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| Stella, ella, oh la, laugh, laugh, laugh |
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»» By Sean fitzgerald |
Three new stooges are waiting to invade your Tuesday. Stella, The
Comedy Network’s new half-hour surreality series, is absurdist
pleasantry, random silliness, and surprisingly funny. It’s the kind of
show you can watch by yourself and still laugh out loud.
Stella is written and acted by three American children hidden in
the suit-and-tie bodies of thirty-something men: Michael Ian Black,
Michael Showalter, and David Wain. The trio, known for cult hits The
State and Wet Hot American Summer, performed Stella onstage for eight
years before launching the television show.
The series defies labeling. It’s not a sitcom, it’s not a sketch
show; and it’ll be funny for your parents, your stoner buddies, and
your foreign relatives. The trio excels at physical acting: they dance,
make faces, and release fart noises. The reason for the show’s broad
appeal stems back decades. Black is the new Moe, Wain the new Larry,
and Showalter the skinny Curly.
In addition to their talented physicality, the actors fire off
witty jokes that fly like Blind Duck Pub tickets. My rewind button is
still recovering from all those “Hold on, did he just say what I think
he said?” moments. When the phone rings at the trio’s apartment, Wain
answers and carries out a ten-second conversation where he says “Mr.
Mueller” three times (“Hello Mr. Mueller, yes, okay Mr. Mueller,
goodbye Mr. Mueller”). After he hangs up, Showalter asks “Who was
that?”
Each episode is a whirlwind of randomness. It feels as if the show
should be animated. Stella’s world is not so far from the animated
possibilities of The Simpsons and Family Guy. The pilot’s opening
sequence gets the laughs rolling immediately with an in-car argument
over the trio’s before-bed soundtrack: Showalter wants Funk and Wain
wants something entirely different, Funk Rock. Black gets annoyed with
the bickering and threatens to crash into a telephone pole. Then he
does, and the smoke and bruises welcome you to the surreal world of
Stella.
The pilot works hard for its laughs, and includes Edward Norton, a
Flashdance routine, and an impromptu open-heart surgery with kitchen
utensils. The series’ funniest moments come when riffing on romance
clichés. Wain, the ladies man, supplies the best lines and facial
expressions. Showalter owns the perfect dumb-guy face. Black has his
funny moments, but occasionally breaks character and sneaks in laughs.
Stella plays on social conventions, human awkwardness, and small
talk. Once you embrace the silly and bizarre, you get it. It actually
is funny. The show won’t change your life, but it will make you drive a
car off a cliff. I mean, laugh.
See, the randomness just flies at you like that.
Stella runs Tuesday nights on the Comedy Network.
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