I'm enjoying re-watching selected episodes of Seinfeld, which I first watched when it debuted in the 1990s. Seriously, it's really ard to believe this episode is over 30 years old, yes so that's three decades. Anyway, The Lip Reader guest stars Marlee Matlin, and it's good to see her performing a comedic role and she does it with such aplomb. The scene where Jerry and George talk through the sides of their mouths was funny and kind of real. The tennis shenanigans of Kramer was laugh out loud. Anyway, the ending was a bit predictable with the chauffer, but still, The Lip Reader is worth watching.
6 Reviews
The Joy of Deafness
Hitchcoc24 September 2022
There is lots of funny stuff centering on deafness her. Elaine is her usual abrasive character. She is being driven by contracted driver from work. She doesn't like lots of chitchat and tells the driver she is going deaf. He realizes she is not and gets angry. Meanwhile, Jerry and George are at the US Open tennis match and Jerry falls for a linesman(girl) played by Marlee Matlin. Her lip reading leads to lots of fun, including eavesdropping (reading lips) to find out why she dumped George. Kramer's efforts to a ballboy (ballman) prove somewhat disastrous. There is a subplot with George gorging himself on a hot fudge sundae.
How dare she use George's routine?!
ThunderKing615 March 2023
Again you never take and use George's routine on him. That is rude.
March 15th 2023rd
What is the episode about?: George gets dumped and his ex gives him the "it's not you its me" routine.
Jerry dates a deaf ball girl.
Elaine pretends to be deaf vs a Tom hanks look alike.
Kramer reads sign language
Story and production: A great episode that collides into each other.
Everything about this episode felt good up until the party scene. It was rushed and unfunny.
Jerry treating his broad like an object was kind of funny.
Highlight: George break. Up scene... Everyone telling George that they saw him on tv.
Laugh meter: 8. The last scene was rushed.
Villian: George's ex. She was very superficial. The Limo driver. He just couldn't shut up.
Usually Elaine is a Bword. But I agree with her. I just want a quiet ride. I'm Not interested in boring dead end conversations.
Girlfriend attractiveness level: George's girl is a 7. Jerry's girl had no body. She's a 3
What can be learned? : 6 is a mighty number
Verdict: watch for those cameras.
March 15th 2023rd
What is the episode about?: George gets dumped and his ex gives him the "it's not you its me" routine.
Jerry dates a deaf ball girl.
Elaine pretends to be deaf vs a Tom hanks look alike.
Kramer reads sign language
Story and production: A great episode that collides into each other.
Everything about this episode felt good up until the party scene. It was rushed and unfunny.
Jerry treating his broad like an object was kind of funny.
Highlight: George break. Up scene... Everyone telling George that they saw him on tv.
Laugh meter: 8. The last scene was rushed.
Villian: George's ex. She was very superficial. The Limo driver. He just couldn't shut up.
Usually Elaine is a Bword. But I agree with her. I just want a quiet ride. I'm Not interested in boring dead end conversations.
Girlfriend attractiveness level: George's girl is a 7. Jerry's girl had no body. She's a 3
What can be learned? : 6 is a mighty number
Verdict: watch for those cameras.
Lip Readers are valued by Jerry's friends
FlushingCaps19 June 2014
Warning: Spoilers
In Season 5, most episodes have every characters' plot interacting, and in this one the laughs never end. George and Jerry have great seats at the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament, where Jerry is captivated by a lineswoman, played by Marlee Matlin. George goes off between matches and enjoys an ice cream Sundae, oblivious to the fact that TV cameras show him with ice cream and sauce all over his face, while announcers are ridiculing him.
Jerry meets the lineswoman, Laura, who turns out to be deaf. At a restaurant with Laura, George and Jerry, our two guys have a hilarious scene where they briefly converse while hiding their mouths so Laura won't read what they are saying. George wants Jerry to ask her to read lips to "eavesdrop" for him. They use all sorts of ways to hide their mouths, then as Jerry goes along with George's request, before he can get the words out, Laura says, "I'll do it." All their subterfuge didn't matter, somehow.
