Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Book

by Deirdre Dolan

Book Overview

Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Book is a lovingly crafted tribute to the show the Washington Post hailed as "one of the absolutely funniest half-hours on television." Book jacket. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1592402305
• ISBN13: 9781592402304
• Release Date: October 2006
• Publisher: Gotham Books
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 2.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 7.9" x 10.2"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

it's all about Larry

There's only ever been two American sitcoms which can make you squirm in your seat and laugh out loud! It so happens that both of these sitcoms were heavily influenced by the same man, writer/comedian Larry David. Those two sitcoms are Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm. So if you love Curb, you'll love the book. Each episode is outlined with interesting anecdotes from cast and crew to help you re-live the magic, or tragic, brilliance of the series. The book also includes some history about Larry David as related by friends, co-workers, and of course by the man himself. There's not enough info about Larry for my liking, but then again the book isn't a Larry David bio so it's as you would expect. Read the book, buy the DVD's, immerse yourelf in Davidism, just for a little sanity.

SOMETHING had to be written about this brilliant show!

I love the book because it has tons of interesting behind the scene happenings. I wish it was even more thorough being the immense fan that I am. If you love the show, BUY THIS BOOK. I've read it twice already, its almost like the show, you need to see it more than once to fully appreciate it. Personally, I thought it was too short but at least it's here and I'm thrilled about it. Many times throughout the book, different people mentioned that there is a great reality show right there as they're all filming. I'm praying for that. I also feel like Larry David is the funniest guy on the planet and this shows needs to be promoted more. Too many people I know haven't seen it or don't give it a true chance.

A Pretty Pretty Pretty Good Book

This is a great companion to watching the Curb episodes. There are some bits of dialog as well as insights into what made the scenes so funny. If you love the series, this book is for you!

A bible for all things "Curb"

Every so often, a television program weaves its way into the cultural fabric of its time. Comedian/writer Larry David has been behind two of those shows. David, co-creator of "Seinfeld" and creator of "Curb Your Enthusiasm," continues the trend of celebrating life's little eccentricities. Along with television shows and movies like "The Office" and Meet the Parents, "Curb" keenly observes human foibles to an exaggerated degree, creating its own "theater of the uncomfortable," which episodes like "The Pants Tent" and "Affirmative Action" aptly demonstrate. Originally an HBO special, David broadened his cringe-worthy antics into a highly successful weekly show. Unlike other situation comedies, "Curb" is entirely improvised. Each season, David creates outlines for 10 shows that cover the season's arc. He writes them out longhand because he doesn't know how to use a computer. His outlines are passed to his assistant who types them up. He then clues in his fellow cast members --- or not. Most of the actors are briefly told what the scene is just minutes before they start shooting. David believes that the best comedy comes out of the more naturalistic improv process: "When I was doing "Seinfeld," sometimes I'd get to a scene and I'd go, 'Boy, this scene doesn't need me to write it...The situation is all there. You can just bring in the actors and they can do it." But despite the kamikaze nature of the filming process, actors refer to "Curb" as "hands-down the most fun I've ever had on a set." Each actor brings his or her own experience to his or her role, but perhaps no one had a more difficult task than Cheryl Hines, the actress who plays David's wife. She had to imagine how anybody "could live with someone like Larry day in and day out. I think the only way Cheryl can have a good life is not to be bothered by most of it." CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM: THE BOOK looks at this popular show from all angles, featuring interviews with David, his co-stars, the directors, his real-life manager and his real-life wife, all of whom claim that, yes, he really is that neurotic. But in the words of guest star Mel Brooks, "there's something about this middle-aged bald guy that is thrilling!" Also included are detailed episode guides and outlines for each show of the last five seasons, along with fascinating tidbits of information such as rejected names for the series ("Life be not Proud" and "No Life to Live"); his various quirks, including his dental hygiene compulsion (he flosses about three times a day); details about his days on "Seinfeld" and his altar-ego, George Costanza; and his time as a struggling comic in New York City. This delightfully informative compendium is the perfect companion to the quirky and revolutionary show, and a bible for all things "Curb." --- Reviewed by Bronwyn Miller

Info on the book

From the HBO page: With unprecedented access to the set, "Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Book" provides a compelling picture of how things go from bad to worse in Larry David's Los Angeles. His character defies all reasonable expectations, especially when he tries to do exactly what's expected. Nothing is simple; not getting his wife's car washed or exiting a parking lot; not waiting in a doctor's office, or even wrapping, giving, or receiving a gift. In the course of the series' four ground-breaking seasons (the fifth season just began in September, 2005), each of these simple acts is a catalyst for an unthinkable sequence of blunders, inappropriate gestures, and far-fetched coincidences that culminate in the shocking yet expected humiliation of Larry David himself. As fans of the show will testify, the worse things get for Larry, the harder you laugh. The book opens with an in-depth profile of Larry David, and the structure that follows is based around in-depth coverage of each of the 50 episodes, including: Anecdotal, behind-the-scene stories from people who were there, including interviews with such stars as Cheryl Hines, Jeff Garlin, Jason Alexander, Mel Brooks, Ted Danson, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Kathy Griffin, Paul Reiser, Richard Lewis, Mary Steenburgen, Ben Stiller, and many others. 150 photographs, including behind-the-scene photos that fans will devour. First mentions of now legendary phrases. Reproductions of Larry David's original scene outlines (no dialogue) so readers can trace the actual evolution of classic scenes from "real life" to the cutting room. Outtakes, such as show titles and scenes that didn't make the cut and storylines that were too outrageous to use. Answers to nagging questions not revealed on the show. For anyone interested in David's childhood, his roots as a stand-up comic, his various writing jobs before the breakthrough of "Seinfeld," and how the ideas that had been formulating in his mind for decades finally found its perfect expression in his show, "Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Book" is the perfect tribute. Features Author: Written by Deirdre Dolan ISBN: 1-592-40230-5 Pages: 208 Illustrations: 150 color and black & white photos Book dimensions: 7 1/2 in x 10 in