The meteoric ascension of Danny McBride continues, after The Foot Fist Way, Tropic Thunder and Pineapple Express, in HBO's "Eastbound & Down." McBride's redneck comic persona is similar to Will Ferrell's arrogant idiot with more desperation and a harder edge. Surely this affinity is what drew Ferrell and his comedy partner, Adam McKay, to McBride in Foot Fist, which they shepherded to festival slots and distribution and more or less franchised in this new series, which just ended its six-episode first season run.In Foot Fist, McBride was an unlikely children's martial arts instructor, dreaming of the big time; in "Eastbound & Down," he's a washed-up big league pitcher forced to return to his southern hometown and become a P.E. coach at the local middle school. The superficial attraction of the series is watching McBride's Kenny Powers, with his shockingly filthy mouth and stadium-sized ego, contend with the diminishment of his life and prospects back home. If you liked Foot Fist and McBride's memorable character in Pineapple, you'll love "Eastbound & Down."
Not all critics do, nor will all audiences, but there is a lot more to this series, as it turns out, that has made the first season such a pleasure. Not just Will Ferrell's recurring character or the talented supporting cast but an unexpected groundedness in real life makes the series something special. What's more, episodes 2-4 were directed by David Gordon Green, one of the best American filmmakers of his generation. Green directed Pineapple Express, but prior to that he was known for deeply-felt portraits of the decaying south, like George Washington and the heartbreakingly romantic All the Real Girls, a work of stunning naturalism and beauty (McBride has a small part in that one, too).
Green's skill and native southern sensibility, sympathy and rhythm lends his episodes, especially, a poetic lyricism amidst the raw humor, boobies and bad behavior. McBride's characters, notably in his work with Foot Fist director and series co-creator, Jody Hill (along with Ben Best), have hinted all along at a greater soulfulness we don't much get to see, obscured as it is by his super-loser antics. Here it's starting to shine through.
1 comment:
You may have surpassed me at the hyperbole game, but perhaps that's hyperbolic. After seeing D.G.G. at his Q&A for George Washington at the Egyptian a year ago, it sure didn't seem like he was the same person, let alone director, that made All the Real Girls. It was by far the most depressing "meet your hero" experience of my life.
Now that's how you do hyperbole. IN YA FACE!
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