Chivalry (2022) User Reviews

Not for everyone, bit of an oddity

[shaughnpatrickrice-19191 · 7/10 · 27 April 2022]

This series made me feel every emotion under the sun. I loved it, I hated it. It made me laugh, it punched me in the gutt. It worked for me, it didn't work for me. It's good, it possibly all falls apart at the end. It's 'cleaver' but at the expense of a satisfying ending. Maybe, I'm not sure, part of me thinks the ending works and part of me really dislikes it. The show could have done with being longer, but also completely works as a 6 episode run. It will make you think, potentially at the expense of being entertaining. However, it's also both very funny and very very serious.

I hope this contradictory non review gets my point across. This is honestly the best way for me to describe my time with this show. My recommendation is to go in knowing little and come out taking something away. You may take away that you hate the show, but I would struggle to believe you'd not leave without a strong opinion. Even if that's a strongly indecisive one! It.

Not a comedy, but a commentary

[CrazyArty · 5/10 · 19 August 2022]

A feminist filmmaker is brought into a film production to make it more appropriate for female audiences. Stars Steve Coogan.

I watched the first 2 episodes and quickly realised this was not funny. The third episode drops a huge bombshell. I started to realise this was not in fact a comedy but a drama with social commentary.

I really like Coogan's work and he comes with an excellent back catalogue but this is not good. It's not funny, it's not very interesting, it's almost pointless as a TV show. Almost. Avoid.

Better than I thought.

[alanfisher2001 · 7/10 · 28 April 2022]

Normally Coogan in post partridge is execrable, everything he has been in is worse than imaginable. In this however he tries not to be funny but actually is a lot better for it. Actually rather watchable in fact. Solemani seems to be in a totally unsuitable woke marriage that seems totally unbelievable. She does seem to enjoy prancing about in knickers which showcase her enviable figure. The premise of post metoo is rather clumsily done and written for effect, the scenes in LA are beautifully shot and give it a slick feel. Having said that I felt compelled to watch it to the rather unsatisfactory ending.

This is strangely good

[matt-16644 · 7/10 · 18 May 2022]

I'm a big Partridge fan (who isn't) and was half expecting this to be a full on Partridge style comedy but was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't.

It's not a laugh out loud comedy, more of a stylish easy watching life drama that reminds me of 'Episodes' with Matt Le Blanc.

Like both leads and supporting cast and hope there will be a series 2 to conclude what happens to the main characters.

Could have been a great series

[DavoZed · 6/10 · 12 November 2022]

The series idea - the idea is great. It's been done before but a good series would have been great.

The actors - the leads are completely believable choices and their acting is good.

The other actors, who are playing actors in the movie at the center of the series or industry people, tend to be caricatures of what Hollywood people are thought to be like. Very self involved and whiny.

The script - here's where things fall apart for me.

While the idea is great and the acting is good, the writing goes down a series of dead end rabbit holes, for no apparent reason. This is quite common for American films and TV series.

One of the people is Nigerian which adds nothing to the story. She could have easily been from Columbus Ohio and it would have made no difference.

She suggests that they need to have a female squirting scene in the movie, which is SIMPLY IDIOTIC. Such a movie would never be shown in a public theater.

It must have been thrown in to connect with someone. Presumably people who watch porn.

The male lead (the film's producer) has slept with everyone and this is being revealed at about 5 minute intervals and they all hate him for it.

He's a massive scumbag and that is endlessly riffed on.

Wanda Sykes plays the head of the studio. Why? Again, nothing at all is added to the story by having her in the role.

And so on. I quit after about an episode and a half.

Great cast Terrible script

[marklegothique · 1/10 · 23 April 2022]

What always amazes me with total duds like Chivalry is that "did no one realise it just isn't funny" during the filming?

Total dross. Completely unfunny. Clever in places. Bu utterly dire.

