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Overall Rating:  3 out of 5, including 1 review
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Escape From L.A.?
3.00 out of 5.00 - Film: 3 Features: 3 Video: 3 Audio: 3 - 9/14/2009 |
Showtime's original series Californication returns for its' sophomore season, title intact (The Red Hot Chili Peppers attempted to sue the creators for copyright infringement) and once again filled with no shortage of debauchery. David Duchovny returns as author Hank Moody, possibly the only guy left in LA who sees through all the garbage and constantly rails against it, with decidedly mixed results.
The newly reunited Hank and Karen (Natasha McElhone) are seemingly happy and plotting a move east, to New York City. They're planning to leave the west coast behind and return to where they're relationship started. Their angsty teen daughter Becca (Madeine Martin) is also pleased to have her family intact once again. Hank gets a vasectomy and immediately attends a party thrown by Sonja (one of his past conquests and perhaps responsible for one of the best gags in Season 1). After a sexual case of mistaken identity (one way of putting it) and a nasty encounter with one of LA's finest, Hank ends up in jail. He lucks out though by sharing a cell with legendary record producer, Lew Asby (Callum Keith Rennie). Lew and Hank find themselves to be kindred spirits and soon Lew convinces Hank to pen his biography.
Elsewhere, Hank's agent Charlie (Evan Handler) and his wife Marcy (the great Pamela Adlon) have both jumped head first into cocaine addiction. Charlie becomes a paternal figure and agent to a young porn star named Daisy (Carla Gallo). He even agrees to finance a produce her porn opus, "Vaginatown". Much of the laughs this season can be attributed to Handler and Adlon. Adlon had proven her depth as a comedic actress previously on HBO's unluckily cancelled Lucky Louie. The fire she brings to Marcy turns out to be one the shows truest assets. Handler's attempt to enter the porn world is one of the strongest threads this time around and it almost makes you wish even more screen time was devoted to it.
While I do like Californication for the most part, I can't help but feel there is something slightly generic and dated about it. The show seems to be hung up on the 90's in a major way (the opening sequence is eerily similar to 90's fare like The Ben Stiller Show and Melrose Place). It's not an entirely bad choice, but a questionable one none the less. Is it possibly an ode to the decade when Hank was regarded as a literary wunderkind (not to mention Duchovny's own X-Files heyday) or just simply coincidence? Who knows? I'd recommend season two to anyone who enjoyed the first season and wants to check in with Moody and the gang. For the uninitiated though, I'd recommend skipping it.
The DVD includes all 12 half hour episodes spread out across 2 discs. It is presented in 1.78:1 with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. There are interviews with the cast and commentary from actress Pamela Adlon on select episodes. Also included are an episode each of the Showtime series The Tudors and The United States of Tara.
- DVD Empire
by B.C. Wills |
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