'CALIFORNICATION' SELLS HOLLYWOOD, BUT NOT SO WELL.Byline: > David Kronke "Californication's" anti-hero anti-hero, principal character of a modern literary or dramatic work who lacks the attributes of the traditional protagonist or hero. The anti-hero's lack of courage, honesty, or grace, his weaknesses and confusion, often reflect modern man's ambivalence toward , Hank Moody, is well-named: "I'm disgusted with my life and myself, but I'm not unhappy about that." Hank (David Duchovny) laments -- or is it boasts? -- to his agent, Charlie (Evan Handler), the one guy who'll put up with his abject behavior. Hank is a once-serious writer undone by Hollywood. His acclaimed novel, "God Hates Us All," was transformed into an insipid romantic comedy, "Crazy Little Thing Called Love," and the experience ossified os·si·fy v. os·si·fied, os·si·fy·ing, os·si·fies v.intr. 1. To change into bone; become bony. 2. his creative juices. It also destroyed his relationship with his girlfriend Karen (Natascha McElhone), who's now engaged to a stand-up stand·up or stand-up adj. 1. Standing erect; upright: a standup collar. 2. Taken, done, or used while standing: a standup supper; a standup bar. (read that: rich but dull) guy, and might eventually alienate his tween tween n. A child between middle childhood and adolesence, usually between 8 and 12 years old. [Blend of teen1 and between.] daughter, Becca (Madeleine Martin), who is picking up a few vices of her own. Now, Hank whores and boozes his way through life -- he gets four women naked in tonight's episode alone, and he has two simultaneously groping grope v. groped, grop·ing, gropes v.intr. 1. To reach about uncertainly; feel one's way: groped for the telephone. 2. him at a dinner party next week, and that's not even counting the porn star who undresses for him. He even manages to mire mire (mer) [Fr.] one of the figures on the arm of an ophthalmometer whose images are reflected on the cornea; measurement of their variations determines the amount of corneal astigmatism. mire n. himself into a situation that's transgressive even by pay-cable standards and makes post-coital vomiting with a Scientologist mildly amusing. Hey, it beats working for a living. Even though the past few years are littered with such underperforming shows, Hollywood still hasn't figured out that the rest of the country just isn't that into shows about Hollywood. And even though Duchovny deftly conveys the wry confidence of a charismatic jerk who knows his wounded wit and good looks will allow him to get away with his bad behavior, one wonders how many viewers will, ultimately, buy into Hank and his issues. In 2003, Showtime offered a similar series, "Out of Order," starring Eric Stolz and Felicity Huffman, and likewise gave a voice to Hollywood writers who, despite lives of comfort and easy sex, still managed to kvetch kvetch Slang intr.v. kvetched, kvetch·ing, kvetch·es To complain persistently and whiningly. n. 1. A chronic, whining complainer. 2. endlessly about how hard their lives were. It went nowhere with viewers whose lives actually were hard. Though "Californication's" punch lines are punchier and its sex more copious, it may experience the same difficulties in locating an empathetic em·pa·thet·ic adj. Empathic. em  pa·thet i·cal·ly adv. viewership outside L.A. County.
CALIFORNICATION - Two and one half stars >What: David Duchovny stars as a blocked writer who eases the pain by sleeping with every woman in Los Angeles. >Where: Showtime. >When: 10:30 and 11:35 tonight; 11 and 11:35p.m. Tuesday; 9p.m. Wednesday. >In a nutshell: Duchovny is amusingly charming; the show is a little self-indulgent. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: David Duchovny is Hank Moody, who boozes and whores his way through life, in Showtime's "Californication." |
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