Long one, rant that is.

How to make it in America

- how two dudes try to make it big in the Big Apple

I wasn’t a big fan of the premise in the beginning, I’ll admit that. I kept thinking, that it would be in the same vein as the other ”HBO-show-showing-how-your-ife-would-be-if-it-was-dramatized-and-you-were-highly-successful-in-Hollywood, ”Entourage”. Of course, they, Vince and the gang. already achieved a bit of success. But what about those who are just bubbling under the surface, eager to make a name for themselves?

Here’s where ”How To Make It In America” (or HTMIIA) comes in. I saw the pilot one late night and I think I never looked back after hitting that play button. The show has a distinct taste of 2010 especially with the intro that’s filled with pictures of the life in New York, kind of like those you would find on a decent photoblog. It caters to the cool, the hip who like the simple, but effective fonts and stop-motion sequences. Every scene-transition uses photographic images that are crisp and makes us read cinematography in a new way. We’ve seen this kind of use before, but it’s only now that I actually notice it. Must be the New York scene.

In the show, we have dopey-looking Bryan Greenberg playing the main protagonist, Ben Epstein. A late 20-something graphic artist / designer / ”good at drawing” New Yorker who’ve just failed selling his own line of designed skate decks with his annoying, but optimistic sidekick, Cam Calderon. They have big ideas, but as one character in the show duly notes, they have trouble following through. Instead they try to force their ideas on already successful people and they use their well-connected friend Domingo, played by Kid Cudi to get in touch with them. They’re bound to fail. No business plan, no real funding and no idea how to conduct business.

I’ll just air my two cents here now. The show seems to try to educate or show that making it in America is about having an unique idea and be organized. Leave personal stuff out of it (Ben has problems getting over his ex) and have a financial backer. No money, no production as the boys learn this pretty quick. But we still love an underdog and we root for them. But is it a good show? I wish it was funnier and I wish they’d focus less on Rene (he has some funny bits though.)

But to be fair, the show is enjoyable with girls like Shannyn Sossamon and even a guest appearance by Samaire Armstrong (give this girl a main role please?). But it feels like watching the character ”Turtle” without Vince. A guy who wants to do stuff, but need others to do it for him. I actually want to see more of Kid Cudi. Right now, he’s just the token black guy and he should get more face-time. I don’t really care much for Cam’s cousin Rene and his ”Rasta Monsta” problem.

I’m still hoping the boys make it though. The American Dream still exists, right?

(i'm drunk. i have no capacity to get more pictures. )