In this age where success is the morning and evening star, and standards of personal perfection rise faster than the Dow, I find it deeply touching that the talented and versatile Julie Brown has created a show for all of us who ever felt like life is trying to scrape us off its shoes.
Of course I'm referring to Comedy Central's new series: Strip Mall.
Unlike some of her other efforts, Julie made this an ensemble work. It's a wise move for a woman whose comedic nuances have been compared to vocal shadings of King Kong. Thus, where she might otherwise fade into the background, she has an outstanding cast who show her to her best advantage.
For instance, the Chinese restaurant owner, a broad, tough middle-aged lesbian whose sexy young lover/waitress constantly provokes her jealousy. (The dialogue is adult, so you may want to treat the kiddies to some subway tokens and shoo them away)
Julie Brown plays former child star Tammy ("It's TiMI!"), who at an early age butchered...well, you'll see. Other characters include: her confidant, a barmaid who opens every conversation with "I have a plate in my head"; a Russian mafia smuggler running a porn factory; Tammy's husband with the world's largest hemmoroid; an unassuming, reluctant porn director and his friend, a late-blooming camera man... I could go on at length.
As a rule, all this would make a show cloyingly rich , like a meal of baklavah and honey milk shakes. But the writing is nimble, and the editing trims the humor to a blur of stinging bantam-weight punches. At first glance it seems like a crude copy of crude shows. Pay attention for five minutes and if you have half a brain you'll discover one of the sharpest and most hilarious parodies you'll ever see.
I recommend it to anyone who likes David and Amy Sedaris, South Park, Strangers with Candy or (Movie buffs) Shakes the Clown. I emphatically do not recommend it to anyone who would admit to seeing Patch Adams.
