Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
While movies, shows, and book are fun, critics typically don’t give us advice on the one thing that causes us the most anxiety — life. If you want to know what it’s like to get married or have sex with a celebrity, you just have to imagine it for yourself and hope you’re creative enough to make the imagined experience as accurate as possible. However, one brave man has risen to this confusing challenge and has been dutifully reviewing every part of life imaginable for two years now. That man’s name is Forrest MacNeil, and if you haven’t already, you really need to check out his appropriately named Comedy Central show, Review.
If you’re looking for a smart and entertaining comedy you can throw on in the background while you work, this is it. Each episode opens with Forrest MacNeil (Andy Daly) taking audience suggestions about what he needs to review to make the world a better place. His suggestions can be anything, from eating 15 pancakes to getting a divorce to getting rich quick, but one thing always remains the same. Forrest is absolutely dedicated to reviewing each topic to the best of his ability. The host tackles each topic as solemnly as any PBS host would, making you as a viewer ask why. There’s something that’s simultaneously unnerving, addicting, and judgement-inducing about watching a grown man doing something as ridiculous as going to prom solely for the chance to rate the experience. As you’re wondering why this hapless and put-upon hero of the people is investing so much time in reviewing insane experiences, you’ll start to wonder why you’re watching.
Of course, this is a mockumentary series, so all of the reviews are fictional. However, that little fact doesn’t discredit how serious Forrest is when it comes to passing judgement. Perhaps the best part of the series is his rating system. Review uses a five star rating system that applies to every experience. Want to know what Forrest thinks of being a racist or having the perfect body? He doesn’t think much of either because he gave both experiences half a star. What about Forrest’s thoughts on eating 30 pancakes or going into space? He’s a big fan of both — five stars. It’s a silly premise with a silly execution, which is why the series works so well.
However, there is a smart core to Review’s absurdity. The show serves as a no-holds-barred attack on our current obsession with review culture. This is a topic that has been mocked by other comedies. The most recent example that comes to mind is South Park’s last season episode “You’re Not Yelping,” where the town’s never-ending string of regular people with Yelp accounts pretended to be high-brow food critics. This being South Park, this naturally almost led to the town’s destruction. Another example is ABC’s short-lived comedy Selfie, which focused on a social media savvy young woman obsessed with sharing her opinions on everything with her internet friends. Due to the rise of social media and internet communities, we’ve become a culture obsessed with reviewing everything around us. Review takes that bizarre need to the utmost extreme, and the results are incredible.
Unfortunately, there are only two seasons of this mocku-series gem. The show was given a third and final season, which will likely premiere sometime during the late fall. But for now, treat yourself to Review’s exquisite platter already-reviewed of life experiences. Who knows? Maybe you’ll decide to try out a couple of these for yourself.
Photos: Everett Collection, Hulu
