Sunday, August 9, 2009

Review of Hung (HBO Original Series)

Given their track record of groundbreaking series, excitement usually surrounds each upcoming HBO Original Series. The same held true when the advertising campaign for Hung began: a series produced by Alexander Payne (best known for his dark comedies Sideways, Election, and About Schmidt) and starring Thomas Jane (the Aaron Eckhardt look-alike who shifts between indie films like Stander, fighting Mist, and trying to punish John Travolta) chronicling the beginnings of a male prostitute could only lead to uncomfortable comedic gold. But, not so…

Unfortunately, Hung comes at the heels of a string of popular series with the same overarching premise: extenuating financial and personal circumstances force a recognizable ‘everyday American’ to illegal activity. But, unlike Weeds and Breaking Bad (the former revolving around a suburban widow who sells pot and the latter a science teacher who starts a meth lab) this new series strikes a little too close to home. Hung leaves the viewer too uncomfortable: instead of focusing on the humorous ineptitude of the characters, as in Weeds, Payne and his creative team seem to take Ray’s desperation too seriously. This is Payne’s gift and curse: he has mastered the creation of discomfortingly identifiable character composites, but relies on the audience’s own discomfort and recognition of each moment for comedy. The issue with Hung is that in attempting to capture the current emotional response to our collective economic woes, Payne’s commentary is too heartfelt to laugh at the absurdity of the show’s premise.

Perhaps this problem touches on a grander issue with television and film: the audience expects escapism and entrance into a fantasy, even with the most topical content. Even with Weeds, Nancy Botwin surrounds herself with a who’s who of stoned nitwits to great comedic effect: instead of addressing her larger economic and personal issues, Weeds focuses on soap-opera level hilarity and minutia. Hung falls too heavily into our era’s sad reality, a fantasy no unemployed American wants to enter on a Sunday night before their workless week. Indeed, the characters of Hung are immediately recognizable, but not nearly silly enough despite Ray’s newfound occupation.

Now, do not think that I wish the show were an endless parade of dick jokes and dirty humor. I simply wish the creators more fully considered the contradiction of a serious topical drama revolving around a giant penis: episode two displays Anne Heche’s parenting troubles and hints at the delicacy of Ray’s teaching job, but ends with the a song declaring “my dick is bigger than your dick” playing over the credits. Perhaps Hung will hit its stride now that Ray has accepted his fate, but the episodes establishing the premise were painful.

Episodes 1-5: 39/100

Final note: the second episode included my sole favorite moment of the series, though it has nothing to do with Hung. Jane guested on famed comedy series Arrested Development as himself researching a role as a homeless man. At one point in AD he dramatically exclaims, “I just want my kids back,” while preparing to work on a model home. Early in episode two, Jane repeats this line exactly when Tanya petitions him to have sex with her contact. But, this time he is serious…

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