When I sat down on Youtube and took a look at some of the free clips from Joe Pera Talks with You, I expected typical Adult Swim fare. Sarcastic dry humor against a surreal and even occasionally horrifying backdrop. It's the kind of humor I enjoy, and it's the reason I tune into Adult Swim's stranger lineup.
What I got instead was something, simply put, beautiful. I say this without irony, without sarcasm, without hesitation. Joe Pera Talks with You is a beautiful series.
Writer/creator/producer Joe Pera stars as a fictionalized version of himself, a quietly passionate, socially awkward, and exceptionally kind choir teacher who wanders through his small Michigan town pondering on life, friendship, worldly and personal problems, love, the subtle complexities of ordering breakfast in a diner, and whether a fractured soul can be whole again. At 11 minutes per episode (aside from a few special 22 minute epics), its meandering, calm pace never overstays its welcome and despite an intentionally "boring" approach never actually bores, largely thanks to its well shot setting and beautifully chosen music.
Its humor is sharp when it chooses to sneak in, stunning you with surprised fits of laughter with pinpoint precision, and its dramatic moments are heartfelt, natural, and incredibly moving, without ever getting preachy.
The performances are all enjoyable if relaxingly simplistic, but Pera himself takes the show and powerfully drives it, wearing the grandfatherly guise, posture, and wisdom of a man sixty years his senior as though it was always who he was.
There is a sincerity in Joe Pera Talks with You that cannot be ignored, and it plays out with a truly positive outlook that chooses to lovingly coexist with its negative world, rather than ignore it outright.
Joe Pera Talks with You will make you feel good. It's as simple as that.
Review of Joe Pera Talks with You
