Curb Your Enthusiasm (TV Series) The Bat Mitzvah (2007) User Reviews

Yes!

[Absoluteless · 10/10 · 23 November 2007]

I have finally seen an episode of Curb that made me feel happy for Larry David. The season six finale throws us a welcomed curve ball, by offering a bit of divine forgiveness to a man who's intentions are always pure, but who's family and friends continually mock and criticize his natural curiosity and independent spirit.

Watching the last few episodes of his television marriage falling apart, especially when considering that his real life marriage is sadly doing the same thing, made me feel especially bad for Larry. His wife on the show, who never really seemed right for him if you ask me, has met a new man within weeks of their breakup, and all of their friends have decided to "side" with her. Larry's medical problems are once again at the forefront of the show, as he is accused of putting a gerbil up his ass, and everyone in the world seems to hate him and find him utterly repugnant, yet again. But this time, Larry finds a bit of light at the end of the tunnel, and in the truest spirit of "life going on," finds a new love.

I loved this episode. It was very funny with the brilliant Michael McKean guest starring as an overrated sitcom director who spreads a ridiculous rumor about Larry to everyone in LA. But the true triumph for me was getting to see Loretta Black (Vivica A. Fox) yell down the nearly insurmountable rage of Susie Green (Susie Essman), defending her man and giving us one of the finest season finales to any show that I have ever been a fan of.

Bravo.

Possibly the greatest ever season ending in the history of CYE?

[paulduane · 10/10 · 14 November 2007]

SPOILERS throughout! This season of Curb has at times been the best since the first two seasons - it's like Larry David and co have rediscovered a fresh enjoyment in the show, given the shake-ups caused by its having to replicate the real-life break-up of LD's marriage. God knows how that feels in real life, but TV Larry deals with it brilliantly. His dating exploits are wonderful, but he's not a dating kind of guy, and the end of this episode and this series, where Larry is happily ensconced in the bosom of his new black family (and married to Vivica Fox - lucky, lucky Larry) had us rolling around in breathless happy guffaws. It seems that at least part of the awkwardness LD's felt all along has been because of uptight Goyish spouse Cheryl, and he now feels free from the need to even pretend to be PC. It's a fantastic ending, but it worries me - it feels like the perfect full stop at the end of this superb show, and I don't want them to pull the plug yet!

Final Scene Season 6

[VinnyGoode · 10/10 · 15 July 2008]

When Cheryl accepts a dance from her boyfriend, it looks as though LD is staring at disbelief at what he's thrown away. But after I viewed the scene a second time it becomes clear that he is staring at Loretta, sitting at the table looking stunning and demure. The sudden realisation that he loves this woman, after never giving her a look while she has been living in his home, is mind blowing. He doesn't give a hoot about Cheryl. He has found happiness. The music "You Don't Know Me" by John Legend is perfect and the sensitive filming of the dance, with Jeff/Susie/Cheryl looking on brings a tear to my eye. Then the closing montage of the David/Black family is a masterpiece. From tears of sadness to tears of joy. Larry David has surpassed himself with this episode. Absolutely stunning way for me to finish watching all six seasons back to back in the space of 3 weeks. I love it!!!

The finale cye deserved

[nukhetagar · 9/10 · 30 January 2020]

Should have been the actual series finale. Comes to a very satisfying, albeit quick, happy conclusion for Larry David. I would have been content with this episode being the last episode ever (not that I don't love cye and it's later seasons).

Lost gerbil

[jotix100 · 8/10 · 27 August 2012]

The 2007 season finale ends in a high note. Larry, who has sets his hopes in getting Cheryl back, finally gets it through his head the relationship is over. Sad to see his marriage fall apart, but there was always an inner conflict between Cheryl and Larry, like they did not even seem right together. Cheryl was the straight guy to Larry's comic persona in the show.

