Mammals (2022– ) User Reviews (111)

We 'ate Stoke, we' ate Stoke

[fingazmc · 7/10 · 12 November 2022]

Sorry, the Tom Jones cameo set me off (he sings Stoke's song and I'm a Vale fan).

Ignore the reviews, honestly it's just people who don't like Corden with a passion, which I don't really get tbh.

I'm not a fan of him nowadays either, I loved Gavin & Stacey and remember he's acted in a load of things back in the day, people seem to forget he was an actor and writer first, so I can't see how they can say his acting is bad.

But he's basically become a plastic yank and a caricature of an English bloke at the same time which is why I'm not a fan. I also think a lot of people don't like his political views (I don't know what they are) since a reviewer on here called him Corbyn...

Anyway back to the review; Genuinely this is pretty good, there is a few laughs and there's some proper drama and I think anyone who's in a relationship really should watch, no spoilers but honestly it will make you think and be warned it gets a bit dark and affected me in a visceral way due to past relationships.

It's filmed well, there's a good supporting cast and I prefer Corden as an actor than a telly host 100% and I think he did an above average performance in this. But there is always the essence of Smithy in there, I have to admit.

If the first episode doesn't grip you then don't bother, but I can almost guarantee it will.

Ignore the troll hate and make your own mind up, but at least give it a go.

7/10.

I'm afraid I also suffer...

[durham100 · 8/10 · 26 November 2022]

...from a totally illogical dislike of James Corden. I have no idea why. And it's been going on a long time. Long before he sort of proved me right becoming all ffar too americanny and then with the omelette incident. I've never seen Gavin and Stacey so I have no idea what he was like in that. I just saw clips of car pool karaoke and things like that which made me want to kick my TV screen in. However, he is excellent in this, as is everyone. Melia Kreiling was wonderful in Tyrant and she is equally good in this and sorry, but i have to say, she is truly beautiful to the point of taking ones breath away. I love the storyline, the Coco Chanel thread which is bonkers but works and whoever chose the music throughout has to be greatly commended. This show is really DIFFERENT and it works. I get the feeling it is what Gervais was aiming for with afterlife - the feeling, not the story - and this shows how badly he missed after series one. I put off watching this due to my Cordenophobia - I heartily reccomend you do not do the same as you will be missing a treat.

The end is a huge let down

[DutchWatch21051 · 4/10 · 8 December 2022]

Such a shame. The acting is really spot on and right until almost the end we really enjoyed it. But when the curtain is drawn and the plot is finally revealed, the story is completely shattered. And as a viewer, you are left to wonder, it retrospect, what on earth you have been watching. The story, on a superficial level at least, is about a man going insane over his wife cheating on him with 3 different men. Of which one, he can't identify. But there's a dreadful suspicion. He is going through a severe crisis and he is immensely hurt by his wife's cheating. And as a viewer, you sympathize, how could you not, right? So, spoiler alert, she only cheated on him because he had cheated on her. And in the final episode, last 5 minutes, she simply confronts him with this. And he is just as amazed as you are as a viewer, because it makes no sense.

It's like watching a movie about a man who suffers due to the murder of his dog. And you sympathize. And in the final episode and after hours of watching, you learn that he first killed the dog of the man who later murdered is dog. And the entire story doesn't make sense anymore. Why did the main character kill the other man's dog, and does he not understand that the murder of his own dog, is a simple quid pro quo.

Bad example? I dare you to watch this mini series. And then reflect on this example again.

This plot reveal is so incredibly mundane and boring, not to mention completely illogical with the actions and emotions of the main character, that the series just completely comes undone.

An original take

[anna01010 · 9/10 · 12 November 2022]

This is well-trod subject material, but the show is quirky enough to make it seem original. The character development isn't spoon fed to the viewer. It gives us a view and asks us to dig deeper. The acting was terrific. I don't understand the criticism regarding James Corden. He gave an accurate portrayal of the spurned husband, and Colin Morgan is always an understated treat whose brilliant micro-expressions flawlessly develop interest and depth. Sally Hawkins' "Lue" was this bizarre, otherworldly character which was done to perfection, and Melia Kreiling was both charming and dastardly in turns as "Amandine". This is one of those stories which sticks with you for awhile and I actually watched the last episode twice just to take it in again.

Great Opening. Dark Comedy. It's Decent.

[GalAlba · 6/10 · 12 November 2022]

I echo the surprise at the poor reviews. I'm guessing they're driven by Mr Cordon's media personality? But! If you dislike someone don't watch their work.

