Clear History

Goodish comedy. Helps if you like Larry David (as I do). Not great though: uneven and sometimes just silly. However, there are enough hysterical moments and typical Seinfeld/David-isms to keep it going.

Will Haney (Jon Hamm) is making an electric car calling it Howard. The PR manager Nathan Flomm (Larry David) refuses to market the car due to the name and sells back his 10% of the company. The company becomes a giant success and Nathan becomes a laughing stock. Ten years later, he's working on Martha's Vineyard under the name Rolly DaVore and with a different look. Everybody seems to like him but nobody knows his true past. Will shows up having bought a large property but he doesn't recognize Nathan.

I don't watch Curb although I know Larry David's character. The premise is silly but it does lead to some good poetic justice. Instead of electric cars, I'd do the iPhone. The electric car looks silly in a bad way. Instead of Siri, people would ask Howard. It's a cheaper and funnier joke. After the initial bearded first act, Larry David returns to looking like Larry David. There are some good laughs and there are a lot of A-list actors. At some point, Rolly does get more frustratingly selfish than hilariously stupid. It's a balancing act of me liking or disliking him. For some reason, Will's reveal of wanting to repay him actually make me like him more. At that point, his stupidity is self-destructive and that's funny to me. For Curb's fans, I think this would be a blast. As a Curb non-fan, I like this half of the time and I find it tolerable in the other half.

I'm not a big Larry David/Curb fan, but this movie is very funny, helped by a great cast. JB Smoove and Danny McBride are a riot. Humorous plot and antics. Can't believe the lukewarm reviews, how many good comedies are there?

Not everyone is a raving fan of "Curb Your Enthusiasm." The show is often like watching a root- canal procedure as Larry David's character plunges himself into one unnecessary, painfully embarrassing situation after another. There's some of that in "Clear History," but the character has mellowed. You can understand why people like Rolly, the name of the hard-luck case Larry David plays here. He's irascible, but then the other people in his little community are just as irascible and just as quirky; he fits in well. "Clear History" is a farce, a word that I wouldn't exactly apply to "Curb." It's a sequence of disasters based on carefully timed misunderstandings. The scene where Rolly is on the way to stop one such disaster when he has to pause when he encounters two friends who have just been in a motorcycle accident is priceless. He tell the two friends that he just doesn't have time to help them; the two friends are incredulous and angry, but he's actually right! If you were in his situation, you wouldn't help them and you wouldn't be able to explain either. The crush Rolly develops on Kate Hudson's character is also believable and funny, especially the way it (of course) comes crashing down around him.

The cast is terrific. Watch for Liev Schreiber in an uncredited role.

If you are a Curb Your Enthusiasm fan as I am, you will like this movie. I absolutely love Larry David (hilarious) and Jon Hamm (a feast for your eyes) - and this was definitely an interesting match up. It is nice to see Jon Hamm outside of Mad Men, and Larry David in movies. I knew this was a must-see. There are many star surprises, including Kate Hudson, Michael Keaton, Eva Mendes, and J.B. Smoove. I found the Larry David's character to be very "Curb Your Enthusiasm" - which I find real, honest, and relateable. Perhaps the story line is a bit goofy at times; however, I laughed over and over. If you're looking for a light-hearted laugh fest (and you're a Larry David and Jon Hamm fan)... this is the movie to see!