I almost never write movie reviews, but feel I need to weigh in on this show after seeing it panned by the 1-star prude. I watched the first episode of 'House of Lies' twice after it was highly recommended by a trusted friend. I loved the show, and agree with hanna uzelac on virtually every point.
I found the way this show breaks the fourth wall was brilliant. Sorry, I haven't watched much cable television the last couple of years, so I don't know how innovative this was, I just love the way the show used it to underline the action and reach out to the viewer.
Yes, there was a lot of swearing and sex, at least in the pilot episode, but that didn't bother me. I'm no prude by any means, but at age 56 I've just come to a point where gratuitous sex doesn't grab me, and I'll often find myself fast-forwarding much of it, but not here. What sex there was was brief, not gratuitous, and served to punctuate a comedic scene to follow, like... ***spoiler alert***
***spoiler alert*** ***spoiler alert*** ***spoiler alert*** . . .
the quick look grandpa gives his son (Don Cheadle) after he comes inside to the end of the his grandchild's play after Don was out banging his son's rival wife in her minivan. It's just brilliant, and I thought it plays very well. Other times, it was used to set up a fourth-wall comedic break, such as Don telling us from the very start to ... never...f&@k...your...ex...wife." Good advice or not? You decide.
I also found the interactions of both grandpa and father with his gender-curious son hilarious, with dad trying valiantly to at least fake positive support despite his own conflicts on that subject. This too was used as a set up for a steamy scene in the restaurant bathroom, enough said.
I also loved how, after layering on its thick frosting of brutal cynicism throughout the entire episode,the last scene has Don almost, but not quite, breaking through to a more human level. It's set up as another fourth-wall break as we see him alone in the bathroom mirror shaving, but instead we see him reaching out to one of his colleagues. but it was the only real moment we see the humane core character break through.
I usually consider it an error to judge a series based only on a first/pilot episode, but reading the 1-star sexually-repressed review, felt I had to chime in. This is an adult show for adult viewers on and adult channel, so if you can't handle it, go watch 'Malcolm in the Middle' or an LDS movie for god's sake, and leave this alone. It was a great show, and I can't wait for more.
I found the way this show breaks the fourth wall was brilliant. Sorry, I haven't watched much cable television the last couple of years, so I don't know how innovative this was, I just love the way the show used it to underline the action and reach out to the viewer.
Yes, there was a lot of swearing and sex, at least in the pilot episode, but that didn't bother me. I'm no prude by any means, but at age 56 I've just come to a point where gratuitous sex doesn't grab me, and I'll often find myself fast-forwarding much of it, but not here. What sex there was was brief, not gratuitous, and served to punctuate a comedic scene to follow, like... ***spoiler alert***
***spoiler alert*** ***spoiler alert*** ***spoiler alert*** . . .
the quick look grandpa gives his son (Don Cheadle) after he comes inside to the end of the his grandchild's play after Don was out banging his son's rival wife in her minivan. It's just brilliant, and I thought it plays very well. Other times, it was used to set up a fourth-wall comedic break, such as Don telling us from the very start to ... never...f&@k...your...ex...wife." Good advice or not? You decide.
I also found the interactions of both grandpa and father with his gender-curious son hilarious, with dad trying valiantly to at least fake positive support despite his own conflicts on that subject. This too was used as a set up for a steamy scene in the restaurant bathroom, enough said.
I also loved how, after layering on its thick frosting of brutal cynicism throughout the entire episode,the last scene has Don almost, but not quite, breaking through to a more human level. It's set up as another fourth-wall break as we see him alone in the bathroom mirror shaving, but instead we see him reaching out to one of his colleagues. but it was the only real moment we see the humane core character break through.
I usually consider it an error to judge a series based only on a first/pilot episode, but reading the 1-star sexually-repressed review, felt I had to chime in. This is an adult show for adult viewers on and adult channel, so if you can't handle it, go watch 'Malcolm in the Middle' or an LDS movie for god's sake, and leave this alone. It was a great show, and I can't wait for more.