Mr Cordon, I'm sure, at times, can be disagreeable; as can we all. I'm not American, therefore don't watch his chat show, so, I've come to this untainted and think the show is okay. It's decent.

Cordon does a good job in this retelling of a story old as time. The show has that English sense of mirth in misery; which gives it a realistic touch. No insincere Hollywood dramatisation here.

It's not a jolly old comedy romp and it's not supposed to be. In my opinion, it's a dark comedy that will make you feel uneasy and occasional smile.

This is eye-opening and heart-stopping and thoughtful and beautiful

[dlsaltzberg · 9/10 · 18 November 2022]

I don't know why more people don't see this.

I may have to watch it again, to catch more nuance.

The acting is superlative; James Cordon anchors a brilliant cast. Actor Melia Kreiling is impossibly beautiful, but her character is thoughtful yet passionate.

Don't watch when you're hungry. James (Chef Jamie) creates mouth-watering menus.

Basically, this film makes you feel and think and taste and imagine.

Why do other treat this series so badly? Am I seeing things not there? No...I think they are missing the reality of what monogomy can and cannot be.

This reminds me of columnist Dan Savage and his rants about "monogamish." This series is an illustration.

See it!

Don't pay attention to the haters. It's great.

[galuwatra · 10/10 · 11 November 2022]

This show grabbed my interest within the 1st five minutes. I can only surmise that the people giving a low rating are doing so because they don't like James Corden, for some reason. I am a huge fan of his & he knocked it out of the park. He is a brilliant comedic and dramatic actor. This show is heartbreaking , interesting & quirky. I watched without any expectations & was extremely pleased with the entire series. Every character's life, in the show, is messy & complicated. All of the performances were excellent. Ignore the bad reviews, this one is definitely worth a watch. I love any show that truly surprises me & this one certainly did!

Better than I expected, Colin Morgan is great

[rosemaryandthyme · 7/10 · 11 November 2022]

James Corden will always be Smithy from Gavin and Stacey to me and I did like him in that role. Then he moved to the USA, got his own show and went all "Hollywood". When I saw that he was starring in this new series on Prime I was going to give it a miss until I saw Colin Morgan's name. I held my nose and pressed play so I could at least watch Colin. I have to say it was far better than I expected. JC was ok (a more serious Smithy) and Colin didn't disappoint (a very different and cute role for him). The first episode hooked me straight away due to the small twist at the end. The scenery, countryside and homes were beautiful. The Tom Jones cameo topped it off.

There is nothing . . . NOTHING else like this

[whatithinkis · 10/10 · 15 November 2022]

It is amazing and continuous in its ever evolving, entertaining, surprising and ultimately profoundly victorious story telling.

Everyone and every thing excels. No missteps. The Writing, Directing, Acting . . . Everything . . . The pacing is perfect. The DEPTH.

And it is a comedy. So subtle it's almost like whispering. It makes no sense and yet it comprehends and explains all the aspects of all the things.

This review will make no sense as well before you see the work. Then once you have experienced it, this review will make all the sense that's needed. Just like the work.

Breathtaking in its risk taking. Breathtaking in its success.

We forgot we live in a dream

[oyshalt · 6/10 · 11 November 2022]

...obviously so did some other people making a futile attempt to review the series. It's quite interesting, and even ironic when observing how so many of us miss the point, getting caught up in the dissolution that things must be as they are presented in form, genera, concepts and even trivial things as our subjective opinion about the actors. I was very surprised by all the negative reviews, so I decided to give a shot at balancing it out with a more objective approach. I'm still in the process of wrapping my head around the dreamlike storytelling and symbolical nature of the series, but I believe we're dealing with a profound and deeply important problem that is rooted within our collective consciousness and culture. I really love the way they address this in an almost mythological manner, and delighted by all the hints that this is something far beyond a trivial comedy surprised . On the contrary, it's touching something way way deeper than we would like to admit, and I think this is intentionally made to make us feel uncomfortable. It's really brilliant when you start to get the the idea, and the biggest clue for me, was when, and in the context Amandine mentioned Albert Camus, and of course the whale and Moby-Dick references.

PS: my native language is Norwegian, and I apologize for any misspelling and bad formulations.

Momentary smiles can't undo depressing cringe.

[PlutoZoo · 4/10 · 28 November 2022]

That this is painted by some of the suspiciously higher ratings as a black comedy strikes me as a stretch. I guess such opinions are from those types who would argue that a tomatoe is a fruit or that a blank canvas is art until you eventually throw them out of a moving car and provide them with the very demise they would call comedy, apparently.

