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!
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indiemovieenthusiast14 March 2014
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SnoopyStyle6 January 2019Will 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. -
namashi_129 July 2015'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. -
gjtoon-111 August 2013If 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.
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grantss2 December 2019Goodish 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.
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missbata22 April 2020It's like a really long episode of his show. Same kind of humour.
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BrentAMG23 January 2014On screen, Larry David's luck sucks, this is clear. If you have seen HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm you are privy to this idea. In "Curb," as many fans call it (myself being one of them), Larry David plays himself. He is a grade-A jerk whom most people can identify with in some way. At the very least, people admire some of the qualities he possesses, such as his unabashed honesty. From what I understand, David is not characterizing himself that much. He really is kind of an off-putting person. But does he really have bad luck? I mean, there is no way a successful writer/ actor has that much bad luck. That is what I thought, at least, until I saw Clear History where David, again, plays a person much like himself who has a knack to get stuck in unfortunate events.
Clear History is a story of a disgraced former marketing guru, Nathan, (David) who plots to get revenge on his boss, Will (Jon Hamm). Nathan owns a 10 percent share in an electric car company. When Will reveals the name of the car to be "Howard," Nathan protests that he cannot market that name. Being the bull-headed individual that he (and apparently real Larry David) is, he offers Will an ultimatum of changing the name of the vehicle or selling back his ten percent stake. Will buys back the shares. Soon after, Nathan's wife (soon to be ex-wife) tells him to go get his shares back. Unfortunately for Nathan, Will refuses. In the not-so-distant future, the "Howard" takes off and Nathan's ten percent stake became worth $1 billion. The media catches word of the partner who dipped right before the break-through and look to interview him. In typical "Davidian" fashion, Nathan humiliates himself on national television. The disgrace ruins his marriage (David can't keep a wife) and forces him to change his name and go into solitude.
Nathan finds peace on an island from Southern California. That is, until Will and his wife (Kate Hudson) begin building a massive house in his neighborhood. Will does not recognize Nathan because he is no longer bearded (like above) but looks like classic Larry David. Also, his name is now Rolly. Rolly recalls his former hate for Will and decides to get back at him by blowing up his house. It is the journey to this event, where we meet familiar faces.
Rolly does not know the first thing about blowing up a house so his best friend Frank (Danny McBride) introduces him to some regular crack-pots, Rags and Joe Stumpo (Bill Hader and Michael Keaton), who go into cahoots together. For a moment, Rolly believes that Will's wife, Rhonda, has a hidden desire for him. He switches his plan to stealing Will's wife. When this does not pan out, the initial plan is reenacted until Rolly finds out that Will has been looking for him for the past ten years. Why else does Will want to find Rolly, aka Nathan, but to repay him for the wrong he did him ten years ago? Oh, and that house he was planning to blow up? For terminally sick kids. Finding out Will's true intentions, Nathan rushes back to the mansion, but it is too late. A bus load of children watch the house explode. Three years later, Nathan, Rags, and Stumpo are released from prison. Nathan decides to go by Rolly indefinitely and becomes a sort-of hero on the island. No one really liked the monstrosity of a house Will had built.
Overall, Clear History is worth a watch. However, if they released it on DVD/ Blu-Ray, I would not buy it for my collection. While I enjoy Larry David being Larry David, it can get soporific. If you have seen any of Curb Your Enthusiam, you know David's character in this film. Danny McBride's and Bill Hader's characters, while amusing, were typical performances of the actors. Jon Hamm's performance was unorthodox for him and, consequently, enjoyable. Furthermore, Michael Keaton managed to be entertaining through an offbeat role, as he pulled off in The Other Guys. 6.5/10 -
MLDinTN11 August 2013Larry 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. -
"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. -
frukostrast25 August 2017I 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 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.
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davesjbb2 August 2020I'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?
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BrianDanaCamp16 August 2013I'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 looked forward to this movie having watched every episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm and never laughed more. So when I knew he was essentially playing the same character I was optimistic. What a let down, he should have played it as a different character because what makes Larry David funny in CYE is that he is comfortable in the world of wealth and leisure where things annoy him. He has an air of authority which is continually undermined by his need to confront. The cast around him are excellent. As a poor man in Marthas Vineyard he has no credibility, you feel he wouldn't be tolerated as Larry David because he has no kudos, no Seinfeld behind him. The people around him are bland except for the fantastic J.B.Smoove maybe he should have included more of the original cast. It just didn't work for me even though I wanted it to. I'm still waiting for Season 9 of Curb Your Enthusiasm.
