User reviews

If you are a Curb Your Enthusiasm fan as I am, you will like this movie. I absolutely love Larry David (hilarious) and Jon Hamm (a feast for your eyes) - and this was definitely an interesting match up. It is nice to see Jon Hamm outside of Mad Men, and Larry David in movies. I knew this was a must-see. There are many star surprises, including Kate Hudson, Michael Keaton, Eva Mendes, and J.B. Smoove. I found the Larry David's character to be very "Curb Your Enthusiasm" - which I find real, honest, and relateable. Perhaps the story line is a bit goofy at times; however, I laughed over and over. If you're looking for a light-hearted laugh fest (and you're a Larry David and Jon Hamm fan)... this is the movie to see!

Will Haney (Jon Hamm) is making an electric car calling it Howard. The PR manager Nathan Flomm (Larry David) refuses to market the car due to the name and sells back his 10% of the company. The company becomes a giant success and Nathan becomes a laughing stock. Ten years later, he's working on Martha's Vineyard under the name Rolly DaVore and with a different look. Everybody seems to like him but nobody knows his true past. Will shows up having bought a large property but he doesn't recognize Nathan.

I don't watch Curb although I know Larry David's character. The premise is silly but it does lead to some good poetic justice. Instead of electric cars, I'd do the iPhone. The electric car looks silly in a bad way. Instead of Siri, people would ask Howard. It's a cheaper and funnier joke. After the initial bearded first act, Larry David returns to looking like Larry David. There are some good laughs and there are a lot of A-list actors. At some point, Rolly does get more frustratingly selfish than hilariously stupid. It's a balancing act of me liking or disliking him. For some reason, Will's reveal of wanting to repay him actually make me like him more. At that point, his stupidity is self-destructive and that's funny to me. For Curb's fans, I think this would be a blast. As a Curb non-fan, I like this half of the time and I find it tolerable in the other half.

'Clear History' is certainly amusing & also well-acted, but its not Hilarious. Despite some funny moments & an ensemble to die for, this Larry David comedy doesn't really bring out the hilarity one might expect from it.

'Clear History' Synopsis: A disgraced former marketing executive plots revenge against his former boss, who made billions from the electric car company they started.

'Clear History' clearly lacks wit & top humour. Larry David, Alec Berg, David Mandel & Jeff Schaffer's Screenplay has a terrific premise & some sequences, especially when the revenge is plotted against the antagonist, do hold you interest. But, overall, its strictly average. The sub-plots are too many & sadly, not all of them even work. Even the culmination to this twisted story, isn't well-done. A far superior Screenplay could've made things better! Greg Mottola's Direction is standard.

'Clear History' is led by a very fine cast. Larry David is in his element & performs marvelously well. Michael Keaton is simply astonishing as the angered hillbilly. He steals the show & brings the house down. Bill Hader is first-rate. Jon Hamm is effective. Kate Hudson is genuine. Live Schreiber is superb. Eva Mendes is excellent. Philip Baker Hall, Amy Ryan & Danny McBride shine, as well.

On the whole, 'Clear History' has stellar performances, but thats about it.

If you're a fan of Larry David's (and I am) this feature film should make you very happy. It's very much like an extended episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm with the same sort of quirky observational humor and dependence on Larry's obsessions with the minutia of every day life. The revenge plot, the back story are just scaffolding on which to build the kind of gags that made Seinfeld and Curb so satisfying. Is Larry exploring new territory? No. But expecting LD to be different is like expecting Woody to be a different person in his films. One can argue that Woody and Bob Hope and Danny Kaye are always themselves (or at least their comic personae) in all of their movies. And I wouldn't have it any other way. There are lots of laughs in this film and Larry delivers in his signature style.

Goodish comedy. Helps if you like Larry David (as I do). Not great though: uneven and sometimes just silly. However, there are enough hysterical moments and typical Seinfeld/David-isms to keep it going.

