Strike Out: Why Eastbound & Down Sucks

Can we all officially agree that Danny McBride isn't funny? The recent belle-of-the-comedy-ball and the man seemingly hand chosen by Will Ferrell and Judd Apatow to be the next big thing has been rubbing me the wrong way in nearly all of his appearances during the past year. Having re-watched Pineapple Express this weekend, I can safely say that not only does it reside firmly in the "not good" category, but Mr. McBride's performance is atrocious. Save one great line ("You just got killed by a Daewoo Lanos motherfucker!"), I didn't laugh at one thing he said. He fared a little better in Tropic Thunder, basically doing the same character--a redneck with a mullet--but that doesn't really say much. And from the looks of the trailer for Observe and Report, it's safe to assume that he'll give audiences another variation on his usual melody.

Then there's his new HBO comedy series Eastbound & Down.

In a word: Oof.

Mr. McBride's down home series about a John Rocker-type relief pitcher named Kenny Powers, who gets banished from the Major Leagues, goes back to his hometown and becomes a gym teacher, tries to establish itself as a rough-and-tumble second cousin to Will Ferrell's Talladega Nights (Mr. Ferrell is a producer alongside Nights director Adam McKay). Instead, it comes off as crass, stupid and completely unnecessary. (Do jokes about a "John Rocker-type" even matter anymore? That dude hasn't been relevant in eight years.)

Did I laugh? Sometimes. But that doesn't mean the show is any good. Everything about Eastbound & Down feels off--from the lack of real Major League Baseball logos (always a pet peeve to me) to Kenny's general attitude. The man is so incredibly unlikable that you simply cannot root for him in any capacity. Mr. McBride has got the concept of "Will Ferrell" down, but without any of the childlike insouciance and winning innocence that make Mr. Ferrell's statements of self-promotional grandeur so amusing. The shame of it all is that the rest of the cast is pretty gosh-darn winning. Katy Mixon, so hilarious as Jon Favreau's wife in the otherwise terrible Four Christmases, plays Mr. McBride's former high school sweetheart with a smirk that seems to foretell greater things; John Hawkes, of Deadwood fame, is a welcomed sight as Kenny's older and calmer brother; and Andrew Daly (who you might know as Dick Pepperfield from Semi-Pro) basically steals the show as the obtuse principal who doesn't realize Kenny is going to steal his fiancee, the aforementioned Ms. Mixon.

It's too bad they're all wasted on this trite series. If you were thinking about watching Eastbound & Down, do yourself a favor and don't bother. Kenny Powers, you're fucking out!