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70Louie isn't a learning-and-hugging show by any means; but amid all of C.K.'s cocky bluster and politically incorrect language, there are plenty of rich moments of respite, when people with polarized world views actually hear and like one another.
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42Louie differs from his late, unlamented 2006 HBO show "Lucky Louie" in that he dials back the volume. Yet he manages to not only push but also assault the boundaries of what's acceptable for basic cable, even at this late hour.
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75If "Seinfeld" had an absurdist, bitter brother, it would be Louie. Denis Leary and Louis C.K. may not deserve our sympathy, but they've earned the laughs.
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Most of the time, it's hard not to laugh with--and identify with--Louie as he catalogues his misfortunes and insecurities. His problems may not be new, but Louie's execution is frequently delightful.
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Just trust me, this show is super-funny.
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80The indie-director touches do not narrow the appeal of Louie. It is, however, strictly for adults.
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30Louie is so low-key that it has no discernible pulse. To say it's unfunny is accurate (profoundly so) but also beside the point: It's un-anything.
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40We see his standup act and we laugh. We watch this whole package and the laughs are sporadic. Someday he may find the scripted sitcom that captures his humor. Not this time.
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75Often profane and occasionally offensive, Louie won't be to every viewer's taste, but it's a more interesting show than many with a definitive point of view.
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70Animals that presumably form attractions based on factors other than sense of humor might indeed think it idiotic to like a guy just because he puts himself down, but there's something undeniably endearing about Louie.
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50This series, perhaps because there are some standards, even though it's on late and on FX, is gentler and has potential. But somebody needs to step in and tell Louis to round up a few friends and save his stand-up for the comedy specials.
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80Often profane and occasionally offensive, Louie won't be to every viewer's taste, but it's a more interesting show than many with a definitive point of view.
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80As funny as he is, it's clear that Louis C.K. doesn't just want to tell jokes. He wants to present the full force of his terrible brain, the ways that he eats himself alive day after day.
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His chronic pessimism may grow harder to tolerate over the course of a 13-episode season, but for now, Louie provides brooding wit and genuine pathos in substantial enough doses to eclipse any shortcomings.
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80The star also is the writer, director and editor, does a much better job of translating Louis C.K.'s wit and comic irreverence to a weekly series. It deserves to catch on, though it's back-and-forth style might make it a tougher sell to viewersc
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70It takes a while for Louie to find its own voice, and while it is at times a crude and offensive one, it is not without a strange wit and under-the-radar appeal.
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70Some of the later episodes (I've seen four) are uneven, and the stories sometimes have the feel of standup riffs literally adapted for the screen. But even those can be funny and well-observed.
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80Divorced at 42, with two young daughters he dotes on, Louie is too sour and smart to be a true sad sack, but his ambling acid-laced misadventures have a raw and revealingly witty electricity, especially when he's sparring with his comedian buddies.
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60The nice part about Louie is that its loose structure creates ample possibilities, while its grainy vision of New York approximates the feel of an independent film. For all that, the laughs come only intermittently, and the sequences of our hapless hero doing stand-up are generally superior to his limitations as an actor.
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80Louie intelligently harnesses the dark cloud that follows a truly funny man everywhere he goes.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 34 out of 35
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Mixed: 1 out of 35
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Negative: 0 out of 35
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brndnbrndn10
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TerryW10