It's like a really long episode of his show. Same kind of humour.

I do watch Curb Your Enthusiasm and think it's a funny but crazy show. When I found this movie on HBO I just read the plot, I didn't read any reviews. If I had done that I might have understood that this is a movie very much featuring Larry Davids mind and ideas. It is like a long episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm with a similar kind of plot. It's a movie about a very "special" person that always feels the need to say everything he thinks out loud and that always feels neglected. Just like Larry in Curb Your Enthusiasm.

It is a funny movie but I think some may think it's a bit too much like Curb Your Enthusiasm. It even has the same kind of music. The movie is entertaining but quirky!

I'm not a big Larry David/Curb fan, but this movie is very funny, helped by a great cast. JB Smoove and Danny McBride are a riot. Humorous plot and antics. Can't believe the lukewarm reviews, how many good comedies are there?

A much better film than I anticipated from the director of 'Superbad'. This is a television film, that's the sad part, but the production quality was like made for the big screens. From the title to the performances and the locations, all were very good. This is the tale of a man who gave up his share in a startup to realise it a few years later that he had lost a big fortune. And his second chance, how he's going to react and what he gets is what the film was focused.

The casting was really good. Even for the tiny roles, many big names came in. But Larry David ruled as the story presented from his perspective. Don't ignore it thinking it is a small screen product, because this was a unique story and very entertaining. Almost a perfect flick, including a fine pace. But in a few segments, it dragged with unnecessary scenes. More like unneeded developments to stretch the runtime. Though there's no complaint for the overall film. It's not a must see film, but if you miss it you are going to miss out a good entertainment. And finally, I liked the end credits.

7/10

I love, love, love Larry, and "Curb" is pure television gold, but this didn't work. Cast was really good, but this would have worked better as a movie version of "Curb." It just doesn't work when Larry plays his "Curb" character, which he clearly did in this movie, without the "Curb" treatment and texture. This doesn't mean the movie didn't have some clever and funny stuff, which it did, but it just doesn't work. Now, am I still grieving over the (at least temporary) demise of "Curb?" Absolutely, yes. And, there should be a federal law that if Larry is going to play anything this close to his "Curb" Larry, that Jeff must be part of the cast. It just seems this movie got hijacked by a hokey script.

"Clear History" is like an extended episode of L. D.'s Curb Your Enthusiasm. It has the same spirit, the same jokes, but yet it works on its own. How could this be? I think it's all thanks to a brilliant vision of a true genius of comedy genre, mr. Larry David.

Clear History centers on Nathan Flomm (L. D.), a marketing executive, who works for and is also a partner with Will Haney (Jon Hamm); they're working on an idea of a revolutionary electric car, but when the name of the car becomes an issue for Nathan, they part their ways. Nathan regrets it and wants to get back on the business, but Will refuses him. Nathan, in order to avoid the humiliation of having missed out on a hugely successful business, assumes a new identity on Martha's Vineyard. One day (after 10 years) a well known face shows up in town (Will Haney), and leaves Nathan no option but to plot revenge.

Any "Curb Your Enthusiasm" fan won't be disappointed with what "Clear History" has to offers, and anybody else who is not familiar with Larry David's career will enjoy it too, only for the fact that the movie is a fun ride. The jokes hit the mark, the story is simple (it's easy to follow it), the ensemble cast dances with L. D's tune and also the soundtrack (mostly supplied by Chicago's discography) make it a worthy watch on a small scale.

I suppose you could say the show "Clear History" was an extended episode of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" , but without as many laughs , and you'd be right. I enjoy "Curb" ' was a big Seinfeld fan , but to watch a Larry David joke go for over 90 minutes , or however long it went was a bit too much. OK , it was funny to see Larry in a long haired wig for the first 20 minutes , but , this show is overall NOT FUNNY! It was basically an exercise in how long you could tolerate the obnoxious Larry David persona , and after about an hour , I said "enough". I don't know what else to say , but , maybe the idea of a car called The "Howard" was funny , but that's all I'll say. Larry , go back to "Curb" , I think we'd all be better off if you did!

