I am really, really, REALLY trying to like Julia Louis-Dreyfus' new show, The New Adventures of Old Christine. The show does provide some good laughs, and the developing relationship between Christine and Burton is looking interesting (although it does seem like she's found him a little on the early side). Even the relationship between Christine and her ex Richard looks like it might be fertile ground to explore. If the writers can stay away from the dumb sitcomy jokes and develop the supporting characters -- the show really sags when Julia's off-screen -- they may have something there.But what the writers really need to do is stop having Christine say she's "old and fat", or make jokes about her expanding rear end or how she's so much fatter than "New Christine" (Anna seems to agree with me; check the first paragraph of her latest review). I mean, really, have the writers ever taken a look at Julia? She's in fantastic shape for a woman of any age, much less one who's in her mid-forties and has had two kids (Julia, I mean, not Christine). The costume designer seems to get it; the clothes Julia wears on the show are far more form-fitting and revealing than anything she wore ten years ago on Seinfeld, and it all looks great on her.
So why do the writers persist with the fat jokes? Doesn't that play up to every stereotype of how women see their bodies? Can't they go away from the cliché just once and show a divorceé who thinks she's sexy? Wouldn't that make the show better? Let me know in the comments.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-07-2008 @ 7:26PM
C_homier said...
I think The New Adventures Of Old Christine Sucks.
I think they should either cancel this show or take it off
the Monday night lineup.
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3-28-2006 @ 5:16PM
BobMac said...
I'd take the "old" Christine over the new one any day. JLD is very funny and very attractive. I think the writers are just trying to make us feel sorry for her.
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3-28-2006 @ 7:10PM
Morgan said...
She's just plain hot, but I'm glad I don't watch, because those kind of jokes remind me of girls that say their fat just to get compliments. "Oh, no your not, you look fantastic!" Anyway, they drive me nuts and a half. If that's not what her character's doing, they need to just drop the theme, because she's too attractive to feel sympathy for that way.
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3-28-2006 @ 7:18PM
Morgan said...
Holy moly I'm an idiot, "their" should have been "they're" and "your", "you're". My own pet peeves immortalized.
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3-28-2006 @ 7:25PM
George Costanza said...
I really want to like this show, but the "woe is me" crap is getting old. AND SOMEONE DO SOMETHING WITH HER HAIR!!!
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3-29-2006 @ 8:25AM
Guido said...
Don't you think it's written this way because "old" christine has low self esteem?
The point of the show is that she isn't fat or ugly.. but that she thinks she is because her ex has found somebody younger, and in her eyes sexier.
I like the show so far...
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3-29-2006 @ 9:04AM
Moe said...
Being fat, I tend to notice and get annoyed with fat jokes. I have to admit I've been laughing too much to even notice "Old" Christine's insecurities about her weight.
I agree she looks fantastic. Seinfeld really kept her covered up, even her other defunct series did. I was surprised by her peek-a-boo dress the other night. Not because I'm a prude but because I've never seen so much of her.
Anyway, I wanted to agree, yes writers need to come up with other material than "fat jokes".
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3-29-2006 @ 3:32PM
ErricZ said...
Gotta keep the kiddies buying glam mags that talk down to them and pretend that fashion is the be-all-end-all of life. The need to perpetuate low esteem in all of society is pretty sad, why expect any better from a TV show?
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3-29-2006 @ 3:33PM
ErricZ said...
Oh yeah, Julia's pretty darn hot too. :)
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3-31-2006 @ 2:00PM
mary said...
I like the new show. I missed it this week! Darn. I thought the bikini wax jokes were very funny last week. An arrow pointing . . . . f u n n y
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3-31-2006 @ 2:03PM
mary said...
I like the new show. I missed it this week! Darn. I thought the bikini wax jokes were very funny last week. An arrow pointing . . . . f u n n y
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3-31-2006 @ 6:49PM
Leslie Milosevich said...
This is very odd. I've watched every episode of the show and oddly I've never even noticed her complaining about her weight. I find the dialogue very funny and hope the relationships grow into themselves. JLD looks fantastic and if she's a little self-depracating who cares, most woman are and I think that's part of the charm of the show. One "forty-something" woman's opinion.
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