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Paxton!! Sevigney!! Seyfried!! HBO Launches Its Big Bigamy Bigness BIG LOVE!!
SPOILER ALERT !!
I am – Hercules!!
It’s an hourlong about a Salt Lake City man who illegally maintains three wives and three families in three suburban houses right next to each other!
What a cast! Bill “He’s Hicks” Paxton! The “Big Love” wives are played by early-‘90s It-Girl Jeanne Tripplehorn (“The Firm,” “Waterworld”), “Broken Flowers” star Chloe Sevigney and Ginnifer Goodwin, perhaps best remembered as Warren Cheswick’s pal Diane on “Ed.” Amanda Seyfried (the ghost of Lily Kane on “Veronica Mars”) plays the teen daughter. Daveigh Chase (the ghost of Samara Morgan in “The Ring”) plays another daughter. Throw in Harry Dean Stanton, Bruce Dern, Mary Kay Place and “Cabin Boy” ingenue Melora Walters!
Variety says:
… captivating … As with HBO's best dramas, "Big Love's" point of differentiation from broadcast TV isn't defined by its graphic sex scenes. Rather, what's unusual is how the show allows these relationships to unfold so assiduously, fostering curiosity …
The Hollywood Reporter says:
… boasts more than a few terrific performances, and yet it is surprisingly mellow, nearly devoid of the kinds of dramatic moments that resonate after the final credits roll. … It's hard to single out exceptional performances in a cast that works so well together, but it would be unfair not to cite the work of Paxton, Tripplehorn, Goodwin, Stanton and Zabriskie. The characters they and the others create, even more than the stories that are told, make this a rewarding show to watch. …
USA Today gives it two stars (out of four) and says:
There are shows that just never surmount that "why should I care" barrier. … From what I can tell, the goal of Love is to prove that life can be just as mundane, colorless and boring with three spouses as it can with one or none. Mission accomplished. …
Entertainment Weekly says:
… Together, they have seven kids, a strict Bill-sharing schedule, and cult leader Roman (a phenomenal Harry Dean Stanton) menacing them — and giving us a keen villain. So deeply do we buy in that when one character later refers to ''antipolygamist crazies,'' it takes a beat to realize that's us. …
The Washington Post says:
… Even after watching the first few episodes of "Big Love," it's not an easy task to figure out where the thing is going, but it is intriguing watching it go there. … It finds considerable irony in the common experiences that this uncommon clan shares with other, "normal" families. …does immerse you in this strange world and give you a palpable sense of what it might be like. Beyond that, though, the series, at least so far, seems insufficiently compelling -- it's full of the kind of explicit sex, sex-talk and backside nudity (Paxton probably spent weeks at the gym preparing for the role) that let you know you're watching pay-cable but fails to present as absorbing a vision of this alter-world as one would like. …
The New York Times says:
… hard to take at first. Three beautiful women who live in adjacent houses and compete for one man's affections is not an entertaining fantasy for most women. And the jokes about it are in their own way just as irritating. The gag in the first episode is that three wives are more of a burden than a pleasure. … "Big Love" gets better and more compelling, once the plot thickens and the wives' personalities and conflicts take deeper form. … "Big Love" is funny, but the joke is mostly on women: less sex and more laundry.
The Los Angeles Times says:
… ultimately, it doesn't cohere or quite convince. And notwithstanding a bit of pro forma prayer, over dinner or over hunting rifles, no one here seems authentically religious. The series feels written from the outside. … The main problem is Paxton, or rather Paxton's character, who, though he expends a lot of energy, remains a cipher. As the center around which all revolves, he's primarily reactive, and nearly everyone in his orbit is more interesting and stronger than he is. He's been given no inner life to speak of, and scarcely an outer one — apart from the Home Depot-style hardware stores he owns and loves, it's hard to say what matters to him or what he thinks about. …
The Chicago Tribune says:
… How much time do you really want to spend with a nice guy dealing with triple the bills, triple the kids and triple the stress? By the end of the five episodes HBO sent for review, one's interest in the tangled future of this offbeat clan may be piqued, but be forewarned, it takes a while -- and there are a lot of petty spats and crying kids -- before one gets to that point. …
Finally, Coaxial spy “Bungion Boy” contributed this review about a month ago:
Hey Herc. Bungion Boy here, making the jump from cinema to the coaxial
to
bring you some reviews of a new, highly anticipated show from HBO,
“Big
Love,” which premiers on March 12th. Highly anticipated may be a bit
of a
stretch, but I think that most anything HBO does these days is met with
high
expectations, due to their track record. I recently got to see the
first
four episodes of this series, and what I saw made me want to see a
fifth.
