TVSquad

(S01E08)

Mr. Jelineck: Your daughter has a disease we call anorexia.

Sara Blank: Is that contagious?

Mr. Jelineck: Yes. It often sweeps through third world countries that are stricken by drought.

A new character is introduced in this episode: Stew, the Blank's meatman. Basically, he's like a milkman, except he delivers meat. And much like the fabled milkman, he also seems a bit more interested in the lady of the house than he should be. He immediately makes himself at home in the household, taking on the role of "father" even though their real dad is still very much alive, even if he is catatonic.

The television series Strangers with Candy was one of the tightest, most cohesive comedies to come along in the last several years. Its subtle mix of vicious satire, peripheral sight gags, and jokes that sometimes hung in the air for a moment before your brain was able to catch up to them was suited perfectly to the half hour format. In addition, the main cast (Amy Sedaris, Stephen Colbert, Paul Dinello, and Craig Hollimon) are all great comedic actors who played together like veteran jazz musicians, each adding his or her own unique personality to the whole. But can something that worked so well on television make the transition to the big screen and still be just as good? The answer is yes, sort of.

Strangers with Candy the movie serves as a prequel to the television series which ran on Comedy Central in the late 90s. Fans of the series know the story: Jerri Blank ran away from home thirty-two years ago to delve into prostitution and copious amounts of drugs. After being released from a stint in prison, she decides to return home to start her life over again as a 46 year old high school freshman. In the movie, Jerri returns to find her father (this time played by Dan Hedaya rather than Roberto Gari*) is in a stress-induced comma caused by the sudden disappearance of his beloved daughter all those years ago. The doctor tells Jerri that if she were able to do something truly amazing, say, win the school science fair, it might help her father to wake up.

Who got the Strangers with Candy movie teaser trailer? Adam got the Strangers with Candy movie teaser trailer. Well, okay, actually ThinkFilm, the film's distributor, has it, but they posted the bad boy on YouTube and I've stuck it up here for your viewing pleasure. Check it out after the jump. The voiceover on the trailer describes the movie as the prequel to the "hit" Comedy Central series. Well, I wouldn't call it a "hit" because I think it actually did quite poorly in the ratings. But then, that just meant more for those of us who thought this was one of the smartest, funniest comedies to hit television in the last several years. I am infinitely stoked. Awash in a sea of stoke, I am. Anyway, click below and enjoy. The movie will open nationwide in July. 

In honor of the upcoming Strangers with Candy movie, based on one of my favorite television shows of all time, I'm giving a shout out to my favorite episodes of the series. I don't know how many Strangers fans frequent this blog, but I'm trying to draw them out, like dangling cheese in front of a mousehole. At any rate, these are some of my favorite episodes:

"Who wants Cake?" (Episode 104): In this episode, Jerri is denied a seat on the bus to "Good Time Island" unless she exposes an allegedly retarded student whom her teacher, Mr. Noblet (Stephen Colbert), claims is just one step away from a raving, bloodthirsty animal due to her mental state. The episode includes a hilarious exchange between Jerri and her art teacher, Mr. Jellineck, in which he, a gay man himself, explains that most gay people are retarded, also. To quote The Simpsons: "Hmmm, that's good satire."