I tried to love it. I really did. The casting is incredible and the show is beautifully made but this was bad. Who on earth keeps thinking that Ben Platt can convincingly play a high schooler?! The man has a thinning hairline for goodness sake!
I wonder how Netflix are feeling after their big deal with him. Hopefully he can pull it back with RATCHED and THE PROM. I have a feeling RATCHED will be amazing but THE PROM will suffer the same issues that THE POLITICIAN has.
It's brilliant political satire. Loved every minute of it! Jessica Lange is perfection, as always. Gwyneth Paltrow, who I've never been a fan of, is hilarious playing a near-parody of her cold and superficial self. The guest stars are well cast. And Platt should win an Emmy for his performance.
Guess I was too tired, but I couldn’t place the very familiar song played on the piano in episode 2. Anyone? So familiar to me; felt brain dead that I couldn’t place it. (And subtitles just said “soft piano melody”...)
jpbran said: "Guess I was too tired, but I couldn’t place the very familiar song played on the piano in episode 2. Anyone? So familiar to me; felt brain dead that I couldn’t place it. (And subtitles just said “soft piano melody”...)"
It's actually a Ben Platt song, "Run Away."
"I think that when a movie says it was 'based on a true story,' oh, it happened - just with uglier people." - Peanut Walker, Shucked
Thx. That was mentioned in an earlier post, but I’d thought it was in reference to a different scene; didn’t sound like the same song to me. My brain was thinking it was something else from further back.
I really don't mind the "Ben Platt doesn't look like a high-schooler" aspect of it at all. I don't think any of the actors actually look like teenagers. I don't think they're supposed to be. It's satire, and a very good attempt at one. It falls flat in some scenes where actors don't realize what they're saying is supposed to be funny and aren't really playing it up correctly, and the joke gets lost. Could be the director's fault for not getting out that performance you know these people are very much capable of. I have seen first 2 episodes so far and I'm loving it. Expecting it to get really lame halfway through the season because Murphy gonna Murphy.
Caption: Every so often there was a rare moment of perfect balance when I soared above him.
Could just be me, but I absolutely adored the actor who played River. Wish he had more to do. That man is going to have a long career after this and deservedly so.
In our millions, in our billions, we are most powerful when we stand together. TW4C unwaveringly joins the worldwide masses, for we know our liberation is inseparably bound.
Signed,
Theater Workers for a Ceasefire
https://theaterworkersforaceasefire.com/statement
The actor who played River, David Corenswet, is one of the three leads in Ryan Murphy's next Netflix project, Hollywood. He's starring with Darren Criss and Jeremy Pope.
I really hope they release Bens covers from the show.
In our millions, in our billions, we are most powerful when we stand together. TW4C unwaveringly joins the worldwide masses, for we know our liberation is inseparably bound.
Signed,
Theater Workers for a Ceasefire
https://theaterworkersforaceasefire.com/statement
Ok i did not love this tv show, but i really liked many aspects of it...BEN PLATT, GWYNETH PALTROW...(who is looking more and more like her mother Blythe Danner, who i absolutely have loved), and even JESSICA LANGE,( who although i HATED her character, played her brilliantly), and finally BETTE MIDLER who shows up in the final Season 1 episode.
The show is gorgeous to look at showing off Santa Barbara in all its glory. As to comments here about older actors playing teenagers while i would have preferred younger actors, everyone does a good job with their character regardless of their actual age...
Finally i do look forward to Season 2, now that Bette Midler is involved in the story arc!
broadwaybabywannabe2 said: "Ok i did not love this tv show, but i really liked many aspects of it...BEN PLATT, GWYNETH PALTROW...(who is looking more and more like her mother Blythe Danner, who i absolutely have loved), and even JESSICA LANGE,( who although i HATED her character, played her brilliantly), and finally BETTE MIDLER who shows up in the final Season 1 episode.
The show is gorgeous to look at showing off Santa Barbara in all its glory. As to comments here about older actors playing teenagers while i would have preferred younger actors, everyone does a good job with their character regardless of their actual age...
Finally i do look forward to Season 2, now that Bette Midler is involved in the story arc!"
Not to mention the always amazing Judith Light along with Jackie Hoffman!!
I hope Wes Anderson is getting some royalties from this....(the show copies his style heavily)
I detested Platt in the first episode, esp that first long scene with River. So broadly played. Murphy directed that episode, so no surprise
The show’s a big Murphy mess, very arch, so tonally all over the place. Lots of money on the screen, but about ten percent as good as VEEP. Some Wink Wink to the audience jokes from character’s mouths that are amusing, albeit totally wrong for the character. The show gets better towards the center. I thought the Bette/Judith first office scene read very sitcomy.
Ben won’t need to film DEH; he’s already done it here.
It hasn't lost me, yet. So much of this first season reminded me of the film Election, so it did nearly lose me. But I liked the last episode, teasing us where this is headed. So, I'm still in for Season 2.
Jessica Lange is a marvel. I laughed so hard at her shenanigans. She reminded me of Donald Trump, and how he responds to any kind of attack.
I just watched Mr Platt on The Voice and was very impressed by his maturity and intelligence. This has prompted me to go past the first 20mins.
I have binge-watched so much lately-The Handmaids Tale, Godless, Killing Eve, Unbelievable that after the 20min mark of The Politician it had better improve to impress.
Ben Platts annoying performance just reveals he has no range at all. Laura Dreyfuss says all of her lines so fast in the same monotonous tone that I had NO idea what she was ever saying.
For me the only saving graces are Lange (a true Goddess) and Zoey Deutsch (spelling?!) .. and what a lovely voice she has too.
SweetLips22 said: "I just watched Mr Platt on The Voice and was very impressed by his maturity and intelligence. This has prompted me to go past the first 20mins.
I have binge-watched so much lately-The Handmaids Tale, Godless, Killing Eve, Unbelievable that after the 20min mark of The Politician it had better improve to impress."
What did he do on The Voice? Which night was he on? I totally missed it this week.
I had to stop after three episodes. I tried, but I couldn't find a reason to go on. This is basically Dear Evan Hansen with a bad script, except Evan has too much self-confidence instead of not enough.
This show really needed an audience surrogate who could realize the absurdity of all these self-absorbed characters and ludicrous situations. No one here is in on the joke, and as a result, there is no joke.
Just remembering you've had an "and"
When you're back to "or"
Makes the "or" mean more than it did before