This show isn't a comedy because the comedic moments are so very few and far between that they get drowned out by the abject grim depression that the writer seems to think would add to this effort at deadpan humour. It seems as if it's trying to be similar to a well known deadpan comedy about a grieving man, but the balance is way off and it doesn't work.

James Cordon has good and bad moments, his better ones when he's remembered that he doesn't need to shout-speak and perhaps he's spent too long on his talkshow being loud and shouty. I'm neither a fan nor a hater of his and did like him in Gavin & Stacy, The History Boys and his sketch with George Michael. Problem is he's exactly the same here. If that's what they call acting, being the same in everything, then perhaps that's the problem.

The story is essentially that he discovers his wife is a three time cheating slapper but doesn't confront her. There's where the story becomes silly and stupid. He just follows her and her lovers, discovering one after the other. He break into one of their apartments to confront the man but can't confront his own wife. So, the plot mechanisms are naff and contrived.

One funny aspect of his British drama is it casts the cheating wife as French, which struck me as a tired stereotype, as if the British don't take lovers. They prefer car parks near where dogs are walked.

All in all, it's silly, drawn out, boring and mediocre.

Every bad freshman poetry class come to life.

[starjosie · 3/10 · 28 November 2022]

As every, and I do mean every, positive reviewer laughably believes a negative review is due to a dislike of Mr. Corden, let me assure you I am barely familiar with him other from a few Carpool Karaoke episodes many years ago, which I enjoyed.

Mammals was so painfully shallow. It reminded me of an overly dramatic, shockingly immature college freshman who sits in their window at night, gazing at the moon, penning horrible poetry. The desperation to be conceived as deep and meaningful, the awkward and heavy handed use of metaphor and beat you over the head symbolism was so off putting that by the sixth episode, when it looked like a character might harm themselves, I was rooting for them to end it. I was kind of hoping there would be a spate of incidents culminating in the characters no longer existing. The lack of finesse and subtlety was astounding.

What did I just watch?

[richardkiddle · 3/10 · 16 November 2022]

I'm not going to waste time bashing James Corden. Suffice to say I watched this despite him and because I love Sally Hawkins. Sally is predictably good in this but rather wasted.

This show tries to masquerade as something new but it's a story of infidelity that's been told a thousand times. And *spoiler alert* the tired trope of the best friend betraying said friend by sleeping with his wife..I saw this "twist" coming a mile off.

The show bills itself as a comedy..but personally I don't find themes of infidelity, betrayal & suicide a hoot. I think the only time I smiled was at the random Tom Jones cameo. This is a show that thinks it's cleverer & funnier & more incisive than it actually is. It has the depth of a souffle.

Don't believe negative reviews

[collincb · 7/10 · 14 November 2022]

This is a really good show with really good acting. The plot line is excellent and has a nice twist at the end. I'm hoping they have a 2nd season. I think the negative reviews are because some people don't like James Corbin. Ignore them and give it a watch. I guarantee you finish the first season in one sitting. Watch this. It's good. Lead actress is very good as well. I'm eager to see what a second season will unfold as there is plenty of room for more seasons and character development. I read in one negative review that Corbin is a talk show host and not an actor. Well that person is unaware that Corbin has acted long before becoming a talk show host. Ignore the hate. Watch it it's great.

Binge worthy, beautiful deeper meanings about love, partnership, and existence

[megmerriet · 10/10 · 17 November 2022]

I don't think people should rate the show poorly just because they have mixed feelings about one of its actors. When I read an article talking about how this show provided a beautiful commentary about how monogamy can be at once essential and suffocating and it's allusions to Moby Dick and literature, I was surprised to see how low its ratings on IMDB were. I guess people don't like the male lead because of his offensive sense of humor??? That has nothing to do with this show. The writing is superb. The actors really create a spellbinding story. I watched this over the course of two nights because I could not look away. Amandine is tragic and mesmerizing. The pain of loving someone you can't trust is all too real for so many people, and this show delves into the magic of love and its horrors, drawing parallels between the sea and the unknown nature of another person. I LOVED IT. I am still trying to figure out the ending.... :\ but overall, I remain enraptured with this story. It has made me think more deeply about my former romantic relationships and how wonderful it feels when for a brief moment, you both believe in the impossible, that you and another person could love each other fully and forever.

What are the critics talking about??

[les-180 · 10/10 · 15 November 2022]

I rarely write comments on IMDB but, feel absolutely compelled after the rating and the back stabbing comments about this series... "What on Earth are they talking about???"

I guarantee there is a single one of the people who commented, slagging off the show, that had actually watched it. It's a shame that people do this as it really is a fantastic show.

So PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!!! Do not read the critisisms and give it a try, this is actually something quite special. I can only imagine it is because it is British and Americans don't regard anything we do as good. Like when you take our series and remake, and spoil, them. I won't name any but, there are many!!!!

Great show, forget what you think you are going to get with James Cordon, watch it and I guarantee you will enjoy.

Les.

The whale is superfluous

[jgreco7 · 3/10 · 15 November 2022]

"We must believe in magic." Crystal Gayle and William Shakespeare. "It's not a robbery; it's a burglary." "Second Story Story," 1971, "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." When you steal, steal from the best. To be fair, there are good ideas in this recycled mishmash of comic pastiche. But to find them you must slog through six episodes of Woody Allen, Dudley Moore, Zach Galifianakis, and Gordon Ramsey. Comedy that teeters on tragedy is in vogue now. It's what, you know, the Bard dabbled in, evidently writer Jez Butterworth's inspiration here. And inspiration as well from manic James Corden, erupting on cue (his schtick). Butterworth borrows contemporary tropes, too. Passing wind in an elevator? That's how you do meet cute. Tom Jones and Moby Dick? They're both mammals. Trout Almandine? It's a French dish. Sally Hawkins is wasted as a dreamy sprite, imagining she's Coco Channel, falling for the actor who played Gavin opposite Corden, before he became popular in America. His character Jamie lives a kind of boudoir version of mad love with a maladjusted French woman. She could be Penelope from "Baskets." She is adulterous with three lovers. Jamie, only one. He's taken by her while at sea; they see a whale; he leaves his wife and marries her; they visit a seaside cottage (not enchanted); they see another whale, and Tom Jones; she miscarries and has affairs; he finds out and leaves her. In this tiresome amalgamation of comedy, tragedy, and fantasy, what Jamie learns, if anything is to be learned, is a lesson about adultery in the real world: it's what happens when you're human. The whale is superfluous.

Self indulgent narcissistic nonsense

[vivnista · 1/10 · 6 December 2022]

The first epidode pulled me in, I mean, who doesn't love a bit of Tom Jones. Then it got weird and pointless. There is literally nothing to like about any of the characters. Not one thing. I either wanted to slap them or shake them. To be clear, I'm not talking about the performers, I have enjoyed them in other things, but the people they portray are so insipid.

I finished the series because I'm a completist, I don't like loose ends but it got no better at all. Save yourselves and go watch literally ANYTHING else. Now, if someone could just tell me where the holiday cottage was that they filmed in, that may pacify me a smidge.....

Not a Cordon fan but....

[pmcging-90470 · 8/10 · 12 November 2022]

Well I was decently gripped from start to end and I wanted to finish the whole series in one session. Nice and short at just 30 mins a piece so not a hard task. The acting was slightly over the top by Cordon but Hawkins was standout and the fantastical side plot drew me in.

The locations and cinematography were great, it shot the beautiful aspect of cities and countryside.

There seems to be a lot of negative reviews and I was almost put off watching this pretty decent series based on these however I am glad I flicked it on the box last night. Definitely worth a watch, even for a non James Cordon fan.

Misses the mark

[SurreyReviewsUK · 3/10 · 14 November 2022]

It's not that it's badly written, more that it's old hat - partner finds other person has been having a affair, gets angry, shouts a lot and their life implodes. Some of the scenes are filmed nicely, and some of the dialogue is worked well(ish). Depending upon what you find 'funny' or entertaining' will dictate if you will like this. If you are a fan of American Chat Shows and the whole 'hilarity' out of the basics, then this is for you - not too taxing and the so called twists are very easy to spot from the start - brick in face approach. But if you like your entertainment a little less insulting on your intelligence (and ears caused by over dramatised acting styles) then give this a miss, it's not for you. As an aside I've read some reviews that seem to attack Cordon, not sure why, he is average in this so not sure what is causing some of the comments.

Corden Bleh

[nick-watson · 2/10 · 11 November 2022]

Most of us know that you can sell just about old thing as "comedy" if you put a.popular comedic actor in the leading role.

Sadly, there did not appear to be one available, so James Corden got the gig and so it became a dramedy ... which is industry slang for "not at all funny, but lacks the necessary plot, script and character depth to be considered an actual Drama" If you liked Gavin and Stacey (and your Doctor is prepared to increase your prescription dosage) then you might enjoy this .. in the same way that old people "enjoy" staring out of the window for 8 hours a day.