If you like Larry David and Curb your enthusiasm you'll enjoy this movie. It's the same type of humour as his show, but not as funny. I had a few giggles but no big laughter.

The acting was pretty good, there are a lot of big names in this like kate Judson and Jon Hamm.

I enjoyed it and recommend it for an easy and short movie to watch.

I like the smart style of humour where things come around into a full circle, it's always been my favourite thing about Larry David.

I'm actually surprised I had never even heard of this movie until I was scrolling through Binge the other day! You can tell it's a made for TV movie haha.

If Larry David wanted to make something EXACTLY like Curb Your Enthusiasm, why not just make another season of Curb Your Enthusiasm? Sadly, not only was this exactly like Curb Your Enthusiasm, but it is exactly like the later (terrible) seasons of Curb Your Enthusiasm rather than the first few seasons. JB Smoove ruined CYE and he ruined this movie that should never have been made in the first place.

Mr. David...stick to half hour comedies. You have now attempted to make a feature length film twice in your career and have failed miserably both times. And if you insist on acting, then stick to playing yourself or at least a fictionalized version of yourself like in CYE. Don't bother trying to play someone else since every character you play is exactly the same person...you.

No, seriously...do you want to know how bad this was? Think Seinfeld finale bad.

Larry David is back basically playing his character from Curb Your Enthusiam in a new HBO movie. He plays Nathan, a guy whom foolishly gave up some stocks that turned out to be worth a billion dollars. He was so humiliated, that he changed his name to Rolly and moved to the Hamptons. Years later, Will and his pretty wife show up, Will is the guy that owned the company. So Rolly is out for revenge. What he doesn't know is that Will has good intentions.

As in Curb, Rolly complains about the simplest of things and JB Smoove is back with Larry. They are great together.

FINAL VERDICT: If you like the humor in Curb, you'll surely like this. It has the same type of funny moments.

I'm drawn to Larry David's comedy by the constant stream of misanthropy running through it. It's there in all its glory in CLEAR HISTORY, a light farce about one of life's perennial losers. As a dissatisfied middle-aged Baby Boomer, I can relate to much that happens here, so I found it very funny throughout and laughed a lot, a rare experience for me when confronted with most contemporary comedy. (I also laughed a lot at BRIDESMAIDS.) If you don't share Mr. David's particular sensibility, you might not find it funny. Be forewarned. To me, David is the spiritual heir of that great Hollywood misanthrope, W.C. Fields, my all-time comedy favorite.

I thought David made an excellent leading man and is supported by a large cast of supporting players of varying degrees of stardom. I particularly enjoyed Michael Keaton as a bitter, somewhat crazy villager recruited into David's far-fetched vengeance plot. Kate Hudson is delightful as an upper-class wife not immune to the simpler charms of life on Martha's Vineyard as lived by the year-round residents who make up the bulk of the film's cast of characters. I thought the actress who played Jennifer, a local waitress whom Mr. David seems to like, looked a lot like Eva Mendes, but was sure it wasn't her until I saw her name in the end credits. What a pleasant surprise! I'd never seen J.B. Smoove before, but I enjoyed his performance as a black resident and thwarted suitor of Jennifer who loudly resents David's casual displays of seemingly ingrained racism and devises a most effective means of payback. The rock band, Chicago, plays a role in the backstory of several of the characters and four of the band members make cameo appearances. Their songs are heard at several points on the soundtrack as well.

