Pick of the week
Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness
There’s starry, and then there’s getting Barack Obama to cold-open your new show. Still, while he has impressive friends these days, Larry David is still Larry David – as this irreverent response to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence proves. What unfolds is a sketch comedy – featuring Jon Hamm, Kathryn Hahn and Jerry Seinfeld – in which Larry brings the essence of Curb Your Enthusiasm to scenarios including Alexander Graham Bell’s first ever phone call and the horrors of trench warfare. Larry’s capacity for semi-innocent offence endures through the ages but one truth we surely all know is that sketch shows are patchy. This one is no exception.
HBO Max, out now