Some spoilers follow.
The whole dynamic of the show suggests that HBO is trying to fill the
gap
left by the departure of “Six Feet Under.” Like that show, “Big Love”
is a
family drama about an unconventional family or in an unconventional
environment. I thought “Six Feet Under” started with one of the best
first
seasons I had ever seen for any show, but every year after that it
deteriorated a little, until it finally ended with a fizzle and a
portrayal
of a family who was no longer just south of ordinary, but rather one
that
only had over-the-top things happen to them. “Big Love,” I feel, is
already
better than what “SFU” had become, but of course there is no assurance
that
it won’t soon run out of ideas like its predecessor. But while I
really
didn't care during the last two seasons of “SFU,” I really hope this
doesn’t.
The ad campaign for this has made clear what the show is about, but has
been
vague on details. Bill Paxton plays Bill Henrickson, and he’s a
polygamist,
not a Mormon, but of course comparisons are inevitable. He grew up in
a
dusty commune with his country bumpkin parents (and I believe there
were
just the two of them), but he managed to escape that and start life in
the
city, as the owner of a successful hardware store that’s in the process
of
becoming a chain. Bill lives with his three wives, in three separate
houses
that are next to each other on a street in a suburb. He considers
himself
to be incredibly lucky to have such a wonderful deal, but also feels
the
stress of marriage three times over, and early on struggles with
impotency
and experimentation with Viagra. His first wife, Barb, is played by
Jeanne
Tripplehorn, who in the past I have occasionally liked and often
couldn’t
stand, but in this she’s really quite good and likable as the oldest,
and
therefore most take-charge of the wives. Chloe Sevigny is Nicki, wife
#2,
who when we first see her is fighting an addiction to ordering from
catalogues, (there’s a vice that you don’t see shamed enough on TV),
and is
also from the same commune as Bill and has recently been longing to go
back
to that simple life. And the adorable Ginnifer Goodwin plays Margene,
the
newest and youngest wife, who has just had a couple of babies and is
still
getting used to a situation and responsibility that she feels she might
not
quite be ready for. She also feels that she’s not getting enough say
among
the other wives and is treated like another child, while Barb and Nicky
feel
a little threatened by her, as the youngest and sexiest wife of the
bunch.
Bill alternates between their beds, spending the night with one and
then
starting fresh with another the next morning. All three of the wives
have
given Bill several kids, most prominent is Amanda Seyfried, (from
“Veronica
Mars” and “Mean Girls,) who is coping with trying to be a normal teen
with
normal friends, while trying to hide the family’s secret.
Most of the drama around the show looks like it will be centered around
the
fact that what these people are doing is illegal, and how they will go
about
protecting each other and not getting found out, while still doing all
the
normal things that families do. The first few episodes I saw focused
on
Bill going back to see his family after his brother ( a very good Shawn
Doyle who is paired with the always interesting Melora Walters), calls
to
tell him his father (Bruce Dern) is very sick. When he gets there he
starts
getting suspicions that his own mother, (a scene stealing Grace
Zabriskie)
is poisoning him. Bill also has to deal with the head on the commune,
played to perfection by Harry Dean Stanton as a tame, religious Tony
Soprano
who is driven around in a giant Hummer. Stanton is one of the unnamed
investors on Bill’s hardware store and wants a piece of the profits
when
Bill plans to open more stores. Stanton is totally creepy and cool, as
a
character who is rumored to have had about 50 wives, and whose newest
wife
is about 14 years old. Seeing the two of them together is both
disturbing
and fascinating, if only because of the Lynchian tones Stanton is able
to
bring to his character.
