Nick Kroll has finally done something funny! I’ve seen his stand-up, feh. His characters are mediocre. The movies he’s co-starred, I haven’t read any rave reviews. Big Mouth seems to work better as a vehicle for what he likes to do though…characters because he plays Coach Steve and a mean, popular girl alongside a mini-version of himself. Same goes for co-star John Mulaney who is a staple at Moontower yet I’ve never seen him do his thing; my brother swears by the guy.
Big Mouth is all about the uncensored misadventures of five middle schoolers undergoing the hormonal transition from children to teenager. Being Netflix, I want to emphasize the term uncensored in that this show is not for little kids, especially when the Hormone Monsters show up to torment Jessi and Andrew; the monsters are hilariously portrayed by Maya Rudolph and Nick Kroll. Is it funny? Yes. Is it gross? Quite. Mouth strikes a better balance than South Park which has gotten really long in the tooth with Parker and Stone trying to shock when what they often do is preach from their bullshit Libertarian pulpit. These characters are more genuine about their awkwardness, humiliation and mood swings, meaning, no one is a sociopath like Cartman.
Besides the Hormone Monsters, the show does have other departures from reality: the boys often consult the ghost of Duke Ellington for advice, body parts speak and Nathan Fillion plays himself reincarnated as a dog.
If you’ve enjoyed King of the Hill, namely Bobby and his friends’ personal issues and the good, John Hughes adolescent/teen flicks, Big Mouth will pay off. Still waiting to see if Netflix will give the nod for season two.