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Is FX’s THE RICHES Poor Or An Embarrassment Of Wealth??
SPOILER ALERT !!
I am – Hercules!!
It’s an hourlong comedy-drama, from playwright Dmitry Lipkin (“Cranes,” “A Forest of Stone”), about a family of Irish-gypsy grifters who luck into impersonating a wealthy, freshly-killed lawyer and his family.
The American con-men in "The Riches" are assayed by Britishers Eddie Izzard (“Ocean’s 12”) and Minnie Driver (“The Phantom of the Opera”), as well as Shannon Marie Woodward (Tommy Led Jones’ daughter in “Man of the House”) and Noel Fisher (“Agent Cody Banks”).
Driver looks very tall and skinny and hot. Izzard’s accent is all over the place. The con jobs they pull are often not very convincing, which is a real problem. Its “fool the neighbors” premise reminded me again and again of better shows like “Weeds” and “Big Love.” Still, I had little difficulty getting through the three episodes FX sent along, and may even be tempted to check out the fourth now that “Studio 60” is no longer on Monday nights.
But what matters Herc’s opinion?
One of my best-looking friends, actress/model Lorielle, saw it at a screening Saturday night and wrote:
herc
i went to the premier of the riches last night--- and i LOVED it!!
it was really good! and different from anything ild ever seen!
i loved the crazy weird world the created-- and the raw, intense, crazy, weird characters!
eddie izzard and minnie driver were fabulous!! i fell in love with both of them!
and we've only seen the tip of the ice-berg... they have soo many more secrets!
xo
lorielle
Variety says:
… FX's latest -- a blend of "The Grifters," the CW's already-axed "Runaway" and HBO's secrets-behind-closed-doors "Big Love" -- doesn't possess the requisite magic to steal our hearts. … Although not the mess that "Dirt" is, the series is conceptually problematic, and seemingly ill-equipped to go the episodic distance. …
The New York Times says:
… It’s so compelling it deserves to be a hit, generating as much media attention and Internet chatter as “Deadwood,” “Nip/Tuck” or “24.” … has a voice and peculiar style all its own, the comedy always offset by a lurking sense of sadness and menace. …
The Los Angeles Times says:
… does not bear intense scrutiny. … There are more than a few problems here … Because the American dream the Malloys set out to "steal" is conceived here in the narrow terms of stuff and money, they only seem to be trading down and their project makes no sense. For now, they're just another wacky TV family in improbable circumstances getting by on their charm. …
The Chicago Tribune says:
… The dangers for the mostly engrossing “Riches” is that it occasionally hits the “we’re stealing the American Dream” theme a little too hard, and it remains to be seen whether it will coast on the taut, engaging performances of Izzard and Driver. …
The Philadelphia Inquirer says:
… the best new TV show of the 2006-07 season… Rejoice, all you smart, rich, discriminating TV-watchers, crying in your Grey Goose or Glenfiddich since Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip got the hook. …
The San Francisco Chronicle says:
…There is a dizzying array of strange and wonderful dramatic themes and virtuoso performances in the new FX series "The Riches," but your first reaction might be just to stare at it. "The Riches" is both unique and intoxicating -- and plenty more. But first, let's just stare at it, wonderstruck. …
The Miami Herald says:
… funny and intriguing … British comedian Eddie Izzard, best known here for his work as a stand-up comic but a veteran of the London stage, portrays Wayne with amiable swagger, and Minnie Driver (FX likes those Brits; they must work cheap) is saucy but secretly vulnerable as Dahlia. …
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer says:
… vacillates between riveting and middling … Izzard slides around in his non-regional American enunciation, and if you listen closely to it (something you might do if you're familiar with his other work), the flaws can overwhelm the dialogue. … Doug Rich, the man Wayne is impersonating, is in a profession few people, even that kid in "Catch Me If You Can," could believably walk into. He gives it a shot, stumbling through an awkward, stop-and-go interview speech, and what is supposed to be a humorous interlude falls dead. …
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:
… "The Riches" certainly has some rich elements -- there's even a little dark humor, just not enough of it -- but in early episodes, the show remains wobbly as it tries to find its footing. …
USA Today says:
… Created by Dmitry Lipkin, The Riches most often treats this family and their mad attempt to steal a new identity with a delightfully light comic touch bolstered by an underpinning of yearning. And Izzard has the comedy and yearning down pat, with star power to boot, making you root for Wayne even when you know you shouldn't. … The show stumbles whenever it tries to become dark or serious, a problem epitomized by Driver's character and performance. Neither is awful or unsalvageable, but everything about Dahlia does tend to be exaggerated, from the character's drug problems to the actress's accent. Lighter would be better.
