‘Friends’ co-star Lisa Kudrow plays monstrous
sitcom star Valerie Cherish in the new HBO show ‘The Comeback,’
which debuts Sunday, June 5. (Photo courtesy of HBO)
|
Brian Moylan
Friday, June 03, 2005
It
was
only
about
a
year
ago
that
“Friends”
ended,
so
it’s
hard
to
say
whether
Lisa
Kudrow
is
making
a
comeback
with
her
new
HBO
show
“The
Comeback,”
which
debuts
on
Sunday,
June
5,
at
9
p.m.
In
the
show,
which
she
created
with
“Sex
and
the
City”
scribe
Michael
Patrick
King,
Kudrow
plays
Valerie
Cherish,
an
actress
who
scored
a
bit
of
fame
(and
a
People’s
Choice
Award)
for
a
supporting
role
on
a
sitcom
and
is
desperate
to
come
back
to
TV.
She
lands
a
stock
role
on
an
inane
sitcom
called
“Room
and
Bored,”
but
only
because
she
allows
her
life
and
her
revival
to
be
filmed
for
a
reality
television
show.
The
show
is
presented
as
the
unedited
footage
of
the
reality
show,
which
often
includes
Valerie
talking
to
the
camera.
The
producers
of
the
reality
show
ask
Valerie
intrusive
questions
and
other
awkward
situations
arise.
Much
like
HBO’s
hit
“Curb
Your
Enthusiasm”
this
is
television
about
the
underside
of
Hollywood
mined
for
comedy.
While
many
critics
love
Larry
David
on
“Curb,”
many
viewers
find
it
horrendously
annoying.
“Comeback”
might
very
well
have
the
same
problem.
Kudrow
does
an
amazing
job
portraying
this
neurotic,
flawed,
funny,
pathetic,
lovable
woman,
but
she
really
is
a
monster.
Especially
cringe-worthy
is
her
relationship
with
Mickey
(Robert
Michael
Morris),
her
gay
hairdresser
and
makeup
artist,
who
she
always
keeps
around
but
dumps
on
whenever
she
gets
the
chance.
That
said,
“The
Comeback”
is
one
of
the
smartest
shows
out
there.
It
offers
an
indictment
of
contemporary
culture
and
celebrity,
as
well
as
a
heartfelt
examination
of
a
complex
character.
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