Nathan Fielder of The Rehearsal and Nathan for You is now exploring the far frontiers of cringe-inducing dramedy, to the point that he’s teamed up with Uncut Gems‘ Benny Safdie, a man whose work is generally filed under “anxiety-inducing”. You’ll either love it or hate it – no middle ground on this one.
How to watch The Curse in the UK
The Curse is streaming in the UK exclusively on Paramount+.
The Curse: Miniseries
What is The Curse about?
A young married couple are trying to launch both a real estate business, wherein they flip houses and help reinvigorate and/or gentrify an economically depressed New Mexico town, and a reality television series about said business. Of course, the camera captures all kinds of behaviour that may not play well in the flyover states, and after a moment of petty greed is caught, things start to unravel. It might actually be because of a literal curse, but it’s definitely a merciless satire on liberal guilt, performative progressiveness, privilege, and hypocrisy.
The cast of The Curse
Nathan Fielder is Asher Siegel; Emma Stone is his wife, Whitney; Benn Safdie is their producer/videographer, Dougie Schecter; and Corbin Bernsen and Constance Schulman are Whitney’s parents, Paul and Elizabeth, who are slumlords, tellingly enough.
What are the critics saying about The Curse?
Absolutely excruciating “but in a good way” seems to be the consensus. Make no mistake, this show is extremely uncomfortable viewing and has a view of human nature so dim only deep sea fish can see it. So if that’s not your cup of tea, it might be worth skipping this one. Having said that, if you’re a fan of awful things happening to awful people, Fielder’s stuff is primo. Our own Tony Stamp called it “…awkward, complicated and much, much weirder than you imagine” which could be a recommendation of a warning, to be honest.