The Blacks are already packed and ready to go back to the home the hurricane devastated. The kid's pet gerbil is lost, so everyone does his share to find the little animal. Larry, having a small problem in his derriere, must have it checked out. As usual, he questions the fact that doctor's sign in logs are exposed to anyone to see. He wants the thing changed, but when it suits him, Larry wants to take a peek to get the name of the nice woman he met while waiting. Double standard anyone? Then, there is the problem with Max Tessler. The man directed a couple of "Seinfeld" episodes, but did not impress Larry. Now the man comes to his office asking Larry if he would recommend him for the pilot Richard Lewis is shooting. Reluctantly, Larry agrees, something that will backfire on him later on.

For Sammi Greene's bat mitzvah, Larry was hoping to take the woman he met at the doctor's office, but all that fizzled when he realized the lady was not for him. Since he must show his face at the affair, he makes an unexpected decision asking Loretta Black to go with him. In fact, Cheryl with her new friend are dancing nearby, but all the eyes are on Larry and his date.

Larry Charles returns to direct the finale. Larry David's screenplay keeps the action going non-stop. This season was a winner. In retrospect, it is one of the best in the history of the show. The regulars do their finest to keep things moving smoothly. The guest in today's episode was Michael McKean and John Legend provides the song at the end of the show.

Season 6: A bit too much to the "Larry as asshole" side, but still very enjoyable and funny

[bob the moo · 21 April 2010]

As usual Larry's inability to suck it up and overlook the social faux pas of others while also avoiding his own has left Cheryl in the role of the patient wife. On this occasion in return Larry agrees to take in a homeless Afro-American family from New Orleans, namely the Black family. With them taking over half his home and the modern world continuing to frustrate him with the selfishness of others, Larry starts to push the tolerance of some of those around him to the point of breaking.

Season six of this show sat around for only a short time before I jumped into it - mainly timed because my girlfriend was away a few times this month and she hates the show with a vengeance and is unbearable to be with when it is on. So I watched it over the course of a week or so and of course found it as funny as normal. My girlfriend's main gripe is that she finds it so painfully unrealistic and obvious and as a result it is painful for her to listen to or see. On one hand I agree with her but on the other I do not. I disagree that it is obvious. The first season was the only one where I half agreed with her but since then even when you can see the disaster coming, it is normally while laughing and wishing it would not come so whether or not it is "obvious" is of no interest. Where I do agree though is that it is unrealistic - but where we differ is that I do not expect it to be.

Anyway, enough dirty laundry for now. Season 6 sees me nearly catching up on this great show that I missed from the very start. It also sees the show lean a little too much to one side of its usual dynamic. Normally the show relies on Larry being right enough times to give the viewer balance for the times when he is a total ass and this is a balance that has worked very well for many seasons. In this season though he is nearly always in the wrong - and very often quite spectacularly so, and this is a bit of a problem. What it means is that the season is sometimes not quite as clever as I would like because it jumps in with both feet, rather than building these situations from the ground up in a way which is often funnier and more rewarding to watch. This approach did mean I did not quite enjoy the season as I have previous ones.

However, that said, I still really enjoyed it and laughed regularly and hard because the show is still funny in a wonderfully exaggerated and awkward way. The addition of the Black family is a great season thread, even if it does not provide the cohesion that some of the other threads have. What they brought was a fresh dynamic into the season and it really worked to change things up and add a bit of freshness (not that it was getting stale though). David is as funny as before and I was only slightly put off by him being so much of an ass this season. Hines, Essman and Garlin are all as good as before and I did like Lewis more this season as I felt he fitted in better in terms of the plots. Smoove is a great addition to the cast and I really enjoyed what he brought out in Larry, Fox and English perhaps not as much. The various guests do not detract by their presence because the celebrities are part of it - Coogan was perhaps the riskiest one but his episode was very funny.

Overall, this season of Curb continues the same style of humour to the same reliable impact. It is very funny and it was only a slight problem to have a lot less balance in the situations Larry gets into this time around. The cast all work very well and there are endless "NO! Don't do it" moments to be had here.