Schitt's Creek

Cafe Society
1

You have heard the expression, “Up Schitt’s Creek”?

Well, whether you have heard it before or not, I do hope you will enjoy using it at least once. I have recently discovered and enjoyed a nice little TV show by the same name.

Here it is: Schitt's Creek (TV Series 2015–2020) - IMDb

I looked and I searched but I could not find any thread anywhere for that show on this board.

I must tell you - for those of you who may not know - the show runners for this are Eugene Levy and his son Dan. At least I have some reasons for believing they are father and son.

I first started watching this show with a great deal of intrepidation since I first became aware of Eugene Levy when he did a Canadian skit comedy show called “SCTV”. It was quite famous in Canada and the other nine people who shared in the production of the show were: Joe Flaherty, Andrea Martin, Dave Thomas, John Candy, Catherine O’Hara, Tony Rosato, Robin Duke, Harold Ramis and Rick Moranis.

Many of the ten people who starred in SCTV went on to great fame and fortune in New York on SNL or other movies or TV shows. Unfortunately, some of them went on to just about nothing. So sad. Boo Hoo!

But, I got kind of scared for Eugene Levy when I first heard that he was starring in a show called Schitt’s Creek because he has not worked in a long time (that I could see) and I was worried that he was close to broke and close to a bad ending).

After watching a few of the episodes, it seemed to me this show was kind of a desperate lunge at paying his bills and I don’t know. But it just kind of feelt very pretentious and somewhat faked.

However there is definitely some real nice news about this show. Two of the female leads are really very lovely - very, very, nice and very very talented as well.

They are: Emily Hampshire (she may well be the very best actor on this show). She plays Stevie Budd who is the motel desk clerk and I think I love her.

Also: Annie Murphy plays Alexis Rose. She is the daughter. The family consists of husband and wife and a son and daughter. The son and daughter are around 25 to 30 years old.

The father is Johnny Rose (Eugene Levy). The mother is Moira Rose (Catherine O’Hara). The son is David Rose (Dan Levy) and the daughter is Alexis Rose (Annie Murphy).

I must admit this show seemed kind of strained and weird when I first saw it. But it really does grow on you and after you’ve seen a few episodes, it really does become an awfully nice little show.

I never thought that I would admit this. But I really kind of like it. As a matter of fact, I kind of like it a lot. Very, very strange. But I sure do hope it works out well for everyone involved.

It’s a real nice show and very enjoyable and to me, it’s very entertaining as well.

It’s just a stupid name and I sure do wish they would pick a better name.

2

I think both SCTV and Eugene Levy are better known than you seem to believe. Also, Eugene has had a fair amount of work since then, particularly in the “American Pie” movies (which I have not seen). I had never heard of this show, but on the basis of Eugene and Catherine O’Hara alone I would be willing to check it out.

3

Oh Yeah! American Pie. I completely forgot about those movies. Thank you for reminding me.

:slight_smile:

4

Levy was also great in “A Mighty Wind.” He also starred in the short-lived Fox show, “Greg the Bunny” along with Seth Green.

5

Oh yes! I completely forgot about those too … although, I’m afraid the reason may have been that I hated them so much.

So many people had such nice things to say about those movies but I just couldn’t get it. They were all mostly ad libbed. Oh I just couldn’t understand why so many people thought there were so entertaining. I asked many people and tried to listen carefully to what they said. But, it was just no dice. None at all. Not even one. I just couldn’t get it. The truth? I just hated them all so very much.

A Mighty Wind (2003) - A Mighty Wind (2003) - IMDb

Best in Show (2000) - Best in Show (2000) - IMDb

Waiting for Guffman (1996) - 7.6 - Waiting for Guffman (1996) - IMDb

OK. So there were 3 of them. Did I miss some?

Anyway, I sure do wish someone here could explain to me in a brief one line just why these films were so well received. I just thought they were all just so incredibly stupid and definitely not entertaining. Can anyone explain to me just why they thought those movies were at all entertaining?

I never ever got it. Never. I may be stupid. But, in any case, I just never understood. Not even once. Not any part of it. Never even got close to understanding.

6

Tastes differ! For me, A Mighty Wind is hilarious, because I’ve been to music festivals and seen exactly that kind of thing happen! I know people who are exactly like these people!

Also…the music, while parodic (is that a word) is good! The sound-track is worth studying, as it has some additional songs not in the movie. Every single one of the songs is wrong, in some subtle (sometimes not subtle!) way. The Sea-Chanty, for instance, uses a bunch of nautical terms…and every single one of them is wrong! (“The furbelow of the mighty whale!”)

