Endless bummer REVIEW | Angry surfers get touched by a man-child angel-guy in 'John From Cincinnati'
June 10, 2007
BY DOUG ELFMAN | TELEVISION CRITIC
With "The Sopranos" ending forever tonight, HBO is rolling out new shows, the first being "John From Cincinnati." I imagine its scattered, semi-mysterious storytelling will confuse a fair amount of viewers, but it shouldn't.
It's simple, really. Some angel guy named John (or maybe he's a prophet, or an emissary from God, or even Jesus resurrected) starts hanging 10 with a family of very grumpy surfers.
Miracles begin once John shows up. The grandfather looks at his own feet and sees he's levitating.
Meanwhile, angelic John goes around saying, "The end is near," and parroting things people say. If a guy says to John, "I got my eye on you," John confidently yet naively responds, "I got my eye on you!" He's learning the language and he's a simple power, like in "Being There."
This I want to know: Why would God send an uncommunicative, man-child-angel to prophesize the End of Days?
But whatever. Most of the story actually revolves around the family's teen surfing phenom Shawn and one question the adults ponder for an endless summer: Should he be allowed to surf? It's so dangerous!
I've seen the first three episodes of "John From Cincinnati," and I've got a conundrum.
On the one hand, I don't want to watch it ever again to find out what John's big prophecy will be. Mostly because listening to the rambling dialogue gives me the same pleasure as sorting through the tangle of cords behind my stereo.
The show creator is David Milch; he made "Deadwood." Just like in "Deadwood," everyone in "John" is always spewing anger at someone else. The show sorta sounds as if I'm listening to a multisyllabic, multiple personality argue with himself, off his meds.
On the other hand, objectively speaking, "John From Cincinnati" is extremely disciplined character-wise. For instance, John acts consistently, plainly angelic.
And it's a rare TV intellect, a highfalutin meditation on what happens when an angel-type guy gets inserted into a family of angry surfers.
So. Should I give "John From Cincinnati" one star for failing to hold my interest? Or three and a half stars, for being a well-crafted, unemotional theater of ideas?
I'm going with one star. My time is valuable. And "John" doesn't do what such a metaphysical exercise should: It doesn't challenge my own notions of faith, humanity or art. (But if you give it a whirl and enjoy it, I can see what you like about it.)
Milch has said he didn't audition actors, suggesting he just picked them. He's got a good eye. Stellar are (in lead roles) Rebecca De Mornay, Austin Nichols and Brian Van Holt, and (in side roles) the great Luis Guzman, Willie Garson and Keala Kennelly.
If you're into current-day Bible stories where everyone curses up a storm, it may be your thing. There's the angel, of course. But other biblical archetypes check in -- believers, merchants, thieves and prostitutes (though the prostitutes are metaphorical, such as TV newscasters).
There's a part in the debut episode where a huge mural is seen on the side of a building. It's a mural of Jesus on the cross, on a beach, surrounded by surfers. Written on the sign is a Corinthians quote: "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."
How's that for getting hammered over the head by a faith-based show?
Corinthians or not, what "John" did was give me the itch to watch "Oh, God!" again, the 1977 classic movie where God (George Burns) said: "How can I permit the suffering? I don't permit the suffering. You do -- free will. All the choices are yours. You can love each other, cherish and nurture each other, or you can kill each other."
But "John From Cincinnati" permits the surfing. Dude.
According to me, the moral of the story is: Picking your religion is like picking your TV shows -- it's all choice. I will also acknowledge I have my ideas about religion, and Milch has his, and his angel is a lot more potentially damning than mine.
delfman@suntimes.com
BY DOUG ELFMAN | TELEVISION CRITIC
With "The Sopranos" ending forever tonight, HBO is rolling out new shows, the first being "John From Cincinnati." I imagine its scattered, semi-mysterious storytelling will confuse a fair amount of viewers, but it shouldn't.
It's simple, really. Some angel guy named John (or maybe he's a prophet, or an emissary from God, or even Jesus resurrected) starts hanging 10 with a family of very grumpy surfers.
Miracles begin once John shows up. The grandfather looks at his own feet and sees he's levitating.
Meanwhile, angelic John goes around saying, "The end is near," and parroting things people say. If a guy says to John, "I got my eye on you," John confidently yet naively responds, "I got my eye on you!" He's learning the language and he's a simple power, like in "Being There."
This I want to know: Why would God send an uncommunicative, man-child-angel to prophesize the End of Days?
But whatever. Most of the story actually revolves around the family's teen surfing phenom Shawn and one question the adults ponder for an endless summer: Should he be allowed to surf? It's so dangerous!
I've seen the first three episodes of "John From Cincinnati," and I've got a conundrum.
On the one hand, I don't want to watch it ever again to find out what John's big prophecy will be. Mostly because listening to the rambling dialogue gives me the same pleasure as sorting through the tangle of cords behind my stereo.
The show creator is David Milch; he made "Deadwood." Just like in "Deadwood," everyone in "John" is always spewing anger at someone else. The show sorta sounds as if I'm listening to a multisyllabic, multiple personality argue with himself, off his meds.
On the other hand, objectively speaking, "John From Cincinnati" is extremely disciplined character-wise. For instance, John acts consistently, plainly angelic.
And it's a rare TV intellect, a highfalutin meditation on what happens when an angel-type guy gets inserted into a family of angry surfers.
So. Should I give "John From Cincinnati" one star for failing to hold my interest? Or three and a half stars, for being a well-crafted, unemotional theater of ideas?
I'm going with one star. My time is valuable. And "John" doesn't do what such a metaphysical exercise should: It doesn't challenge my own notions of faith, humanity or art. (But if you give it a whirl and enjoy it, I can see what you like about it.)
Milch has said he didn't audition actors, suggesting he just picked them. He's got a good eye. Stellar are (in lead roles) Rebecca De Mornay, Austin Nichols and Brian Van Holt, and (in side roles) the great Luis Guzman, Willie Garson and Keala Kennelly.
If you're into current-day Bible stories where everyone curses up a storm, it may be your thing. There's the angel, of course. But other biblical archetypes check in -- believers, merchants, thieves and prostitutes (though the prostitutes are metaphorical, such as TV newscasters).
There's a part in the debut episode where a huge mural is seen on the side of a building. It's a mural of Jesus on the cross, on a beach, surrounded by surfers. Written on the sign is a Corinthians quote: "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."
How's that for getting hammered over the head by a faith-based show?
Corinthians or not, what "John" did was give me the itch to watch "Oh, God!" again, the 1977 classic movie where God (George Burns) said: "How can I permit the suffering? I don't permit the suffering. You do -- free will. All the choices are yours. You can love each other, cherish and nurture each other, or you can kill each other."
But "John From Cincinnati" permits the surfing. Dude.
According to me, the moral of the story is: Picking your religion is like picking your TV shows -- it's all choice. I will also acknowledge I have my ideas about religion, and Milch has his, and his angel is a lot more potentially damning than mine.
delfman@suntimes.com
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