Land of the Lost may have tanked in theaters, but the movies co-star Danny McBride more than makes up for it with the soon-to-be released DVD debut of the HBO series East Bound & Down. With stellar cameos by Will Farrell and Adam McKay (Anchor man, Talladega Nights), Jody Hill (Observe and Report), David Gordon Green (Super Bad) directing, the humor hues closely to the Judd Apatow variety and the comedy plays out great in short 30 minute spurts.
McBride, complete with flowing mullet, plays redneck Kenny Powers, a former major league baseball star with John Rocker-like career tendencies who manages to alienate his team mates, fans and the league, before getting booted out. Forced to move back to North Carolina to live with his brother’s family, Powers takes a job teaching P.E. at his old school and tries to hook back up with his former girlfriend. A show like Eastbound & Down is a perfect fit for HBO, where McBride and the other creators are able to go over-the-top with the crude, hilarious humor. Additionally, the casting of Craig Robinson (The Office) as Kenny’s faux-Born Again baseball nemesis was a fantastic coup. With the first season wrapped up with only six episodes, expectations for the next installment have sufficiently been built up.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10
Eastbound & Down – The Complete First Season /DVD/2009/HBO/180 mins.