Not all that bad...
It's surprisingly entertaining to follow the macho, bombastic billionaire character Charlie Croker (played by Jeff Daniels) as his business empire comes under siege from a creditor bank. The meetings between Croker and the equally pompous bank president are filled with almost literal chest-thumping between a pair of gorillas, as they clash over Croker's overleveraged position. The bank is aided by a scheming underling named Raymond Peepgrass that's obsessed over vengeance against Croker.
One thing that really bothered me was Peepgrass' girlfriend, who is supposed to be Finnish. Everything about her character is off-the accent is some strange mix of Russian or Eastern European, her looks, clothing, expressions, behavior, and even her name don't resemble anything found in Finnish. You'd think that with the budget for a miniseries, they could get at least one aspect of her character right, even if they were just guessing at random. But no, it's a perfect 100% miss-a total gutterball that doesn't hit a single pin and is a failure in every direction.
Despite this, the drama surrounding the main characters is engaging. The ex-wife (Diane Lane), her best friend (Lucy Liu), the sympathetic son, and the bright black lawyer defending a young black man who strikes back at a brutal white police officer all add depth to the story.
Croker's fumbling attempt to secure financial backing by wooing a cautious, discreet fellow billionaire ends just as expected in disaster. This follows a bizarre scene where that fellow's wife is forced to witness the forced procreation between two horses at Croker's ranch. Of course, she immediately wants to cut the visit short right then because she's a liberal - at least according to the weird preconceptions of what it means to be a liberal (maybe it was picked from Tom Wolfe's book?).
Overall, it's a quite an entertaining miniseries filled with the twists and mishaps of a larger-than-life character and his crumbling fortune.
One thing that really bothered me was Peepgrass' girlfriend, who is supposed to be Finnish. Everything about her character is off-the accent is some strange mix of Russian or Eastern European, her looks, clothing, expressions, behavior, and even her name don't resemble anything found in Finnish. You'd think that with the budget for a miniseries, they could get at least one aspect of her character right, even if they were just guessing at random. But no, it's a perfect 100% miss-a total gutterball that doesn't hit a single pin and is a failure in every direction.
Despite this, the drama surrounding the main characters is engaging. The ex-wife (Diane Lane), her best friend (Lucy Liu), the sympathetic son, and the bright black lawyer defending a young black man who strikes back at a brutal white police officer all add depth to the story.
Croker's fumbling attempt to secure financial backing by wooing a cautious, discreet fellow billionaire ends just as expected in disaster. This follows a bizarre scene where that fellow's wife is forced to witness the forced procreation between two horses at Croker's ranch. Of course, she immediately wants to cut the visit short right then because she's a liberal - at least according to the weird preconceptions of what it means to be a liberal (maybe it was picked from Tom Wolfe's book?).
Overall, it's a quite an entertaining miniseries filled with the twists and mishaps of a larger-than-life character and his crumbling fortune.
- DrWilhielmWonk
- Aug 3, 2024