If You Throw Dirt, You Lose Ground…but not Necessarily in Cox, et. al.’s Case
If You Throw Dirt, You Lose Ground…but not Necessarily in Cox, et. al.’s Case
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FX’s much hyped “Dirt” has premiered, the critiques are in, and Cox and company do not lose any ground to start. |
FX has promoted and previewed for weeks…even months. Finally, “Dirt” premiered on Tuesday night, January 2, 2007. The clothing and language is as colorful and vivid as promised in the promos. The premise is specific, pointed at tabloid terrorism and paparazzi perpetration. And the acting is intriguing.
As critic Doug Elfman notes, for instance, Cox works her role as Lucy with more motivation than just payback for the paparazzi who hound her in “real” life: she instead portrays Lucy Spiller, writes Elfman, “as a two-dimensional sleaze, but with appealing, empathetic verve.”
While as Elfman also contends the verisimilitude is not the primary intention of “Dirt,” the realistic portrayals of the diabolic and those who sell out to the devil in the red dress keep the viewer engaged. Not only does Cox reach far beyond her “Friends”’ character (performing more in character with her Scream reporter persona, Gale
Weathers), but actors who play the minor roles, such as the guy who is Lucy’s first business/pleasure prey—Bret Roberts—bring added dimensions to the greed vs. need premise. Roberts, that is, brings a grungy, understandably needful (and therefore malleable) character, who is yet sensitive (to ethics) and who therefore contributes to the dramatic tension.
“Dirt” needs a few more runs before we can judge the shelf life of yet another celebrity-focused drama (which is catalogued as a “comedy” at IMDB). But if Courtney Cox sustains her play and if she and hubby Arquette keep bringing in great marginals, “Dirt” should continue to fly…without putting too much of a dent in the mountain that is quality TV entertainment under it.
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