By Andrew Fingerett Jul 1, 2007, 21:54 GMT
Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie take their New Zealand band to the streets of New York City to claim fame and fortune in this musical comedy, but so far all they have is a dank apartment, a friend who owns a pawnshop and a girlfriend who dated, and dumped, both of them.
They must learn to cope with poverty, their incompetent manager and an obsessive woman named Mel who makes a hobby out of stalking the two musicians – and she happens to be the pair’s only fan.
The show is packed to the brim with dry humor and interspersed with musical hilarity as the duo narrates their lives using their often sloppily concocted digi-folk lyrics and tunes, properly accompanied by overly dramatic music videos to illustrate their strife.
The cast of characters is colorful and it is a joy to see the variety of personalities clash with each other.
Jemaine is the ladies’ man of the “group” while Bret is a shy, thoughtful fellow who remains stoic and harbors silent crushes on women, displaying emotion only when it is necessary for his music.
Mel, on the other hand, is a married fan girl who not-so-subtly tries constantly to snare Jemaine and Bret unwillingly into a kiss.
The band’s manager, Murray, works for the New Zealand Consulate and only manages the band in his spare time and as cheaply as possible.
The show comes in stark contrast to gritty dramas such as “Deadwood,” “Rome,” and “The Sopranos,” and is considerably goofier than other HBO comedies (except maybe “Da Ali G Show”), but it is all to the show’s credit. Flight of the Conchords is sure to satisfy any audience’s ravaging hunger for intense laughter and quirky digi-folk music.
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