Overall I thought the show was pretty great and well worth watching. I
believe it’s airing opposite “Desperate Housewives,” and probably
panders to
much of the same audience, but this is much better, richer, and more
interesting. Paxton is perfect as the patriarch of the household.
He’s
funny but also warm and believable as this man who has to be in control
of
all aspects of his life, otherwise it could all fall apart. All three
women
are also great, with good chemistry and scenes together, although I
sometimes tired of Sevigny’s whining and complaining, which she does a
lot
of. Goodwin was probably my favorite of the three, and the most
interesting
in watching deal with all the complications one would encounter in this
situation, since the other two women are very settled into their roles
as
co-wives. All the supporting cast, more people than I can begin to
mention
are great too, and I look forward to more stories involving them,
including
Bill’s polygamist buddy and his three wives, Nicki’s mother, played by
Mary
Kay Place, and Bill’s daughter’s new friend who is strongly opposed to
polygamy, played by Tina Majorino.
There are characters and situations that will appeal to almost every
demographic, so I’m hoping this becomes a big hit for HBO. I haven’t
heard
much yet in regards to protests of this show, probably from Mormons,
but HBO
seems to avoid controversy better than other networks, and seems to be
one
step ahead this time with a disclaimer before each show specifically
declaring that the characters are not Mormon. I really hope there
isn’t too
much protest because that sort of thing is really getting out of hand.
Last
month NBC premiered “The Book of Daniel,” which was not a great show,
but
deserved a better chance than what it got. If any of the people who
spoke
out against the show had bothered to watch it, they would have seen a
show
about a good priest who loves his family and “prays” to Jesus. Sounds
fine
to me. Oh wait. That’s right. He loves his gay son in addition to
his
family. Sadly the people behind the outcries of the show were never
identified as the homophobic assholes they were. Well “Big Love” is a
much
better show and I hope it has a much longer future ahead. No reason
why it
shouldn’t. Does anyone in Utah even subscribe to HBO? I kid because I
love.
10 p.m. Sunday. HBO.
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+ Expand All
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those are the first and only things that popped into my head.
-
I'll be sure to check this out. However since I live in the UK, I'll have to resort to "trans-atlantic cable" to view this.
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At this point in her career, I believe Ginifer Goodwin is best known as Johnny Cash's wife in Walk the Line.
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Some have said by episodes 3 or 4 it gets very compelling. Also it will air fairly soon on five in the UK, so you won't have long to wait if you can be bothered to.
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HBO certainly has a penchant for the wierd and Big Love certainly looks interesting - but I'd still rather have the final season of Carnivale.
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I wish they'd named the character Chet. Let's just hope there's plenty of nudity in this show.
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including tripplehorn getting anger fucked and Sevigney sucking cock. All I know Goodwin from is Walk The Line, so bitching wife is all I know of her, no provocative sex scenes
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...a wet paper sack. She's the least talented hanger on in Hollywood I've ever seen. The fact that she had to resort to blowing a guy to get attention for her career speaks volumes. Just jump straight to porn, sweetie.
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... are they using the Pixies "GIGANTIC " as a theme song? : "Gigantic... Gigantic... Gigantic... A Big Big Love."
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Fuck Tom Hanks.
-
...our entertainment will reflect it. This seems a step in that direction. It's only a matter of time before we see a movie/show about a bunch of people screwing each other and everyone knows about it and approves. Just wait until we see this episode of something," Bobs Girlfriend sleeps with Jims boyfriend while Bob is out with his girlfriend's new girlfriend. Meanwhile Kara has sex with Jim and her new boyfriend while Sally makes a date with Kara's boyfriend's wife. Hilarity ensues."
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I find it amazing she's working on such a high profile project after the whole fellatio incident. So now I'm wondering if she was chosen for actual talent or if it's stunt casting. A case against stunt casting is that for all the hubab around The Brown Bunny, she's hardly a household name.
