Haters Back Off!

This is such a silly show. The awkwardness really cracks me up. If you liked Napoleon Dynamite and all that weirdness, you'd probably like this show too.

"Haters Back Off" isn't amazing, but it isn't horrible either. The acting is really well done and the camera-work keeps you interested, but the show suffers from a lack of purpose or identity. It's labeled on Netflix as a TV Comedy; and, while I admit that there were some parts that gave me a good chuckle (the gay bar scene was gold), I found myself feeling awful or disgusted or pity more than I was laughing. The show feels like a drama, but it feels like a drama that doesn't want to be a drama. Miranda Sings isn't the kind of whoopsie-daisy-I-done-a- bad kind of lovable idiot, but instead is very aware of how she's hurting people which it makes it very uncomfortable to laugh at some of her antics. She ruins the lives of everyone around her and proceeds to push away the only people who could stand to tolerate her behavior. The only semblance of humanity can be found in the characters of Emily, Patrick, and Bethany (at the end of the season to an extent). It's depressing. I felt horrible watching the family rip into poor Emily who doesn't do anything to deserve it. I felt horrible watching Miranda and Uncle Jim team up to bully people. I felt horrible watching the funeral scene. I felt horrible knowing all these people were not only enabling Miranda when she is clearly someone who needs a lot of psychological help, but also abusing her detachment from reality for personal gain (I'm looking at you Uncle Jim and Owen). Yes, a comedy is always welcome to heartfelt episodes that tackle serious subjects every now and then as long as in the end the show is still funny. Sadly, "Haters Back Off" lacks a balance between its serious aspects and its comedy aspects, and that results in a very off-putting viewing experience. You are left to squirm in your seat as you are unsure whether you should laugh at certain scenes, or just feel bad watching them. As another reviewer stated, I too would much rather enjoy a full-blown drama with comedic elements with the exact same cast and story.

After reading the user reviews I didn't hold much hope for this but I must say I was pleasantly surprised, some really funny stuff some not so funny stuff but all in all I enjoyed it. I feel as though it has a somewhat of a Napoleon Dynamite feel to it....though let me add I'm not saying it is on that level but I see some similarities. I'd gives a comedic look at youths today who crave social media attention and how the rest of society makes you aware very quickly how they feel about you. It tries to send a strong message with the comedy aspect, if you want something not to taxing and an easy to watch I'd give it a thumbs up just don't expect to see the greatest thing ever but it will make you giggle.

(This review is based off the first episode of Season 1. If it gets better after that, I would not know)

When I first heard that Miranda Sings was picked up by Netflix, I was very surprised, especially since most people on Youtube went and made Youtube Red shows. So I was wondering what exactly made Haters Back Off different from the other shows based on Youtubers.

Haters Back Off is created by and stars Colleen Ballinger as her famous character Miranda Sings. I'm not a fan of her, but I do know that she's essentially a parody of those overly pretentious cover singer artists that Youtube is full of. Her gimmick is that she wears really bright red lipstick, and sings badly. This show, however, gives her character a little more depth, by adding a quirky dysfunctional family. There's the uncle who is just as crazy as Miranda, her mother who knows Miranda is crazy, but enables her behaviour, and her sane younger sister, who is just trying to live a normal life.

The comedy isn't really my thing, as the humour is based around Miranda being incredibly unlikeable and narcissistic as she pursues her dream of being a star. She is awful, but nobody wants to tell her that, so they let her do whatever she wants to do, with little to no repercussion. The fact that her (in universe) career isn't picking up is ignored by her and her uncle, as a sign that 'everyone else is wrong', hence the title of the show.

One thing this show has over other shows based off Youtubers is the production value. This legit looks like a show on par with many other Netflix Originals. It's something that Youtube Red originals haven't quite replicated, as their shows almost universally have that bland Reality TV look to them. Haters Back Off at the very least has a decent budget and crew behind it. The acting is also really good. Miranda is (debatably) the worst actor, but since she's playing an exaggerated character, that she has done well over and over again, perhaps I'm just reading into it too much. The other actors, who are undoubtedly professionals, play their (much more subtle) roles very well. No complaints there.

So if you're into the character of Miranda Sings, or are interested in a comedy show with a crazy protagonist, give this a shot. For myself, there are other shows I would rather watch.

Obnoxious, could barely stand 5 minutes of it. It is one thing to have an obnoxious annoying character in an ensemble but this has multiple intentionally annoying characters. The main character, Miranda, is so whiny that I can not accurately pin point what age she is meant to be playing. The premise had potential but it missed the mark completely.