TV Guide says:
… results are mixed … When the Malloys trade in their RV for the Riches' gated-community mansion in the ultimate scam, the culture clash is almost as jolting as the show's inconsistent juggling of tones from humor and drama to suburban satire, much of which falls flat. The Riches is intriguing but not exactly compelling. … hard to believe and not much easier to embrace.
10 p.m. Monday. FX
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i went to the premier of the riches last night--- and i LOVED it!!
it was really good! and different from anything ild ever seen!
i loved the crazy weird world the created-- and the raw, intense, crazy, weird characters!
eddie izzard and minnie driver were fabulous!! i fell in love with both of them!
and we've only seen the tip of the ice-berg... they have soo many more secrets!
xo
lorielle
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+ Expand All
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had to do it...
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TASG rules!
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the executive transvestite strikes again
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I meant to have this one up in time but it was so beautiful out here in LA yesterday, I just couldn't force myself to sit and write this one up. The Riches is promising. There's stuff I like and stuff I don't like. The biggest problem to me right now is that the show does little to distinguish itself from the vastly superior Big Love. The Riches have to pretend they're comfortable in a lifestyle that they're clearly not used to. Wayne wants to have a normal family, he wants them to go to school (the premise of Episode 3), he wants to reinvent himself as an upstanding member of the community. He doesn't want to move his family all over the country in an RV, pulling off nickel and dime scams. That's probably what landed his wife in jail in the first place, and he had to raise his kids by himself for 2 yrs. Of course, if any of the wives on Big Love went to jail, at least there's two more for support. The other huge similarity between the shows is that the family has broken off from its much larger tribe. In Big Love, it's Paxton running away from Harry Dead Stanton. Here, it's Izzard running from a guy named Dale, who is not at all convincing as the leader of the Gypsy Travellers, and he's an actor I actually like and have noticed before in some smaller stuff. The character is poorly written and he comes off as plain cruel. Like, why wouldn't all the Gypsies stand up to him and tell him to take a hike, it's not like he founded a movement like Stanton on Big Love. Other gripes- for a show about a family of con artists, no one seems that adept at the art of the con except for maybe Wayne, who is a natural bullshit artist. Even when he scams his way to a job as an in-house lawyer for a $150 million company, fires his predecessor and gets everyone on staff on his side, it's just barely believable, and eventually, Wayne's lack of knowledge about the law is bound to surface and the jig will be up. Izzard is definitely the stand-out of the first three eps, making the series tolerable if not completely watchable. The biggest stumbling block acting wise is Driver, whose character has not yet been clearly defined. She's an addict (lame, recycled development) and an ex-con and a real firecracker. There are times Driver is the best thing about the show, and then others where she is clearly the worst, sticking out like a sore thumb. The kids aren't very good either, though the daughter is the best of the bunch. In episode 3, the boys have their moments, but they are pretty much wasted in the first two. The cross-dressing kid with gender identity issues is a relatively fresh idea but I don't know how that will play out, especially as he has to make a choice starting with episode 4 as to whether he'll live the con as a boy buffer or a girl buffer. I didn't necessarily like the family's contempt for normal America, calling non-Grifters, "buffers." I just don't see what the point is. Do they want to be a normal family, or are they normal already, and of course, what does "normal" mean anyway? I like the family dynamic and the Izzard/Driver pairing, but the show isn't jumping off the screen and grabbing me by the nuts just yet. I'll keep watching because FX is the best thing on non-pay cable and the series creator is a playwright, but the writing needs more crackle and pop. Make me believe that Wayne is the best con man in the world like his wife says he is. Picking pockets at a high school reunion, and stealing RV's and housewife super-pills isn't really impressing me. I do like that the kids really feel self-taught, since they haven't had proper schooling. I'm not getting the mother-children dynamic, as only the daughter seems to resent her mother for getting caught and disappearing for 2 years. In that respect, both sons need some work. There's still some fleshing out to do but the 3 episodes previewed were definitely intriguing and I suspect I'll keep watching until it really loses my interest. I reccomend checking out the pilot tonight and if you dig the vibe Izzard is throwing out, stick with it because the next two episodes pick it up a bit. Feel free to email me at mirajeff@aintitcool.com too. Look for my review of I Think I Love My Wife, coming to the site soon. 'Til next time, this is MiraJeff signing off...