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Are you shitting me? Six Feet Under was the most compelling show on television from Season 1-5. Sheesh. With that out of the way, I do hope that Big Love delivers. The loss of SFU took away the one more "down to earth" drama that HBO had. Hopefully BL can bring some of that magic back. !Viva la HBO!
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Bill Paxton's delivery in Titanic rules.
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That's a double-connect: she was with Jeanne Tripplehorn in "Waterworld" and Amanda Seyfried in "Veronica Mars."
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wait....
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I wasn't particularly impressed. I like feeling like a show has a point, and so far, i'm not getting that from this.
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So that was nice.
-
..or Mormons, or cult-ists, or whatever the hell they are. Anyway, they've got my attention.
-
was as good as anything in Season 1. That aside, I can't say I thought much of Episode 1, but will give it another 4-5 to see where it takes us. (And I'm VERY much looking forward to Deadwood-The Wire back-to-back later this year.)
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The show stinks
-
maybe it was the psychological breaking point when you felt investing the next 26 minutes wouldn't be worth it.
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but she can't act worth a damn.
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Moving on to the Flava Flav and the Flavor of Love!!!
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Gimmick aside, why would I want to watch a show dealing with the stress of family life. It just kind of bored me. I guess it's a chick show. I'll give it a few more chances since it's HBO, but I don't think this one will grab me. If it weren't for the pologamy, this would be the most boring, depressing, WTF show on TV. What's next, a show about someone going to the office and sitting in a cubicle all day? Oh and the crazy mother trying to kill the father, it was so telegraphed and I simply had no interest in it. Cancelling Carnivale is now showing itself to be a bigger mistake than was originally evident.
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What exactly happened with the Sevigney BJ issue? Was this her character doing this, or did she pull a Paris Hilton and release her own best of clip on the web?
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Chloe did a bad film called Brown Bunny by ex-boyfriend/fauxteur Vincent Gallo. she does a scene where her character blows his character. and to show this, she actually blew him on camera. it's interesting that on The View on Wednesday one of the women asked Chloe about it (from out of nowhere) and she and Bill Paxton got more than a little upset. the west coast didn't get to see the question asked or the reaction.
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Saw 3 episodes a bit back...it was trite, bland and silly. The people from the compound are laughably Deliverance like.
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Wish I'd seen it. I hope it was Star.
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third story down. turns out it was Joy Behar.
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Thanks, HypeEndsHere!
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Then I might have to stick around
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needs another viewing,especially after the blowjob story!!nice!!...i'll give it a chance,even though Deadwood Season 3 got pushed back to June(fucking HBO cocksuckers)...Also,why the fuck is Deadwood Season 2 dvd not being released in the States until May when it's already out in the U.K. and Australia????
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I mean, really, how did he get *one* wife?
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What a snoozefest.
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He was fantastic in frailty and who can forget his scared shitless performance in Aliens , not to mention his star turns in Inner Space and Enemy Mine..oh hang on.
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Bill Paxton can never top Chet. Deal with it.
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This show is further evidence of how too many people use their made-up beliefs to justify their actions. I personally don't care if people choose to practice polygamy, just don't claim that it's 'god's will.' What bullshit.
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My eyes lit up when I saw Tina Majorino share the screen with Amanda, especially in that waitress outfit with the name "Deb's" on it! Wow. Anyway, ep was alright except it didn't feel like it had a direction. Ginnifer Goodwin was definately my fav wife. Chloe Sevigny's character was too annoying. Also Samara Darko was quite strange, wonder where they are going with her. I too wish people wouldn't do stupid things in the name of religion.
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Ginnifer Goodwin is yummy. I'd watch her do laundry all day long if I could.
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My first FIRST and SECOND tarnished by seeing Seyfried as Seyfield. I always saw it that way. Maybe it's just a large scale conspiracy to make me look stupid. More likely Im an idiot! Luckily this TB is so quiet otherwise I would have been flamed insanely. P.S. cromulent, true dat!
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Or was she a slurp n swallow kinda gal?
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