whether boyfriend Adam will cheat on her, as he has landed his first Broadway acting job.

A rather extreme episode (ep. 9: Flo) has us meeting Hannah's mother (whom we knew), but also her aunts and cousin - and the group of women seem to compete in being the most unbearable, hysterical, ridiculous and bothersome. This, of course (?), around the passing of Hannah's grandmother (June Squibb). Luckily not a relatable episode on my part.

Jessa relapses to her drug problem, as Marnie explores her singing talent, and Adam breaks up with Hannah for a spell. She quits her magazine job and trashes everyone there on the way out, and later discovers Ray and Marnie's affair. (Quite funny ep. 11: I Saw You).

Shoshana discovers Ray's infidelity and is infuriated, but her attempts at winning him back are unsuccessful. Jessa helps a handicapped artist she works for with euthanasia, then thinks twice and calls 911. For Hannah, the series ends on a high note, with a promise of something new.

 

The child-like young adult characters sometimes are more pathetic and irritating than funny, as the season kicks off, and their very short perspective on reality also wearies considerably, especially in the first half of the season.This puts a depressant weight on the show, which only in its best episodes feels fresh still in season 3, which ends with a promise of a new start for Hannah, still a good hook to return to Girls.

 

Best episodes:

 

Episode 7: Beach House - Written by Dunham, Jenni Konner (Undeclared (2001, TV-series)), Judd Apatow (This Is 40 (2012)), Sarah Heyward (SKAM Austin (2018, TV-series)); directed by Jesse Peretz (New Girl (2011-12))

The four girls take a weekend trip to Marnie's parents' swanky Hamptons house, where Marnie's meticulous activities and 'healing' program gets scrapped, as Hannah instead invites Marnie's gay ex and his three gay friends to party and spend the night with them. Steam is let out in this maybe one of the best episodes of the series overall.  

 

Episode 12: Two Plane Rides - Written by Dunham, Heyward; directed by Dunham

Hannah is accepted to writers' grad school in Iowa. Adam is sulking after his Broadway premiere and pushes her away from him. The Marnie-Ray-Shosh situation culminates. Jessa has a life/death dramatic experience.

 

Related posts:

Lena Dunham: Girls - season 2 (2013) - Hannah Horvath and Co. still make for fun TV chums 

Girls - season 1 (2012) - Dunham arrives with refreshing, idiosyncratic NY youth howler

 

 

Watch a 4-minute scene from the season here

 

Cost: Unknown

Box office: None - TV-series

= Uncertain

[Girls - season 3 premiered 12 January - 23 March on HBO and runs 12 episodes averaging 28 minutes, totaling approximately 336 minutes. Shooting took place in New York. The season had ratings from 278k to 1.11 mil. viewers in North America, an improvement from the previous season. The cast returned in season 4 in 2015. The season was nominated for 2 Golden Globes and 2 Emmys. Dunham also wrote Cover Girl (2014, short) and acted in Happy Christmas (2014) during the year of season 3. Kirke did not get more credits before season 3; Mamet gave a voice performance in Back to Backspace (2014, TV short) and acted in High School USA! (2013-15); and Williams returned in College Musical (2014) and Peter Pan Live! (2014, TV movie). Girls - season 3 is certified fresh at 91 % with an 7.85/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of Girls - season 3?

Girls - season 2 (2013) - Hannah Horvath and Co. still make for fun TV chums

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 + Best Returning TV-series + Best Youth Title of the Year

 

Creator/star Lena Dunham fits in poorly to the conventional symbol of a woman next to a funny tagline on this fine poster for her Girls - season 2

Season 2 of creator/co-director/co-star Lena Dunham's (Creative Nonfiction (2009)) New York-set comedy series of four young female friends trying to find their place in life and relationships in the Big Apple drives on with the established characters and conflicts from the first season.

The following contains SPOILERS:

 

Hannah (Dunham) has moved in with her gay friend Elijah, and the two throw a party, in which Shoshanna (Zozia Mamet (Wiener-Dog (2016))) is awkward after having lost her virginity. Hannah acts as an unofficial nurse for her former flame Adam (Adam Driver (The Meyerowitz Stories (2017))) due to her co-responsibility for his getting hit by a truck one dramatic night, (in the final episode of season 1), while she also has a new sex friend in hot Donald Glover (30 Rock (2006-12)).

But she soon loses him to their differing political views and his lack of praise for her new essay; and Hannah calls the police, when Adam has let himself into her apartment.

Hannah has a one-day affair with a separated doctor (Patrick Wilson (Little Children (2006))) and quits her café job to fully pursue her writing. Soon after she has a gig to write an e-book, but this stresses her to the point that her OCD returns, and she visits psychiatrist Bob Balaban (Gosford Park (2001)).

Adam breaks his AA promise and returns to Hannah; and Marnie (Allison Williams (College Musical (2014))) uses her secret talent of singing at an event, which gets her bastard ex-boyfriend Charlie back to her. Even though he is a weak and very annoying character, she worships him. Adam recognizes Hannah's OCD, runs to her place and kicks the door in to better her.