A worthwhile watch

[carrie2979 · 8/10 · 1 May 2022]

I'm glad I didn't read the reviews before watching as some of them would have been very off putting. I thought it was a bit off the wall but very watchable. I will say it was slow to start though and I notice a lot of the bad reviews say they gave up after one or 2 episodes. I'm glad I persevered. From episode 3 on I was hooked. Morally ambiguous characters but that was part of what made it really thought provoking. Alan Partridge it isn't so don't go in expecting that but that doesn't make it bad, just different.

borefest

[jefferons · 1/10 · 22 April 2022]

I had high hopes for this show, with steve coogan in it. I watched the first episode all the way through ,and didn't laugh once, i was bored in many places, maybe i'm missing something. The total lack of reviews , on imdb was odd as well. Nothing seemed to happen, or if it did it was very strange or unsettling.

Really enjoyed this

[lindsey-19601 · 8/10 · 1 May 2022]

Some of the reviews for this are really harsh. Yes ok it is a bit of a 'will they, won't they' underneath all the social commentary, but it's intelligent, fast and pretty funny too. Although I agree the ending was unsatisfactory. Really hope there will be a second series.

Really Poor

[eselim9175 · 2/10 · 27 April 2022]

First thing I have ever seen Steve Coogan in I didn't appreciate. Cast is ok, (except for Aisling Bea hamming it up as usual), but the script is confusing and the "plot'/purpose of this programme unclear. Overall this is just a turn off. Steve Coogan so often totally nails whatever he is involved in. Not here, not sure why! But maybe just the co-writing collaboration doesn't work. Really disappointed because I wanted and expected to like it because of Steve, but just couldn't.

Him & Her, it ain't

[frukuk · 1/10 · 23 April 2022]

I'm not sure what the creators/writers were trying to achieve. Is this meant to be a drama that gets you thinking about topical issues or is it meant to be a comedy that highlights the absurdity of some old/new political positions? Or is it meant to be a blend of both?

Unfortunately, the drama is insufficiently dramatic and the comedy is exceptionally cliché. I watched the first two episodes and it didn't pull me in, it didn't make me think and it didn't make me laugh.

I'm aware of the "sunk cost" fallacy and I do wonder if this was commissioned as likely to be a "sure thing", but the producers were unwilling to pull the plug after reading the disappointing scripts?

Sarah Solemani was wonderful as an actor in Him & Her (2010), but I really don't rate her writing here. And Steve Coogan has done some wonderful work elsewhere, but his writing here is far too poor. Rather than lifting each other's writing, they seem to have weighed each other down.

Great fun

[pureplanning · 9/10 · 23 April 2022]

An intelligent and enjoyable comedy. Makes fun of the world we currently live in. It's no Alan Partridge but it's more grown up and a lot more layered.

Some good scenes, badly linked together.

[davidallenxyz · 3/10 · 9 May 2022]

Bobby (Sarah Solemani) is an independent film director who finds herself pulled into reshoots of another director's work by producer Cameron (Steve Coogan). Despite working in the industry they are totally different characters, so how will they be able to work together?

This is the premise. And it's intriguing. But despite a talented cast and a costly production budget the series just fails to deliver.

It feels like Solemani and Coogan had a handful of good ideas (a conversation with the outgoing director, a self-conscious body double, a revelation of abuse, an unexpected racist rant) but couldn't find a good way of linking them all together.

The single biggest problem is Bobby. She is effectively the lead character, and the early episodes encourage you to side with her, because she is the one exposing the bad behaviour of Hollywood men (as per the over-used hashtag). Bobby is also a working mother who is having problems in her own relationship. Easy to sympathise with, right?

Wrong. Because it turns out that Solemani's Bobby is just as self-serving as the rest of the industry. And she simply doesn't have the charm or heart of Coogan's Cameron.

Ultimately the person that is exposing bad behaviour is the worst behaved of them all. Although that is actually quite believable, it doesn't work in the context of this show, which has been set up to sanctify the issues she is fighting for.