In different short scenes, when everyone learns Jerry is dating someone who can lip read, they want to "borrow her" to spy on someone they know. Even Newman shows up asking Jerry to let him have her for one day. He has one of his great lines when Jerry refuses, about the importance of his job: "When you control the mail you control INFORMATION." George wants Jerry and Laura to go to a friend's party to learn why his girlfriend just broke up with him. He figures it was because she saw him on TV with ice cream and sauce on his face. He was further angered that she used "his" line in breaking up—"it's not you, it's me," which he believes he alone should be able to say.
Elaine's part of the show deals with using her company's car service but trying to avoid talking with the driver. She tells him she's going deaf, but reveals herself to be a phony when she reacts to something that came over the radio. She tries to make it up to him, with disastrous results, the way things usually work out for Elaine.
Meanwhile, through Laura, Kramer gets to tryout to be a ballboy for the finals of the tennis tournament. This leads to disaster for Monica Seles, as it almost always does when a celebrity encounters Kramer—Bette Midler, Mickey Mantle, Kathy Lee Gifford, etc.
Kramer learned sign language years ago and works to help the guys with their scheme at the party. George's ex-girlfriend is across the room from George, talking to his friend. Laura reads her lips and signs them to Kramer, who translates to George and Jerry. As is his custom, the K-man misinterprets some of the signs, which causes George to humiliate himself in front of his friend and ex girlfriend.
To me, this episode had everything in it that makes this a great series. I think it a 10 because every scene was funny and all the plots worked magnificently.
Jerry meets the lineswoman, Laura, who turns out to be deaf. At a restaurant with Laura, George and Jerry, our two guys have a hilarious scene where they briefly converse while hiding their mouths so Laura won't read what they are saying. George wants Jerry to ask her to read lips to "eavesdrop" for him. They use all sorts of ways to hide their mouths, then as Jerry goes along with George's request, before he can get the words out, Laura says, "I'll do it." All their subterfuge didn't matter, somehow.
In different short scenes, when everyone learns Jerry is dating someone who can lip read, they want to "borrow her" to spy on someone they know. Even Newman shows up asking Jerry to let him have her for one day. He has one of his great lines when Jerry refuses, about the importance of his job: "When you control the mail you control INFORMATION." George wants Jerry and Laura to go to a friend's party to learn why his girlfriend just broke up with him. He figures it was because she saw him on TV with ice cream and sauce on his face. He was further angered that she used "his" line in breaking up—"it's not you, it's me," which he believes he alone should be able to say.
Elaine's part of the show deals with using her company's car service but trying to avoid talking with the driver. She tells him she's going deaf, but reveals herself to be a phony when she reacts to something that came over the radio. She tries to make it up to him, with disastrous results, the way things usually work out for Elaine.
Meanwhile, through Laura, Kramer gets to tryout to be a ballboy for the finals of the tennis tournament. This leads to disaster for Monica Seles, as it almost always does when a celebrity encounters Kramer—Bette Midler, Mickey Mantle, Kathy Lee Gifford, etc.
Kramer learned sign language years ago and works to help the guys with their scheme at the party. George's ex-girlfriend is across the room from George, talking to his friend. Laura reads her lips and signs them to Kramer, who translates to George and Jerry. As is his custom, the K-man misinterprets some of the signs, which causes George to humiliate himself in front of his friend and ex girlfriend.
To me, this episode had everything in it that makes this a great series. I think it a 10 because every scene was funny and all the plots worked magnificently.
"You've got a problem with six...? Six is good!"
itamarscomix27 September 2011
Season 5, Episode 6, "The Lip Reader"
A decent season 5 episode, not one of the best, "The Lip Reader" is notable mainly for the appearance of Marlee Matlin as Jerry's girl-of-the-week - who, having won an Oscar for her debut performance in Children of a Lesser God, was one of the bigger stars to make an appearance on Seinfeld at the time.
Other than Matlin's performance there's not a whole lot to say for the episode, but it does have some hilarious moments and a satisfying ending. As acting goes, Elaine is the star this time around, Kramer and George being less intense than usual.
A decent season 5 episode, not one of the best, "The Lip Reader" is notable mainly for the appearance of Marlee Matlin as Jerry's girl-of-the-week - who, having won an Oscar for her debut performance in Children of a Lesser God, was one of the bigger stars to make an appearance on Seinfeld at the time.
Other than Matlin's performance there's not a whole lot to say for the episode, but it does have some hilarious moments and a satisfying ending. As acting goes, Elaine is the star this time around, Kramer and George being less intense than usual.
Funny
bevo-1367819 June 2020
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