 

An amusing but somewhat sentimental end to the season, which keeps development afloat for each of the four leads, along with three recurring male characters (Adam, Charlie and Ray), though with focus mostly on Hannah. Jessa (Jemima Kirke (Untogether (2018))) has the least development during season 2, but there is a full episode dedicated to her and Hannah's trip to the country to visit her (terrible) parents, played by Ben Mendelsohn (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)) and Rosanna Arquette (Pulp Fiction (1994)) (episode 7: Video Games.)

It is great to have these Girls back on the small screen.

Best episodes:

Episode 3: Bad Friend - written by Dunham, Sarah Heyward (SKAM Austin (2018, TV-series)), Deborah Schoeneman (The Newsroom (2014, TV-series)); directed by Jesse Peretz (Divorce (2016, TV-series))

Hannah interviews at a magazine, whose editor wants stories that come from outside its writer's comfort zone. Hannah tries to give this by scoring cocaine from a neighbor and partying with Elijah, who confesses to having had sex with Marnie. Hannah throws him out and confronts Marnie with being, in Hannah's mind, a bad friend. Hilarious episode.

Episode 4: It's a Shame about Rey - written by Dunham, Heyward, Schoeneman; directed by Peretz

Hannah entertains with too acerbic imitations of her friends at a celebration of her first published article, leading to the evening breaking up. Shosh learns that her boyfriend Ray (Alex Karpovsky (Rosy (2018))) has moved in with her. Jessa meets her new husband's (Chris O'Dowd (Bridesmaids (2011))) parents, leading to a toxic break between the two, and her running off with 11,500 $. Touching, hilarious and original episode.

Related post:

Lena Dunham: 2013 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED VI]

Girls - season 1 (2012) - Dunham arrives with refreshing, idiosyncratic NY youth howler

 

 

Watch a 2-minute clip from episode 10 of the season here

 

Cost: Unknown

Box office: None - TV-series

= Uncertain

[Girls - season 2 premiered 13 January - 17 March on HBO and runs 10 episodes averaging 28 minutes, totaling approximately 280 minutes. Shooting took place in New York. The season had ratings from 484k to 866k viewers in North America, a sizable slip from the first season. The cast returned in season 3 in 2014. The season was nominated for 5 Primetime Emmy awards. Dunham also wrote and directed Best Friends (2013, short) and wrote Choose You (2013, short) during the year of season 2. Kirke did not get more credits before season 3; Mamet acted in The Last Keepers (2013); and Williams in The Mindy Project (2013). Girls - season 2 is certified fresh at 94 % with an 8.03/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Girls - season 2?

Our Idiot Brother (2011) - Rudd leads another very funny comedy

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+ Best Satire of the Year

Paul Rudd undeniably looks like a simpleton on the poster for Jesse Peretz's Our Idiot Brother

Our hero here is a hopelessly naive idiot, who gets incarcerated for having attempted to sell a small piece of hash to a cop. As he gets released, his girlfriend has dumped him and stolen his dog, so that he is forced to live in shifts with his family members.

Our Idiot Brother starts a bit uneasy, but it is worth staying with, (although one may first detect that it first and foremost is about awful people.) Because it really has quite a few hilarious scenes and a peculiar theme and point about how it's better to be a gullible idiot than an egotistical idiot.
Career men and women in the creative class and organic hippies get hauled over the coals by the film's satire, and it feels good. Paul Rudd's (I Love You, Man (2009)) lovability makes him feasible here despite his character's intense stupidity. Rashida Jones (A Very Murray Christmas (2015)) plays a hot lesbian; Kathryn Hahn (Bad Moms (2016)), Elizabeth Banks (Swept Away (2002)) and Zooey Deschanel (Elf (2003)) are pros as super-bitches; Emily Mortimer (Scream 3 (2000)) is funny as a frustrated housewife, and Steve Coogan (The Trip to Italy (2014)) is also a pro as a major a-hole.
The film is written by Evgenia Peretz (Theo who Lived (2016), producer) and David Schisgall (Theo who Lived (2016)) and directed by Jesse Peretz (Girls (2012-16)).

Related post:

2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III] 

Paul Rudd gives an interview about the movie here

Cost: 5 mil. $
Box office: 25.8 mil. $
= Big hit
[Our Idiot Brother premiered January 22 (Sundance) and runs 90 minutes. The film was developed fast and shot in New York in 30 days from July 2010 forward, obtaining a 30 % tax credit. The film opened #5 to a 7 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it fell from the top 5 in its second week and grossed 24.8 mil. $ (96.1 % of the total gross). It was released in 10 other countries, with the 2nd and 3rd biggest markets being Italy with 338k $ (1.3 % ) and Germany with 157k $ (0.6 %). Our Idiot Brother is fresh at 68 % with a 6.2 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Our Idiot Brother?