And yet…every song on the album is pretty! It’s all actually good music. “Old Joe’s Place” and “Never Did No Wanderin’” and “Potato’s in the Paddy Wagon” are foot-stompin, whistlin’ while you walk to work, jolly, happy good pieces of solid musical style.

It’s hard to write good music that’s so subtly bad. (Any P.D.Q. Bach fans here will understand completely!)

So it goes. That’s why there’s chocolate and vanilla.

7

Trinopus,

Thank you very much. What a nicely put response.

I actually begin to understand this now. I don’t think that I will ever like the movies. But I will give a second listen to the music and see if there is anything about it that I can live with and not hate.

Thanks ever so much for such a fine explanation!

8

Almost all of the songs in “A Mighty Wind” were written by the cast members. Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer, who played the Folksmen (and are also famous for Spinal Tap) wrote the bulk of the music, along with McKean’s wife, actress Annette O’Toole. Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara (Mitch and Mickey) also composed a couple of the songs.

9

There’s a web-site with the lyrics to the songs.

However, it’s not complete! The song, “The Skeletons of Quinto” involves some spoken Spanish, and the lyrics quoted on that site just say [Spanish.] I’d love to know what is actually said.

(The joke, by the way, is that, while it is a socialist workers’ song, deploring the cruel treatment of the laborers by the landlords, the Spanish spoken parts are in elegant Castilian dialect, such as a farm-worker would very likely NOT enunciate!)

10

Now, maybe that fits in with what I was saying? These eletist swine (especially Michael McKean (I’m only half joking)), they tell these jokes that only a very, very tiny fraction of the population could ever understand. How many people understand the Castillian dialect and Spanish farm workers and the language they speak?

It’s just extremely above my head and above the heads of, (I’m just guessing) but maybe 99 percent of the population? So they are telling these jokes that hardly anyone could ever understand. That is the kind of thing that really burns me. It’s just kind of ridiculous. It’s kind of like they are laughing at us and that makes me want to tell them to just “Piss Off”. Take their fucking movie and stick it!

I don’t know if I explained that well or if it just came off as an angry rant. But I just don’t feel I want to support some art that is clearly not meant for me to be able to understand.

There are other points like that - I just feel they are excluding me and maybe even laughing at me. So why the fuck should I support them? Maybe I’m not understanding this. But if there are parts of their films that are not intended for me to understand, what are the parts that **are **intended for me?

11

Now I need a tee-shirt that says “Elitist Swine.”

Preferably in a style that looks like schoolyard grafitti or prison tattoos.

12

I don’t know you. But I’m still willing to guess that Tee-shirt would look good on you.

I think it would look good on anyone.

Of course, you do realize I was only half joking. I’ve always liked Michael McKean. The thing that bothers me is the idea that some people who create movies or TV shows think they can make good jokes - even though only a tiny fraction of their audience will understand it.

That really bothers me because it is an “elitist” kind of joke and it really does laugh at the majority of the people who will be watching their products.

That’s just not nice. Boo Hoo!

:frowning: :frowning: :frowning: :frowning: :frowning:

And they should know better. They are in the business of appealing to us. Not laughing at us. The fuckers!

I’m guessing these are the same people who produced that movie about the Fokkers and who think it so funny to laugh ta us with their elitist humor. Sigh. It just pisses me right off! Right Off!

Yes it does.

:frowning: :frowning: :frowning: :frowning: :frowning:

13

I’m quite certain the expression is “Up Shit Creek” (without a paddle).

14

Now that you mention it, I must admit I am no longer certain and you may very probably be correct.

15

Relax, it’s his sister.

16

You forgot another Christopher Guest movie with most of the same cast, For Your Consideration. Not quite as good as the others, IMO, all of which I thought were pretty hysterical (and yes I do own the Mighty Wind soundtrack, which also features a folk/acoustical version of the Rolling Stones’ “Start Me Up.”)

17

But back to the show…

I watched, enjoyed and recommended it after seeing the first two episodes. The next couple didn’t do as much for me and I haven’t watched since.

18

I have seen two episodes and the chemistry wasn’t there. The only laugh out loud moment for me was the casting of Chris Elliott as the father of an father of a adult slacker. Until now, the role of adult slacker was Elliott’s.

19

I’m going to guess that you just didn’t get it.

20

Going back to the SCTV days, Levy has been hit or miss for me. His best work was in the Guest movies. Same with O’Hara. I’ve watched three or four episodes of Schitt’s Creek and have not been all that impressed. I don’t know if I’ll watch any more, although Chris Elliot is good as the mayor.