Review (PDF) Pretty, Pretty, Pretty Good: Larry David And The Making Of Seinfeld And Curb Your Enthusiasm
?As a comedian, then producer of Seinfeld, and now the creator and star of Curb Your Enthusiasm, Larry David has a fanatical following. In his early stand-up days, if he walked on stage and didn’t like the crowd, he would walk off. Together with Jerry Seinfeld, he pitched NBC on a sitcom where nothing happens. A whole show could be about waiting in line at a Chinese restaurant. And somehow Seinfeld became the most successful comedy show of all time. After nine years of writing and producing Seinfeld, and after making a huge amount of money, Larry David began to create a new show for HBO. Without much separation between himself and the character he plays, Curb follows the daily routines of Larry David. Being politically correct is far from Larry’s mind, and the audience cringes as he berates, torments, and blusters his way into the hearts of TV watchers. Follow the early exploits of Larry’s stand-up career, his days writing for Seinfeld, and learn how Curb was conceived and developed. Pretty, Pretty, Pretty Good – titled after Larry’s key catchphrase – also explores Larry’s on- and off-screen relationships with famous pals like Richard Lewis, Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen, and the cast of Seinfeld, and contains an in-depth episode guide to Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Paperback: 289 pages
Publisher: ECW Press (July 30, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1550229478
ISBN-13: 978-1550229479
Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 0.8 x 8.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #764,134 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #335 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Television > Guides & Reviews #680 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Television > Shows #882 in Books > Arts & Photography > Performing Arts > Theater > Acting & Auditioning
"Pretty, Pretty, Pretty Good: Larry David and the Making of Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm" is an utter waste of time.Why anyone would write a book about Larry David without any comedic or humorous depictions is ridiculous. It's like writing a book about sex and talking about friendship the entire book.This book is overly academic, annoyingly pedantic and bore you to death vapid. I feel completely duped.DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY OR TIME on this drivel.Josh Levine never interviewed or even spoke to Larry David in writing this book. He waxes speculatively the entire book.Furthermore, I'm a huge Larry, Curb, and Seinfeld fan so know my stuff. Ninety-nine (99%) of the information in this book Josh took from the interviews on the Seinfeld Complete Set DVD. The DVD comes with extra back stories from Castle Rock and NBC executives, as well as cast interviews. And it's available for purchase in DVD form and is free on YouTube.I wasted my money and time on this book, but I hope you don't!
This is one of the most disappointing books I've ever read. I am a huge fan of Larry David and was really looking forward to getting some insight into his work and life. I was sadly mistaken in thinking I would find it in this book.As another reviewer noted, Mr. Levine did not have access to Larry David or any other interview source for this book. ALL of the information comes from previously published articles (and some of them are from real gems - the Ottawa Citizen and the Kitchener Waterloo Free Press, etc...Not exactly the pinnacle of entertainment writing). If you want to learn about Larry David, save your money and just do a thorough Google search - you will probably learn more than you would by reading this book. In all honesty, anyone with internet access and a library card could have written it.Exacerbating the lack of source material is the fact that Mr. Levine fails to provide any analysis of the events in Larry's life. His decision to leave Seinfeld (one of the most successful TV shows ever) is summed up in two lines. Events are glossed over or summarized with no detail or insight. This is what I find most insulting about the book: why did Josh Levine think he was qualified to write this? He knows no more about Larry David than I or any other committed fan does, and has no more access to Larry or his colleagues.The writing itself is awkward and inelegant.Finally, I was appalled to note that this book was supported by both provincial and federal funding agencies. As far as I'm aware, Canadian arts funding is supposed to promote Canadian art. This is a sub-par, superficial, poorly written book about an American celebrity. Why on earth are Canadian taxpayers subsiding Mr. Levine? It's shameful.As someone else said, save your time and money and don't bother reading this.
First half or so provided some interesting reading about Larry David. The balance of the book consists of summaries of each episode of Curb; although a fun walk down memory lane, more focus on Larry David and less on summarizing the episodes would have been appreciated
Having seen every episode of Curb, and Seinfeld, there was not a lot new for me. It is arranged in chapters, some quite short, which go over the plots with some behind the scenes action of each episode. For the real fans of Larry David this book will be enjoyable.Hope there is a new season of Curb real soon. Hope Suzie still has her psycho foul mouth!
Entertaining, but don't believe everything you read in this book about Larry.Some is accurate, but some is definitely inferred by the author.
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