Two and a Half Men

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  • Two and a Half Men

    Does anyone actually like this show? It's ubiquitous on a local station here, they just showed four episodes in one day last week. But I don't get the appeal of it at all. Charlie Sheen's frozen puss never becomes animated or interesting (though sometimes his eyes get bigger) and Jon Cryer is whiny and nerdy without ever actually being funny.

    Dean and Jerry they're not (nor are they Oscar and Felix, though the show sometimes does lame ripoffs of Odd Couple plotlines). Sometimes they try to invoke Rock and Tony, but that doesn't work either.

    The humor is always smarmy. Sheen's character is immature and despicable in his treatment of women. Jon's character and the show's story arcs never try to redeem him or teach him; instead the whole show seems to be a justification for his behavior.

    Even the sets and costumes are drab and boring.

    Any defenders of this show's appeal (or fellow trouncers)?

  • #2
    Re: Two and a Half Men

    Not great, but mildly amusing. There isn't much Competition in the Sitcom arena, so despite being mediocre (except for the ratings, which have been decent) it will probably run as long as they want to show up for work. The good news is at least it isn't one of those horrendous sugary Family Comedies (the ones I always rant about because they pretty much have interchangeable characters and episodes) and thankfully it doesn't have any resemblance to Friends. Hopefully this one eventually gets shoved further down the mountain if a few more comedies show up that are a little more clever, and a lot more diverse. Larry David seems like he is one of the few that actually has other ethnic groups consistantly on his show, and isn't afraid to play with their interactions. Maybe someone will notice he has had a pretty big following for more than a year or two going that route, and try cloning something decent for a change.

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    • #3
      Re: Two and a Half Men

      From where I'm sitting it's kinda weird to hear these views, I think this show is funny as hell. Dialogue is sharp, gags are unfailingly witty, comic timing is excellent. I admit it took me a while to tune into Charlie's character, I thought, this guy is cardboard, he's letting the show down. But then it dawned on me, no, that's not it at all -- Charlie is playing an emotionally vacuous two-dimensional self-centered uber-bachelor to perfection, and Jon's character is the angst-driven polar opposite, to perfection. The kid is a comic genius comparable with Robert in Everybody Loves Raymond, they must inject his face with something before the show to stop him from laughing out loud. Jake: Can I get leather pants? Charlie: No, you want to wear something that lets the farts out. Meh, you had to be there.

      -Derek

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      • #4
        Re: Two and a Half Men

        what dpat said. And...

        Sheen's a good straightman. He plays the self absorbed, sex obsessed, booze addled, entertainment industry type exceptionally well. (He's not really acting.)

        The supporting cast is brilliant, especially Conchata Ferrell. Her timing and delivery are just amazing.

        But I don't get the appeal of it at all.
        You're not in the target demo. Your not getting it is probably a good thing as far as the show is concerned.

        The humor is always smarmy. Sheen's character is immature and despicable in his treatment of women. Jon's character and the show's story arcs never try to redeem him or teach him; instead the whole show seems to be a justification for his behavior.
        No learning, no hugging. Well, a little learning and hugging as far as the kid's concerned.

        Humor works best when it's unsentimental about human nature. Sheen's character doesn't need to be redeemed, taught, or otherwise fixed. He's perfectly happy, as many men would be, sleeping with a string of disposable bimbos. Part of the show's attractive fantasy is his ability get his needs met without the encumberance of marriage. He's not nice because he's not supposed to be nice.

        The female characters aren't nice either. They're crazy, they're evil, they're mean, they're devious. This is because they're human, and human beings are all those things. No learning, no hugging, no pandering.

        In art as in life, the good looking rich single guy with the great beach house treats beautiful young women like dirt, and they keep coming back for more.
        If you really like it you can have the rights
        It could make a million for you overnight

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        • #5
          Re: Two and a Half Men

          I love this show. Guilty pleasure, last time I had one of those it was Married With Children.

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          • #6
            Re: Two and a Half Men

            I only watch it when there's nothing else on. I do think it's funny, but once the show is over, I feel dirty, used, and must bathe immediately. SMARMY...a perfect word to describe the show.

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