Louis-Dreyfuss’ response
to Barr was historical
F
irst of all, I have to explain why
I’ve chosen to transcript an
dialogue for my weekly
commentary instead of writing
something genuine. Last week,
Roseanne Barr, star of the CBS sitcom
“Roseanne” told the “Entertainment
Weekly” that NBC’s “Seinfeld” was “so
intellectualized, like a Becket play in
television” an that “the American
audience don’t want to see that, they
can’t understand, it’s not for them”. I
had thought about writing a column
about that, giving my opinion in a
smart, funny and clever way, exposing
the ridiculous of Roseanne’s statements
with irony, to make you laugh while at
the same time you meditate about,
questioning the mediocrity in television
- represented, in my opinion, by the
very show
“Roseanne” - and “The simple fact that we
why mediocre people have a different approach
feel offended when
faced by something or in comedy
someone that is smart threatened.”
and fresh. But, after
Seinfeld’s star Julia
Louis-Dreyfuss last Wednesday’s
interview to David Letterman, I gave up
the idea, for one simple reason: she did
exactly that. After her words, nothing
better could be told about this topic.
I put my favorite parts in bold
font, but, please, read the entire text, it’s
by Gladstone
one of the best pieces of critic and
comedy (critical comedy?) you will
read in a long time. And plus: Julia
Louis-Dreyfuss: marry me.
LETTERMAN: What did you think
about Roseanne Barr’s interview, when
she said that “Seinfeld” seems like a
Beckett play and that the American
audience doesn’t understand that?
LOUIS-DREYFUSS: By saying that,
she proves that she has never read
anything that Beckett ever wrote.
I think it’s so funny that she looks at us
and thinks we are such “bright,
intellectual minds too smart to the
common people to understand”, cause
we’re NOT. I think people like
“Seinfeld” exactly for the opposite of
that, because they can
feel connect and
recognize themselves
in that situations so
makes her feel easily.
But, we laugh a lot
when she said that…
It’s funny to imagine the picture, she
watching us and saying “Hey, where
are all the fart jokes? They don’t make
Lindsay Lohan jokes? I can’t
understand that, my brain is melting, is
too intellectualized.”
LETTERMAN: It was also like she was She truly believes that American
saying: “Intelligence? Eeew… audience is not ready for a thing that
disgusting!” simply presents something that is not so
usual. For her, this is enough to be a
LOUIS-DREYFUSS: It’s so funny that mental challenge.
she thinks we are such an intellectual
challenge, just because we don’t make By saying that, she’s doing two things:
fart jokes or fat people jokes. She thinks overrating us, which I thank her for,
we are too difficult to and underrating the
understand for that audience! She
“She truly believes that
reason. We’re not, believes people are
our show is about
American audience is not not ready for
day-by-day situations ready for a thing that simply “Seinfeld” like
reached at extreme presents something that is not “Seinfeld” was
proportions so usual. For her, this is anything but a sitcom.
sometimes, but by her enough to be a mental She believes that the
description of our audience is not ready
challenge.”
show, we shouldn’t for that, like if we
be running for an “Emmy”, we should were introducing a brand new,
be running for a “Pulitzer”! We read mysterious philosophy, too complicated
what she said and asked ourselves “Are for the common John Smith, which
we that genius?” requires a huge knowledge in western
literature to appreciate it. It’s just
I think people have the right to chose another type of comedy!
what they want to watch, and not have
Roseanne Barr telling them what to The simple fact that we have a
watch. It’s like she was saying “Hey, different approach in comedy makes
you people, watching this smart, well her feel threatened.
written not obvious show, you don’t
want this! It’s too academic for you to If she really thinks that we are too
understand! You want me, Roseanne difficult to understand for that reason,
Barr! You want fat people jokes; it’s there’s something wrong about her,
that what you want, I know that ‘cause not us!
can read your mind.” Case closed your honor.