I am – Hercules!!
A sitcom about a married artist and mother who decides to stop taking the medication that inhibits her multiple-personality disorder, Showtime’s “The United States of Tara” is the first project from screenwriter Diablo Cody since she won the best original screenplay Oscar for “Juno.” It stars Toni Collette (“The Sixth Sense,” “Little Miss Sunshine”), John Corbett (“Northern Exposure,” “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”), Rosemary DeWitt (“Mad Men,” “Rachel Getting Married”), Brie Larson (“13 Going On 30”), Kier Gilchrist (“The Winner”), Nate Corddray (“The Daily Show,” “Studio 60”) and Patton Oswalt (“The King of Queens,” “Ratatouille”). We meet three of Tara’s alternate personalities during the first four episodes provided for review: 1) “Buck,” rowdy male redneck; 2) “T,” rowdy, sex-crazed teen; and 3) “Alice,” repressed retro homemaker. The personalities come out in reaction to specific kinds of stresses. Are there more inside Tara? The first stories offer no hints. To anticipate the question, Tara has stopped taking her meds because, among other things, they inhibit her sex drive. While the alternative personalities can be a little too broadly drawn and two-dimensional for my taste, there’s a lot to love here, especially among the supporting cast. Larson is cheerable as the teen daughter determined to press prim Alice’s buttons, and I found myself marveling at Corddry as the worldly twentysomething restaurant manager apparently trying to work his way stealthfully into that teen daughter’s pants. I’m just grateful Cody has been afforded 12 half-hours of uncensored Showtime canvas to play with. In one running subplot, Tara’s presumably homosexual son helps out with the local church’s intolerant Halloween haunted house he clearly disdains in an effort to court the handsome preacher’s son. The series’ unusually observant and casually subversive nature is beguiling. While I’m here I should say I’m a big fan of the new seasons of two other pay-cable comedies returning tonight, namely “Secret Diary of a Call Girl” and “Flight of the Conchords.” You’re advised to DVR the lot. USA Today says of “United States of Tara”:

… Collette's performance is, in its own way, a tiny masterpiece. The show is fun as is, but rise to Collette's level, and it could be great. …

The New York Times says:

… Unfortunately for Ms. Collette, the roles of Tara’s children are so deftly written and skillfully played that they undermine her own star turn — Tara has four personalities and is one-dimensional in all of them. Her alters are caricatures, and while grotesque exaggeration may all too often be the case in real life, a drama requires more subtlety. … has a big premise and some wonderful small touches, but strangely, Tara is the least of them.

The Los Angeles Times says:

… while it's generally entertaining, there are times when it seems too obviously invented. … Collette, and the show, is always most interesting when she's just Tara. That is, the person with layers.

The Chicago Tribune says:

… There's a shift in the show's fourth episode; the dialogue is toned down and the characters start to come alive a bit. Cody and Collette, when harnessing their unique and undeniable talents in the direction of spiky, complicated truths, are a compelling combination. If the show keeps heading in the right direction, getting to know the many faces of Tara could be an interesting ride.

The Washington Post says:

… funny, poignant, crazy and sane … Whatever it is, it's fascinating, the television equivalent of the book you can't put down and maybe the jigsaw puzzle you never quite complete. But you keep trying. … Even the continuing characters that don't pop out of Tara are fresh and inventively drawn -- Tara's rueful and patient husband Max, played by easygoing John Corbett; her adolescent daughter Kate (Brie Larson), who struggles with all her might to understand and persevere; and her neo-nerdy teenage son, who has risen to the challenge with endearing maturity. …

The San Francisco Chronicle says:

… brims with great acting, humor and a disarming amount of tenderness. It's one of those series with overabundant potential and early hints of provocative brilliance, but it may take a while to truly arrive. … This is a series that's tackling a difficult subject with humor and warmth, but also from a fresher angle. Who knows, ultimately, how successful the series will be after the 12-episode season, but for fans of quality television, the reward is always in the trying.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:

… succeeds through humor, vivid characters and a stunning performance by Collette … features less self-consciously hip dialogue than "Juno," but it is still a Cody-esque repository of obscure references, including the '80s sitcom "Small Wonder" and this dialogue from Kate: "Sometimes I feel like I'm living in some kind of Lifetime lady tampon movie." …

The Boston Globe says:

… I'm on board with "Tara," but so far mostly for the supporting characters, whose number expands in the coming weeks to include a self-empowered "Vita-self" saleswoman who is overly curious about Tara's disorder. …

The Hollywood Reporter says:

… breaks new ground when it comes to warped dramatic family comedy … Blessed with dazzling acting and the dynamic pen of creator-exec producer Diablo Cody (Oscar winner for "Juno," no one-trick pony) …

Variety says:

… Although it flirts with the preciousness that proved an irritant in the Cody-scripted "Juno," there's an innate sweetness at the show's core that essentially says people become inured to all manner of strangeness in the context of family -- even a woman with four disparate personalities. … whatever the show's modest shortcomings, this is unabashedly a vehicle for a star who brings meaning to the notion of having personality aplenty -- and then some.

"The United States of Tara": 10 p.m. Sunday. Showtime. "Flight of the Conchords": 10 p.m. Sunday. HBO. "Secret Diary of a Call Girl: 10:30 p.m. Sunday. Showtime.

Diablo Cody In Paperback!!

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