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ha ha ha! Yes, my friends, Sorkins folly is no longer tainting my Heroes buzz on Mondays. This show looks promising, even with Minnie's massive noggin. Jesus, the thing looks like an orange on a toothpick!
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"It's the rebels sir, they're here."
"Good God man...Do they want tea?" -
Mar 12, 2007 3:22:48 PM CDT
As a point of parliamentary procedure, Mr Monkeybutt...
by rufus_t_firefly
I dispute you dispersions of Ms. Driver. I, personally, find her to be QUITE hot. In fact, I've had an unhealthy obsession with her since Grosse Pointe Blank.
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I'd do Minnie in a New York Minute!
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Just watch the Cats Meow
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I think the show is absolutely fantastic...
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you get to see EVERYTHING early, god dammit! oh wait...are you god? sorry about the blaphemy stuff...and minnie driver is hot, end of story: http://tinyurl.com/2fwykz(safe for work)
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I'm arranging matches.
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Cake or death?
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You know you would watch that...
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i think i'll check it out.
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If I remember. Most of the time I get engrossed in something else. Like a good 30 year old single malt Scotch and a lovely co-ed who needs better grades...
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Don't know why, just always have, ever since she played the fat chick in that piece of Oirish blarney with Chris O'Donnell (wonder what he's up to these days?). The name of that movie escapes me now. Anyway, Minnie is always good. I might check this out.
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FANTASTIC legs and her accent makes me swoon.
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I was busy watching The Black Donnellys.. It's actually a good show if you give it a chance.
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I'm amazed. The show was excellent. No pandering.
Minnie Driver was anexorially thin. It could be due to her characters addiction.
FX has been on a quality television run the last few years. Even the shows that don't last more than a season are exceptionally good. -
I forced myself to stay up late to watch this and was rewarded. It's very "HBO" and one has to wonder if it wasn't pitched to them first and then turned down in favor of Big Love.
While I've always found Minnie Driver attractive, I was shocked with how gaunt and strung out she looked in the previews. Now knowing that she's a junkie and had been in prison, that makes sense. I would imagine/hope they let her fill out a bit more as the series progresses.
I don't have a problem with Izzard's in-and-out accent, as I can associate that with his Irish-Traveller background.. Kind of reminds me of Hugh Laurie's accent in House, but it's more reminicent of when the Monty Python lads would speak "American" and all sound like southerners.
I have to admit that I was shocked at the number of "shits" and "assholes" that were uttered, as it's just a regular cable show. Definetely a good thing it's on late...
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I hate gypsies. What a bunch of fucked up hillbillies. This show was way more serious than I expected so I found it slightly disappointing but it looks like now that they are establishedin the house the show might become a little more humorous. Eddie Izzard is not believable as a gypsy. Was he supposed to be one? I like the kids. Great actors all of them. I'll watch again since the black donnelys is atrocious.