I was especially pleased to see several film clips from King Vidor's version of THE FOUNTAINHEAD (1949), based on Ayn Rand's novel, used here to provide the inspiration for David's method of revenge against the man who arguably cheated him out of a billion-dollar payday. That man, Will Haney, well played by Jon Hamm, is the self-important billionaire creator of the energy-saving mini-car called the Howard, named, ironically, after Howard Roark, the protagonist of Rand's novel. A running gag throughout the film is the frequent sight of little Howards, with their oversized neon H emblazoned on the back, cluttering up highways and parking lots at every location used in the film. That such a tiny car would ever be so massively popular is just one of the film's many amusing absurdist conceits.

I am a huge fan of both "Seinfeld" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm". His HBO show was one of the series that I made a point of watching every week. When I read about "Clear History" I was super excited. Fisrstly, because the screeplay was written bu David, Alec Berg, Jeff Schaffer, all of which worked on Seinfeld at one point. Secondly becasuse it was directed by Greg Motolla, who has made "Superbad", "Paul" and most episodes of the first three seasons of "Arrested Development". Thirdly because of the impressive cast that LD was able to gather. It seemed nothing could go wrong. But somehow the movie fails. The script is not very funny, extremely predictable, meandering and a bit all over the place; the direction is uninspired and devoid of any comedic timming. Those claimming it is an extended "CYE" episode are very wrong in my opinion because whereas "Curb" is absolutely hilarious and guffaw inducing this movie is very much devoid of big laughs. Sure, it rises the very occasional chuckle but overall very tame and uninspired. If you need to watch a better feature film with LD, check out "Whatever Works" directed by Woody Allen. Not in any way original by Woody's standards but good for someone who appreciates Allen's work.

There is a whole bunch of comedic talent assembled for this original and hilarious HBO movie - it's a must see. It is funnier than many big budget feature film comedies. The jokes are so frequent it's sometimes easy to miss some of them. Larry David (unrecognizable at first) plays an obnoxious man involved in a start up electric car company. He cashes out just before the big success. Jon Hamm plays the company's boss.

Standouts in the cast include the always funny Eva Mendez, the not often seen enough Michael Keaton, and the surprisingly hilarious Liev Schreiber doing a Chechen character. They are all so good in comedy.

Attractive setting in Martha's Vineyard.

Hope HBO starts making more excellent movie length comedies like this one.

When you've experienced a life setback and need a laugh, this one is for you. My favorite examples of against-type casting over the years: Sean Connery in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade; Ray Winstone AND Ben Kingsley in Sexy Beast. Clear History may have bested all three, with the casting of Jon Hamm as the electric car magnate / philanthropist, playing opposite to Larry David's Nathan Flomm - a character hiding from his past and living a new life (just like Don Draper from Mad Men). Brilliant.

To be kind, Larry David vehicles tend to be a one-trick pony of sarcasm and misanthropy - if that's not your cup of tea, I completely understand. I wasn't burned out by Curb Your Enthusiasm, as it wasn't ever really on my radar, not being an HBO subscriber during its run.

Give this one a view.

I've never been a fan of Larry David. In most of the stuff where I've seen him he comes across as weird. Even so, "Clear History" is a very funny movie. This is mostly because David's character is basically every character that Woody Allen plays. This is most apparent in his conversations with Liev Schreiber's menacing Chechen. You just gotta appreciate the effort that David's vengeful milquetoast puts into his scheme, even tricking Kate Hudson's character about his identity. I actually thought that the funniest character was Michael Keaton's quarry operator. Basically, Larry David is no great comedian, but he can be funny when he tries. I recommend this movie.

I must have a vastly different sense of humor than the writers. Sorry, I hated this movie. The Chicago music was great, though. I am not a Larry David fan. However, I thought I'd give it a shot. I had to fast forward through a few of the excruciatingly long, rambling, stupid scenes. The scene with the nanny's hair "issue" was just plain dumb and painful to watch.

The fellatio premise was overplayed and added to the annoying features in this movie. The fact that the the co-founder was dumb enough to sell his stock just before the company's release of a new electric car was unbelievable. If I had known that the Seinfeld writers did this movie, I would have passed. I hated Seinfeld, too.