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I appreciate some don't like his stand up - I don't know why myself, but humour is subjective. But it's interesting some of those people still love other things like The Office, Extras, Derek, After Life...
I've loved them all, but in different ways. I didn't really enjoy The Office initially, but when you look back it's a brilliant bit of writing. It's subtle, a lot of it, which is why I don't think I initially got the humour. It's weird to say that because now I don't think it's that subtle.
Extras is funny because it's such big stars being self deprecating, which was refreshing at the time. The Les Dennis stuff is incredible. You don't know whether to laugh or cry because it's so near the bone.
I literally did laugh and cry at Derek. After Life I'm not so enamoured with, but I imagine I'll love it in time given what's happened before.
The Golden Globes stuff puncturing the egos of the rich and famous is brilliant too.
Just been watching this with Lawrence Krauss. I'm still agnostic but the logic of both is impeccable.
Trust the process. Trust Phil.
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I genuinely think Ricky Gervais is one of the geniuses of our time on 17:29 - Nov 10 with 1130 views
I genuinely think Ricky Gervais is one of the geniuses of our time on 17:14 - Nov 10 by Funge
I'd forgotten about Paul Kay's character in AL - what the fck was all that about? Woefully misplaced, and appallingly acted, too.
Enjoyed Roisin Conaty and Joe WIlkinson's characters, and Penelope Wilton's character was thoughtfully played - but wow, that Paul Kay character grated so badly.
He's supposed to grate badly. That's the point.
Trust the process. Trust Phil.
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I genuinely think Ricky Gervais is one of the geniuses of our time on 17:31 - Nov 10 with 1128 views
I genuinely think Ricky Gervais is one of the geniuses of our time on 16:54 - Nov 10 by The_Flashing_Smile
Interesting that you guys who actually deal with this in real life get it. The offended (who don't have direct experience) might want to reflect on that.
I should probably point out at this juncture that I have a cousin with noonan syndrome (similar to Downs).
I can see why some people might not like it. To me, his performance showed he must have really dived deep into that character and I respect his desire to get it right. I thought he nailed the mannerisms perfectly.
Other opinions are available though. Each to their own.
I genuinely think Ricky Gervais is one of the geniuses of our time on 17:18 - Nov 10 by NewcyBlue
Here’s something for you.
MrsN was looking over Michael when he was on the Special Care Baby Unit and noticed that he has a singular palmar crease. This is a sign of downs syndrome.
Rather than mention it to me, she requested a consultant. As a midwife, she knows the signs to look for. The consultant came along to do an assessment. No other signs were found, he then asked whether the father (me) has this too.
Sure enough I do. On my left hand, the same as Michael. So does Seb.
It’s pretty rare according to the consultant.
This is a scary thing. We had a similar thing with my cousin, and she DID have it. it's been a massive struggle for my auntie (especially as my uncle died of a heart attack last year). What has this got to do with Ricky Gervais' comedy?
Trust the process. Trust Phil.
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I genuinely think Ricky Gervais is one of the geniuses of our time on 17:35 - Nov 10 with 1117 views
I genuinely think Ricky Gervais is one of the geniuses of our time on 17:31 - Nov 10 by J2BLUE
I can see why some people might not like it. To me, his performance showed he must have really dived deep into that character and I respect his desire to get it right. I thought he nailed the mannerisms perfectly.
Other opinions are available though. Each to their own.
Indeed. And I haven't suggested otherwise.
Trust the process. Trust Phil.
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I genuinely think Ricky Gervais is one of the geniuses of our time on 17:36 - Nov 10 with 1117 views
I genuinely think Ricky Gervais is one of the geniuses of our time on 17:29 - Nov 10 by The_Flashing_Smile
He's supposed to grate badly. That's the point.
It wasn't just that it grated though, it was a sh1t character, played with zero subtlety at all. It was an unnecessary blight on an otherwise decent programme.
I was born underwater, I dried out in the sun.
I started humping volcanoes baby, when I was too young.
I was late arriving to the After Life party, but I have to say Gervais scripts the humour so well, like he does in all his writing. However, he balances it with the seriousness of depression his character is dealing with, after a couple of episodes I found I was emotionally absorbed, but as you say comedy is subjective. I just ended up binge watching series 1 on Netflix, quickly followed by series 2.
