Was it as good as the Annie movie, Jordan?
I may have to give this another shot - it hasn't gotten terrible reviews. I saw the pilot earlier this year before they'd decided whether they were going to produce a full season or not. I thought it was an abomination. But, hell, look at the pilot of Seinfeld - you could not have predicted what a monster critical and commercial success that show would become by its pilot.
But, what I saw was not fit for airing on Lifetime circa 1999. The writing was laughably bad - there was a line in which an oboist is asked if her lips get tired from blowing on her instrument all day - this is porn quality writing. The wonderful Malcolm Mcdowell was so hammy he should have been served at Carnegie Deli, Bernadette was reasonably coherent, though almost as stiff as she was in her Downtown Abbey introductions, the direction, cinematography and even the sound design (in a show about classical musicians!) was sloppy and amateurish. I understood how Bernadette and Mcdowell landed up in this tripe, but I was left puzzled at how the brilliant Gael Garcia Bernal got stuck in this - playing a role obviously inspired by Gustavo Dudamel's massive success in Los Angeles - but flimsily constructed. His film career here - and abroad - is still thriving. He tried - desperately - to rise above the material. I finished the pilot feeling sorry for him. The actor, not the character. It's all made all the more disappointing when you look at the talent involved. Not just the actors. It's co-created by Roman Coppola, Jason Schwartzman and Alex Timbers. Too many cooks?
Updated On: 12/26/14 at 06:37 PM
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