Many storylines are barely explored, or resolved suddenly so that they can move on to the next scene. All very unsatisfying, with the final episode going for a dramatic climax that comes out of nowhere, and a bizarre scene involving a cake.

I think there was a good series buried somewhere in the script, but in trying to tweak it to meet the political agenda of the day, it lost its way.

One really weird thing about the show that I just have to mention is Sarah Solemani's wardrobe. She's in great shape. But did every outfit need to be quite as tight fitting and revealing? Didn't seem necessary for her character, and several scenes seemed more dedicated to showing her body off Baywatch-style than anything else. Odd.

Cool satire

[vladas-5 · 10/10 · 23 April 2022]

I watched two episodes and I am hooked. Reminds me of subtle version of Episodes. Cast is great and writing is clever. Shows like this are pretty rare lately.

Vapid, vacuous vanity polemic!

[bosporan · 2/10 · 23 April 2022]

Pretentious poppycock with no redeeming features (other than Sienna Miller obviously). The king is naked, leaving salacious, puerile humour, devoid of coherent core content. This is neither as intelligent, funny nor sophisticated as it purports to be.

Endured two episodes (medal deserved) and would rather stab my eyes with a pencil, than suffer the remainder.

Lame and not funny!

[kluismans · 2/10 · 11 May 2023]

I laboured my way through all six episodes, waiting for some sparkle, some hint of life in this dead horse. It didn't come.

I suppose the story could have been interesting, and there were some good ideas, for instance we see Bobby the female director and lead in the story abuse her own power much in the way we are told Cameron does. Being a bully and unpleasant isn't just reserved for the males in the story! But this has the effect of making Bobby unlikeable, and its hard to care or follow a series if we can't root for at least one character.

Even worse than that was I just didn't get the story, what was the plot? Every glimpse of a story line melted, was this about Bobby struggling to get recognition in a male dominated work space? No! She appears to glide into work without much difficulty. Was this about Bobby struggle to make art? No again. Is this an improbable love story between two opposites, Bobby and Cameron? Ridiculously, the ending did kind of push this idea though fortunately swerved away from that silliness. I just wasn't sure.

I was not just underwhelmed by this, I was amazed that it could have been made.

Ignore the Haters

[carlcasso · 9/10 · 12 May 2022]

This was a really clever show.

The message was very strong and it was very brave of the writers to approach those issues.

The relationship with Bobby and Cameron is incredible to watch.

I really hope they have a second series.

Well done to all involved.

Lacking in comedy and drama.

[donmazeu · 1/10 · 30 April 2022]

This is portrayed as being a comedy drama and is lacking in both elements.

If you manage to watch the entire series, You should receive a reward.

I couldn't make it through two episodes.

Loved it

[marta-b-imdb · 10/10 · 21 May 2022]

I heartily enjoyed this series and found it immensely watchable. It was interesting to get oversight on the impact of the 'me too' movement on Hollywood. I found the series thoughtful, funny and hugely endearing. I very much hope they make a second series!

Unfunny

[garyjbaker · 2/10 · 30 April 2022]

Not sure what it wanted to do, wasn't funny or edgy or interesting. Steve is a brilliant performer but unless he's writing with someone funny he falls flat sadly. Just seemed a bit tired.

Not funny at all.

[johnahayes-75844 · 1/10 · 28 April 2022]

Firstly I will say that I absolutely love Steve Coogan. I've watched everything he's been in, and I felt that this show held him back. I had high hopes for this show because of Steve Coogan but it's an absolute disappointment.

I found myself constantly saying "Needs more Alan Partridge". Quite frankly, Steve Coogan is brilliant, but I felt he was held back in this series.

OMG

[annabelle-71667 · 1/10 · 25 April 2022]

The is proper rubbish please don't waste your time. The only thing that works in this is sienna miller maybe she needs the money. It's so bad I actually I felt bile coming up from my stomach into the back of my mouth not good.