(Reviewed 4.5/5 on letterboxd in May 2017)
This is a review of a TV series, an exception from the norm for me. After watching this I realized what I am missing out on. I mean, this is clearly the era of the TV series and there are some real gems out there that need to see the light of day.
With Horace and Pete, I also continue my exploration into Louis C.K.'s works. I was very impressed with his debut film and this TV series confirms my belief in the man's talent.
It would be difficult to classify Horace and Pete in any form of a genre. If at all, it is a tragedy or a comedy, depending on the way you look at it. It is definitely nothing close to C.K's subject's in stand up routine. In fact if you dig deeper, this series is a love story between two brothers who own a hundred year old family bar in Brooklyn.
C.K shoots almost the entire series in two locations: the bar and the room they live upstairs. TV series are generally an actor's medium and C.K has a cast of excellent character actors. Although in TV, there is a tendency to shoot close up's and over the shoulder, C.K allows the camera to sit in one location to absorb the the surroundings of the ancient bar, making it one of the character's of this drama. The scene's shift from a group of character's to another seamlessly as we continue to witness the conversations of the customers and the tragedy that keeps unfolding in the lives of the bar owners.
C.K experiment's with his screenplay by going off on tangents until he surprises us by tying it into the main narrative. C.K is not afraid to showcase the racism, homophobia, transsexuality, mental illness that is part of society, giving the scenes a brutally honest feel; a trait that I feel comes across in most of C.K's work and interviews. Character's are vulnerable to violence, foul mouthing, sadism, outright meanness and acts of kindness which will simultaneously make you cringe and teary-eyed with joy.
To conclude, don't watch this if you are expecting a laugh out loud comedy. Watch it if you want to see a good tv series with a competent auteur at work. If for nothing else, watch this for Alan Alda and Steve Buscemi. It's rare for actors of their calibre to get roles like these.
