Scan barcode
A review by william_sg
Man Seeking Woman by Simon Rich
3.0
Clever. The word was probably written on his creative essays as a teenager because all of these short stories feel like they exist solely for him to receive that one-word kind of praise again.
That isn’t to cheapen the level of talent that is present in this book. Comedy is difficult. I feel that Rich took the UCB improv/sketch writing lessons to the logical maximum here. Reading this book, I realized just how easy it can be to write in such a way.
Yet I feel like his worldview is awfully limited as many of the stories trot out the same old sitcommy heteronormative tropes, just in a ridiculous high concept form. There’s not a lot of ideas or commentary present that sheds light on anything that is specific for our generation, it’s all just reaffirming social mores of dating and sex in a more absurdist way. A few standout as something different (“I Love Girl”) but it’s mostly the same style over and over again, becoming predictable and silly all too fast.
In other words, he’s the perfect SNL writer.
That isn’t to cheapen the level of talent that is present in this book. Comedy is difficult. I feel that Rich took the UCB improv/sketch writing lessons to the logical maximum here. Reading this book, I realized just how easy it can be to write in such a way.
Yet I feel like his worldview is awfully limited as many of the stories trot out the same old sitcommy heteronormative tropes, just in a ridiculous high concept form. There’s not a lot of ideas or commentary present that sheds light on anything that is specific for our generation, it’s all just reaffirming social mores of dating and sex in a more absurdist way. A few standout as something different (“I Love Girl”) but it’s mostly the same style over and over again, becoming predictable and silly all too fast.
In other words, he’s the perfect SNL writer.