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baconbit10 August 2013If 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. -
hugomelo6009 December 2013I 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.
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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 -
RevRonster22 August 2013I love "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and I'm a little disappointed we may never see another season...however, the geniuses behind that series brings us the HBO movie "Clear History." While it's possible it could annoy some viewers as the film very much has the feel of "Curb" and--actually, let's just be honest here, the movie is just a long episode of the show as it even includes the same music and the same humor style; the only thing it lacks is the actors aren't playing characterized versions of themselves. Of course, I didn't think the fact it had the "Curb" familiarity (or "Curb" appeal, I guess) really hurt the film that much.
The story is simple but fun and there's a great cast and some fantastic humor in it. However, a lot of the cast feels like they weren't utilized to the extent they should have been. Actors like Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, Bill Hader and Danny McBride are all here and do a great job but ultimately left me wanting more and filled me with a desire to see them make more funny moments.
"Clear History" isn't blasting into new territory of comedy like "Curb" did when it first started but, despite its problems, I still really enjoyed it and found it amusing. -
lee_eisenberg25 December 2013I'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.
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phd_travel14 September 2013There 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. -
Med-Jasta29 January 2020Funny and well acted. The main thing I didn't like was that when the movie was over I asked myself, What was the point? And when the plot kicked in to high gear the comedy kinda disappeared. Other than that good though.
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mitchco1013 October 2013I 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!
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airfoyle1 September 2013Not everyone is a raving fan of "Curb Your Enthusiasm." The show is often like watching a root- canal procedure as Larry David's character plunges himself into one unnecessary, painfully embarrassing situation after another. There's some of that in "Clear History," but the character has mellowed. You can understand why people like Rolly, the name of the hard-luck case Larry David plays here. He's irascible, but then the other people in his little community are just as irascible and just as quirky; he fits in well. "Clear History" is a farce, a word that I wouldn't exactly apply to "Curb." It's a sequence of disasters based on carefully timed misunderstandings. The scene where Rolly is on the way to stop one such disaster when he has to pause when he encounters two friends who have just been in a motorcycle accident is priceless. He tell the two friends that he just doesn't have time to help them; the two friends are incredulous and angry, but he's actually right! If you were in his situation, you wouldn't help them and you wouldn't be able to explain either. The crush Rolly develops on Kate Hudson's character is also believable and funny, especially the way it (of course) comes crashing down around him.
The cast is terrific. Watch for Liev Schreiber in an uncredited role. -
gwnightscream2 May 2020Larry David and Jon Hamm star in this 2013 comedy. David (Curb Your Enthusiasm) plays Nathan, a marketing exec who quits after having a disagreement with his business associate, Will (Hamm). Ten years later, Nathan is living under assumed name, Rolly in Martha's Vineyard and when he sees that Will is now living there, he decides to get back at him by destroying his house. Kate Hudson, Danny McBride, Michael Keaton, Eva Mendez, Bill Hader and Liev Schreiber also appear as well as David's Curb collaborators, J.B. Smoove and Philip Baker Hall. This is an amusing comedy with a good cast and David is a delight as usual. Check this out if you're a fan of Curb or David.
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steve148029 August 2013Kate Hudson actually cracks up entirely out of character in this movie and it's been left in, the filmmakers having presumably convinced themselves that the audience has so thoroughly bought in to their stick figure reality that it will just accept the moment as quirky/delightful. No. This is just another vastly self indulgent pastiche of over acted improv bits making it clear again that there is some kind of illiterate, crap-comedy virus weaving its way through Hollywood. One's jaw drops to find a community filled with movieland celebs plotzing over the remade "history cleared" Larry David. How could it be possible that anybody likes this Constant Whiner? They don't go into it and in fact give ample evidence for the absurdity of the idea. This is not a half-hour episode of quick jokes in an imagined environment whose history we well know, such as Curb or Seinfeld....this is a full length movie and the non- sequiturs start to add up very quickly. Nothing grates like seeing real movie stars giving performances worthy of bad community theater often too serious and too "funny" at the same time. The many testimonies on the movie website to the joy and creativity of doing improv with Larry give additional evidence as to the addled and deluded world these people live in. Philip Baker-Hall thinks the David Method is superior to Stella Adler etc. Bwahahaha. The characters in this film are the Walking Comedic Dead. Reality Score on a scale 1-10: 1 Giving it a 3 for the scenery, Larry David's make-up and the star sightings. Only guy missing is Michael J. Fox, God bless him for staying home.