One has to assume that Corden got a lot of money for this, but his co-stars probably got paid a lot more knowing they had to share screen-time with him.

Pretentious twaddle

[malcolmjohnston · 3/10 · 25 November 2022]

After seeing and hearing all the buzz surrounding this new James Corden show I was intrigued into what he would take a role in as he is a phenomenal writer himself but has chosen some real lame ducks over the last few years.

The first episode has most of the highlights shown in the trailers which is always a bad sign also unless you are blind what is the surprise twist is clear as day from this episode but apart from a brief cameo from Sir Tom Jones and a mildly fun ending episode 1 is enough to put you off the rest of the series.

My wife encouraged me to persevere and to my surprise the next 2 episodes did get better but there was a weirded undercurrent coming to the fore.

This I'm afraid is the big problem with Mammals Over the next 3 episodes it shifts from what could be a great show with a decent cast but instead goes off on a tangent that is pretentious at best , just plain twaddle at worst .

Just because the show contains an edgy French central character doesn't mean you need to try to be part Avent-gard as it just comes across as plain dumb

A show with this cast should be a joy instead you're left trying to hold on to the funny moments (and there are a few) then just grit your teeth through the plain embarrassing scenes that make no sense.

Don't believe the haters

[dldavidlittle-02751 · 8/10 · 11 November 2022]

I rarely post reviews on imdb.

But having watched this with the preconception that I currently dislike James Corden and then seeing the average score.....I felt I had to.

I don't know if people are just on a hate campaign right now with Corden? Believe me I think he's been getting too big for his own boots......but the score for this os a joke.

Watch it....watch it without going into it already hating the Star of the show.......and he is the star of the show.

As much as I want to throw scorn on James Corden and the fact he's let hos SNL show and his US glory go to his head....with all things considered....he is really good in this.

If there is one thing I take from this drama...it has to be...James come home.....ditch the US...ditch the chat shows.....get back to what you obviously do best...acting.

WONDERFUL!!!

[michelevickers-64607 · 10/10 · 11 November 2022]

First let me say, there were hundreds of trolls on here rating this series BEFORE the series even premiered. They hate James Corden, so you can negate most negative views to that.

Watched all six episodes last night. Was hooked from the very first episode.

Let me say, that Colin Morgan was outstanding! The man is a tremendous actor. I look forward to seeing him in many more things. And it certainly doesn't hurt that he's eye candy as well!

The series has many twists and turns, and always keeps you guessing.

The acting was great from every single member of the cast as well.

I highly recommend this show. Don't let the James Corden haters dissuade you from watching it.

Too Much Blubber

[PurpleProseOfCairo · 1/10 · 17 November 2022]

I'm not surprised James Corden has been shouting at New York wait staff recently. He must have been in a really bad mood when he finished filming this. Like me, he probably thought it was going well for the first couple of episodes then realised too late he was being sucked downwards into a spiral of laughable pretentiousness, boredom and outrageous misjudgement.

As you can read elsewhere, after his wife has a miscarriage early in episode one, Corden's character discovers evidence on her phone that she has been unfaithful with multiple partners. He chooses to deal with this in the most ridiculous manner. After some time, we discover that he is - guess what - a temperamental genius chef. Cue obligatory scenes of shouting random dishes in the kitchen to a chorus of "Yes, chef! Yes, chef!" Original, what? Suddenly, a whole episode is devoted to a flashback. The backstory of the couple - and if you dosed Barbara Cartland up with a gallon of syrup, she could not have come up with a less plausible origins story for these two.

Soon we have another episode almost exclusively devoted to a fantasy sequence, apparently based on the worst movie ever made, Phantom Thread. Posh food, posh fashion - goodness me, could this series BE any cooler?

Sally Hawkins, chief protagonist in the latter sequence, is not only wasted here, but rubbish. As are most of the participants. The standard of acting is strictly school play.

In the final episode, the makers demonstrate just how little they know about creating entertainment, or art for that matter. Where the story should be reaching a dramatic conclusion, we get along interludes where people sit and talk at each other. We get a character, stumbling around drunk and high (and there are a few more boring things. Than following the progress of someone in that state) and right at the last we get ... A giant whale falling from the sky into the street. At this point, I did something I never do - I swore at the television. It really was that annoyingly bad. The only consolation was that we got to see the hilarious sight of Corden running (filmed in three meter bursts) I had seen this advertised on social media and all the comments without fail said they would not watch anything with Corden in it. I decided to buck the trend as I thought he was great in The Wrong Mans a few years ago. Looks like that was a blip!

Mammals is truly awful. Avoid like a drunk on a railway platform.