Cunk on Life Review: Mostly For Fans
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Philomena Cunk is back on the job, pondering some of life’s most profound questions – how the Big Bang happened and whether God is dead – although some are simpler, like “What the fuck is this?” – the succinct question posed over a painting by Pieter Bruegel.
Created by Al Campbell, Charlie Brooker, Ben Caudell, and Erika Ehler, Cunk on Life once again sees Diane Morgan plays journalist Philomena Cunk, who interviews notable professors from across fields, to help her understand some of life’s big secrets. From Nobel laureates, to Oxford/Harvard professors, an interesting bunch of experts give poised answers to Cunk’s bizarre questions.
At about 71 minutes long, Cunk on Life isn’t as hilarious as the mini-mockumentary series Cunk on Earth, so it will be fans who’d have more fun watching it. One needs to have watched Cunk’s earlier appearances to catch some of the more ‘inside’ jokes. For instance, the 1989 hit song Pump Up the Jam plays in Cunk on Life, and since the track was a ridiculously funny running gag in the series, the joke will be lost on newer viewers. The track has nothing to do with anything discussed in the show, but well, since existential is a key theme this time around, the random does make sense, if you give it a second thought.
The writing delivers some laughs here and there, but isn’t consistently witty, in-fact, it’s so dull in between that I couldn’t even watch Cunk on Life in one go, despite its short runtime. One of the most comical sections in this mockumentary was one where Cunk casually tears apart Van Gogh’s paintings. “Van Gogh’s life, any by extension, our world, would’ve been improved if he’d never painted anything.
The ‘laugh out moments’ are thin, and Diane Morgan’s impeccable performance as a bored, dense journalist deserved sharper writing.
Rating: 3 on 5. Watch ‘Cunk on Life’ on Netflix.
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