I genuinely think Ricky Gervais is one of the geniuses of our time on 17:29 - Nov 10 by The_Flashing_Smile
He's supposed to grate badly. That's the point.
No, it's not that the character was unpleasant/ odious etc, that he 'grated' against my sensibilities - it's that he grated in terms of his positioning within the script, and the wider show.
You've got, by and large, this interesting assessment of the impact of grief within AL, how it affects an individual, and their perception and interaction with the world, and the individuals around them - all stuff that I enjoyed within AL (a show that, in the main was pretty good) - and then Paul Kay's character just dumped in the middle, like someone had decided it would be good to give Dapper Laughs a cameo.
It made no sense; it grated within the remit of the show as a whole.
I have to say I was extremely concerned about Derek when I saw it advertised being a RG fan and really wasn't sure how I would take it.
However, I think it is up there with one of the most thought provoking things I have seen. Topics covered including the treatment of old people, treatment of lower paid workers, family relationships, death, alcoholism and general humanity. All these seen through the eyes of someone with no learned discriminations, who is allowed to voice his thoughts and reason which often reflect on the negatives of the vast majority of us and the world we live in. I found some of it very powerful, much like talking to my 6 year old about 'big' matters that he has seen on the news and doesn't understand.
I am a big fan of shows where you invest in the characters and I cried as much as laughed through Derek and took away so much more than I have from many other things that I have invested my time in.
I'll say again, I was very apprehensive and can understand the feelings of some but would also argue you can't really make a view on one episode of anything and would recommend giving it a go. Each to there own though as I've never seen a single minute of GOT
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I genuinely think Ricky Gervais is one of the geniuses of our time on 18:11 - Nov 10 with 1042 views
I genuinely think Ricky Gervais is one of the geniuses of our time on 17:00 - Nov 10 by footers
I just feel that there is no room for it in this day and age when we should be promoting actors with learning difficulties or other disabilities to play roles themselves. If Gervais felt strongly enough about it, I'm sure he could have cast himself in another role instead.
But it just feels a bit 'blackface' to me.
Fair enough, I'm not really sure myself, blackface was steeped in prejudice and racial slur, but I'm on the fence a bit about the general concept of x should only be portrayed by x, not y. Kind of similar to cultural appropriation, I'm not sure how I feel about it. It's hard to know where the line should be.
I loved his XFM days and podcasts - they got me through a lot. They are fabulous. The Office was brilliant. Derek was fine, but it sat a bit uneasy with me. Afterlife was ok - a bit ham-fisted. Extras was great. Life's Too Short was terrible. His films were pretty poor. His stand up is hit and miss.
I agree with a lot of his main points, and he was nice enough to retweet me a few times, but I think he's probably a bit of a pri*k. He is pretty horrible to people at times and very mean to people who don't share his point of view.
He has a habit of falling into traps of 'easy' shock comedy, a bit like Frankie Boyle used to. I can completely see why people don't like him, or only like some parts of his work.
I don't know why the OP feels it needs to be all or nothing, or has to add the undertones of smugness, but TWTD posts are subjective.
I definitely agree that he did his best work with SM though.
[Post edited 10 Nov 2020 18:29]
Who said: "Colin Healy made Cesc Fabregas look like Colin Healy"? | We miss you TLA
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I genuinely think Ricky Gervais is one of the geniuses of our time on 18:24 - Nov 10 with 995 views
I genuinely think Ricky Gervais is one of the geniuses of our time on 18:23 - Nov 10 by Swailsey
But to get back on track, IMO:
I loved his XFM days and podcasts - they got me through a lot. They are fabulous. The Office was brilliant. Derek was fine, but it sat a bit uneasy with me. Afterlife was ok - a bit ham-fisted. Extras was great. Life's Too Short was terrible. His films were pretty poor. His stand up is hit and miss.
I agree with a lot of his main points, and he was nice enough to retweet me a few times, but I think he's probably a bit of a pri*k. He is pretty horrible to people at times and very mean to people who don't share his point of view.
He has a habit of falling into traps of 'easy' shock comedy, a bit like Frankie Boyle used to. I can completely see why people don't like him, or only like some parts of his work.
