I don't know who made the executive decision to cast Patton Oswalt in not one, but three episodes. But whoever it is, should never cast anything again.
We are arriving at the climax of an action-packed, heart-pumping season. And suddenly everything that makes Burn Notice great gets tossed aside so that a guest star can lift his leg all over the show.
Oswalt has all the acting chops of a sixth grader in a Thanksgiving pageant.
Actually, that's probably not fair. Even a sixth grader could turn in a more believable and understated performance than this scenery-chewer.
The beauty of Burn Notice are the plots, the great characters, and the way they can couple humor and action into one show. The supporting cast is, by and large, very good at stepping into the rhythm and dynamic of the show.
Barry the money-launderer, Jason Bly, Sugar, Natalie the thief, Ayn the convict - all of these supporting roles are carried off beautifully and in keeping with the style that makes Burn Notice such great entertainment.
But then along blunders Patton Oswalt who turns in a performance about as nuanced as an audience member pulled up on stage at the Night at the Improv. His ham-handed bluster and endless whining are enough to ruin not just his scenes, but the three episodes he's in.
Burn Notice is one of my favorite shows and I watch the DVDs a couple times a year. But the three episodes featuring this buffoon can only be watched with my finger on the fast-forward button. Which means I tend to get through all three of them in about twelve minutes.
On the plus-side. Now that I've suffered through this guy's clownish "acting" in Burn Notice, I will never waste my time on any TV show or movie that would make the mistake of including him in the cast.
In the end, three episodes that could have each gotten a solid eight or nine stars - thanks to Patton Oswalt - get a whole lot less from me.
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