Article first published as WE ARE MEN Review on Seat42F.
CBS’s WE ARE MEN is sort of like Sex and the City with guys. Four buddies meet in an apartment complex inhabited by divorced men and wannabe actresses, stick together, and offer emotional support through a tough time. They still act like boys, not girls, but the camaraderie and their various romantic partners certainly evoke the comparison.
CBS’s WE ARE MEN is sort of like Sex and the City with guys. Four buddies meet in an apartment complex inhabited by divorced men and wannabe actresses, stick together, and offer emotional support through a tough time. They still act like boys, not girls, but the camaraderie and their various romantic partners certainly evoke the comparison.
As the show begins, Carter (Chris Smith,
Paranormal Activity 3) is at the altar with his bride, Sara (Fiona
Gubelmann, Wilfred). A man runs in before they say “I do,” and Sara runs
off with him, leaving Carter broken and sad. That’s when Carter moves
into the apartment and meets the others.
It’s not the most original start. After
all, Rachel ran away from her wedding at the start of Friends, and Alex
left Dave at the altar in the Happy Endings premiere. But it serves its
purpose, putting Carter in the right situation to get the premise
rolling, and the way that WE ARE MEN’s “Pilot” comes back around at the
end of the half hour makes the whole thing mostly worth it, even if it
does seem familiar. Plus, a small guest appearance by Alan Ruck (Spin
City) is a great feather in one’s cap in any installment, let alone at
the beginning, and as a priest to boot!
Carter soon meets three neighbors who
have also not been able to make marriage work for them. There’s Gil (Kal
Penn, House), a guy who picked the worst mistress ever, Stuart (Jerry
O’Connell, Jerry Maguire), whose first wife is now his second wife’s
divorce attorney, and Frank (Tony Shaloub, Monk), whose many brides tend
to stay the same age, even as he grows older, and is currently into
Asians. They instantly take Carter under their wing, and their little
club is born.
Smith may not be well known, but Penn,
O’Connell, and Shaloub are. Their names alone are enough to garner at
least two episode watches, and the chemistry they have here is
fantastic. They really do feel like a bunch of buddies, regular guys,
each selfish in their own wants and needs, but willing to offer a
helping hand when they aren’t too focused on their next lay. They razz
one another, but they care, which is proven by the end of the “Pilot.”
Now, yes, the dynamic comes together a
little too fast. Two months pass during the “Pilot,” but it doesn’t feel
like that, with everything moving so quickly. Even though the other
three guys’ friendship with each other feels authentic, it does seem a
little too soon for Carter to be part of the group in any meaningful
way.
However, the show is funny, and it has
charm. I really enjoyed watching the men hang out and get into trouble,
and there’s a certain bit of fantasy in four guys with their own
closely-located apartments, doing whatever they want without anyone
bringing them down or trying to control them. There’s also a “glad
that’s not me” component, sure to add emotion into characters, who
clearly are not well-skilled at showing their feelings, especially when
negative ones threaten to overwhelm them. It should be a good
combination.
The list of recurring actors already
involved is impressive. Besides Gubelmann, whom we’ll surely see again,
and Ruck, which I certainly hope for a repeat visit from, Romy Rosemont
(Glee) and Dave Foley (The Kids in the Hall) show up as Carter’s
parents. If this is the kind of talent that wants to be involved in WE
ARE MEN, than it is a promising sitcom indeed.
This “Pilot” does have its issues. The
plot seems a little like fluff, there isn’t a clear direction for the
story, and Carter’s inevitable romance sometime this season with Frank’s
daughter, Abby (Rebecca Breeds, Home and Away), is predictable and
groan-inducing. But there are some genuinely funny bits and the central
quartet is strong, so it definitely has the potential to be pretty
decent. It at least ranks in the middle of the pack of this year’s
freshman comedies.
WE ARE MEN premieres Monday, September 30th at 8:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.