Round Two: Life’s Too Short

Life’s Too Short: Season 1, Episode 2 (B+)

This show is firmly establishing what it’s going to be, and that’s just about the most awkward, uncomfortable series out there at the moment, combining the array of faux pas practiced by Larry David, David Brent, and Michael Scott to create a hapless man with no hope of escaping the most devastatingly embarrassing situations. To be fair, some of it does happen through no fault of his own, but this whole business with being the best man and needing to deliver a toast at the wedding really didn’t help his case. Refusing to give away his autograph to the kid with a tumor backfired predictably, as it infuriated the mother and then resulted in every other person claiming to have a tumor or AIDS, a claim which Warwick rather cleverly deduced to be impossible. It’s also no surprise that he’d have to come dressed as an Ewok to the wedding, and I can sense a theme that’s sure to be present throughout the show of his only being known to fanatics. The TV interview was particularly hilarious and demeaning, though I’d argue that his assistant’s suggestions for other lines of work were quite funny as well, the highlight of which involved him not actually sweeping chimneys. Johnny Depp’s celebrity guest appearance was appropriately muted, and I love how Ricky Gervais’ Golden Globes skewering of Depp was worked into the plot. The insults Depp hurled at Gervais were quite cruel, and it’s not often that someone can manage to be more egregious than Gervais.