I don't know why the OP feels it needs to be all or nothing, or has to add the undertones of smugness, but TWTD posts are subjective.
I definitely agree that he did his best work with SM though.
[Post edited 10 Nov 2020 18:29]
The Office is a genuine British TV classic. Extras was well done and still very watchable, excellent finale.
The rest of his work I'm not really a fan of. And you're dead on with his antics on social media as well.
footers KC - Prosecution Barrister - Friend to all
I genuinely think Ricky Gervais is one of the geniuses of our time on 17:33 - Nov 10 by The_Flashing_Smile
This is a scary thing. We had a similar thing with my cousin, and she DID have it. it's been a massive struggle for my auntie (especially as my uncle died of a heart attack last year). What has this got to do with Ricky Gervais' comedy?
You mentioned Down’s syndrome. It’s just a little story and we have some commonality there.
It’s really quite an interesting thing, certainly more so than Ricky Gervais....
Reading down this thread has reminded me of the fact that Ricky Gervais has done a heck of a lot of different things in the 20 years since the Office started. He seems to do 2 years of something then move on (like his mate Bowie?), not afraid to ditch an established hit series and start from scratch again. Intersperse this with podcasts, books, stand-up tours, Hollywood movies, Awards ceremony compering and 'mentoring' the accidental hero, Karl. Even if I didn't like most that he's done I'd still be impressed by the work-rate & constant reinvention.
He could have done like most other comedians and just done a national stand-up tour every 3 years, flog a Christmas DVD and put his feet up on the panel show gravy train, but he didn't.
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I genuinely think Ricky Gervais is one of the geniuses of our time on 19:57 - Nov 10 with 852 views
I genuinely think Ricky Gervais is one of the geniuses of our time on 17:41 - Nov 10 by Funge
No, it's not that the character was unpleasant/ odious etc, that he 'grated' against my sensibilities - it's that he grated in terms of his positioning within the script, and the wider show.
You've got, by and large, this interesting assessment of the impact of grief within AL, how it affects an individual, and their perception and interaction with the world, and the individuals around them - all stuff that I enjoyed within AL (a show that, in the main was pretty good) - and then Paul Kay's character just dumped in the middle, like someone had decided it would be good to give Dapper Laughs a cameo.
It made no sense; it grated within the remit of the show as a whole.
It was, mainly, sh1t.
Yep, it was as subtle as a sledgehammer and just added nothing but cheap gags to what could have ben a very good programme.
It was like he didn't trust the programme to be good enough so wanted to chuck in a character to keep the easily bored engaged - you couldn't imagine a character so bad being in The Office, and being in it every episode - the freak show characters there came and went because that is what happens in real life - the bloke would just go to a different councillor in real life.
It was like a Mrs Browns Boy character, - don't get me wrong I can watch back the outtakes ad find myself laughing like a drain at him.....but that's not what I felt when I watched the programme and know I'm not alone in that
I genuinely think Ricky Gervais is one of the geniuses of our time on 16:54 - Nov 10 by The_Flashing_Smile
Interesting that you guys who actually deal with this in real life get it. The offended (who don't have direct experience) might want to reflect on that.
I should probably point out at this juncture that I have a cousin with noonan syndrome (similar to Downs).
I would say to that, that you don't have a fecking clue who knows who in real life or who gets what you rude tw*t.
You really are a clueless arse half the time.
It might help if for once you actually reflected on that.
I genuinely think Ricky Gervais is one of the geniuses of our time on 17:06 - Nov 10 by The_Flashing_Smile
What have I been arrogant about? I genuinely have no idea.
"Interesting that you guys who actually deal with this in real life get it. The offended (who don't have direct experience) might want to reflect on that."
I genuinely think Ricky Gervais is one of the geniuses of our time on 18:16 - Nov 10 by SouperJim
Fair enough, I'm not really sure myself, blackface was steeped in prejudice and racial slur, but I'm on the fence a bit about the general concept of x should only be portrayed by x, not y. Kind of similar to cultural appropriation, I'm not sure how I feel about it. It's hard to know where the line should be.
To me it felt insincere because of his other work and how much of it involves mocking people more unfortunate than himself.
It's difficult to then accept him in that type of role.
I would have taken a more serious actor more, well, seriously.
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