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I thought the show was really good. Way different than anything else on TV. Sure, it has its faults like all shows, but at the end of the episode I wanted more. I will keep watching to see how things unfold. Also, did anyone catch the Grindhouse specials throughout The Riches premiere? Can't wait to see it. Rose McGowan is freakin' hot and Kurt Russell is a real badass.
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I think it was pretty clearly established that even though he was part of that life through family connections he didn't really feel or want to be a part of them
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I've seen the next few episodes and the show definitely gets a little lighter/more playful in tone. It does still explore some of the heavier themes. Great stuff.
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On EMERGENCY the first time Gage and DeSoto ask for the "jaws of life" Minnie Driver walks up.
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In articles about Izzard that I have read. I have noted two things. He likes his privacy. 2nd There are some, even on this site who will take "transvestism" as hints that he might be gay and will want to go after for that reason. I want to say for the record, that he isnt gay. Hence the privacy which he uses to protect his loved ones. Getting a big career breaker like Late night with....Eddie, will throw a huge spotlight on him and everyone will want to get to know eddie with microscopic attention to detail. Look at what happened to Chevy Chase, one of the biggest comedy stars of the eighties brought down by Tv Talk show. One last thing, Izzard is a control freak. I am not sure whether a team around him will want to work with some one like that. Cause in the us its all about team work. He has always wanted to be an actor from the age of 6. and in the last article i read which was the most revealing one that I read, he told a story that he concocted a plan to meet Chris tarrant in Brimingham and Phoned up tarrants agent to arrange a meeting. Izzard Cycled all the way to Birmingham to the studios where they made OTT, the spin off of Tiswas, Izzard was a huge fan of Tarrant. He got birmingham but never met tarrant. That shows you that even from a early age, the young izzard was ambitious as hell about breaking in to TV and even though he dropped out of college, he would hang around drama types and even ingratiated himself into a group run by sir richard. To learn production side of things and to put his Degree to some use he became a member of the Association of indepent producers and afterward he set Ella Productions and he has had acting agent since 1993. His last show sexie, sold out across five continents. Izzard is a grinder. in that grinded and grafted his way to the top. But live TV, seven nights a weeks, hmmm, I dont know. One thing I do know is this. They should do the following things. First give him the grammys and if it doesnt fly well he can go back to acting. But if it did work, Then the emmys, the tonys(izzard presents in a dress, wow) the golden globes and finally, the Oscars!!!!!!! and I cant think of anyone better. or Gervaise for the baftas. Twould be better than Ross.
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Just curious. Gotta love Skinemax.
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It is not 7 days a week, at most 5, but in reality 4 or even 3, doing multiple shows in one day and showing a rerun. Anyway, I was just saying I would watch it, not that it had any chance of happening. Instead NBC are reaching out to Jimmy Fallon of all people, with Carson Daly as the back up if Fallon doesn't work out.
The thing is you have Letterman on one channel, and then you will have Conan, whose stuff is just an extension of what Letterman pioneered (and Conan will openly admit that) on the other, then it is time for NBC to be as brave as when they gave Letterman the slot after Carson, and have something as different and 'new' to the 11:30 Conan as Letterman was to Carson back in the day.
And that my friends is not Jimmy Fallon... -
As I predicted, I remembered at 10:45. So based on that last quarter, I'm interested. Eddie's accent is way bad, at least in the golf course scene. Hopefully I can catch the rest of this some other time...
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Things must be desperate. The last time fallon hosted anything was the Mtv awards a number of years ago. he wasnt even funny doing that. NBC should crawl to Chris Rock and his team of writers from the chris rock show. hand over a very large sack of cash, even the deeds to Fort knox and get him back on television or dave chapelle.
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You stu-pid bitch.
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I made this forever ago. Enjoy. http://members.cox.net/swilcox32/fark/cunningflags500b.gif
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http://members.cox.net/swilcox32/fark/cunningflags500b.gif
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Take out the space before "32" in the URL.
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nice one, dr lizardo. Eddie is the funniest man in Britain, with Reeves & Mortimer coming in second.
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