Highbrow Magazine - nick kroll https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/nick-kroll en ‘History of the World, Part II’ Delivers Mel Brooks’s Delightful Brand of Humor https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/23467-history-world-part-ii-delivers-mel-brooks-s-delightful-brand-humor <div class="field field-name-field-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/film-tv" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Film &amp; TV</a></div></div></div><span class="submitted-by">Submitted by tara on Thu, 03/09/2023 - 19:00</span><div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/1historyworld.jpg?itok=yfpF6Z8m"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/1historyworld.jpg?itok=yfpF6Z8m" width="480" height="270" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">It’s a blessing that Mel Brooks is not only still around, but still producing entertainment. He seems to have the magic touch, where one can’t help but laugh at something he’s in or creates, and this holds true with Hulu’s new series “History of the World, Part II.”</span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">This is a sketch show that serves as a follow-up to the movie of the same name that was released in 1981. It has a cast full of veteran comedians like Nick Kroll, Pamela Adlon, Wanda Sykes, and Jack Black. The whole series is a sequence of parodies that skip around different historical periods and events like the Civil War, the Bolshevik Revolution, and World War II. One of my favorites was the story of Jesus Christ, which was framed like an episode of “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”</span></span><br />  </p> <p><img alt="" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/2historyworld.jpg" style="height:650px; width:520px" typeof="foaf:Image" /></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">The curse of most sketch shows is that by their very nature, you’re bound to get a few duds and this show is not without parts that fall flat. Thankfully, there are many more hits than misses, but some of the misses are bad enough that you’ll want to skip right through them --  like the skit where Seth Rogen plays Noah and his ark only has dogs. </span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">While many of the sketches are parts of a long story told sporadically, some of the best ones are just one-shot ideas. That means if one series of skits isn’t entertaining, you’ll have to suffer through more of them in different episodes. It’s an idea that pays off well when it works, but also becomes a bigger issue when it doesn’t. </span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">While a lot of the sketches have a Mel Brooks feel to them, some just seem like regurgitations of other ideas that you’d see in a bad “SNL” skit or a random show with half the budget and a weaker cast. </span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><img alt="" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/3historyworld.jpg" style="height:652px; width:435px" typeof="foaf:Image" /></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">I wouldn’t expect Brooks to be at the helm of each idea, but some more quality control would have been appreciated. The good news is that the better sketches top a lot of you’d see on other comedy shows these days.</span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">Brooks has always been an acquired taste, and although this show can’t hang with the likes of “Blazing Saddles” or “Robin Hood,” it lands more often than it misses. An episode of “History of the World, Part II” makes for a good break from the many dramas that consume TV right now, and hopefully Mel Brooks has more of his own ideas to offer down the road.</span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><em><strong><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">"History of the World Part, II" is streaming on Hulu. </span></span></strong></em></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><strong>Author Bio:</strong></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><strong><em>Ulises Duenas is a senior writer at</em> Highbrow Magazine.</strong></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><strong>For Highbrow Magazine</strong></span></span></p> <p> </p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/mel-brooks" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">mel brooks</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/history-world-part-ii" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">history of the world part ii</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/hulu" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">hulu</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/comedies" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">comedies</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/comedy-series" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">comedy series</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/wanda-sykes" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">wanda sykes</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/nick-kroll" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">nick kroll</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/jack-black" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">jack black</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/seth-rogan-skit-comedy" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">seth rogan skit comedy</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tv-shows" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">tv shows</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Ulises Duenas</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pop field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Popular:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">not popular</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-bot field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Bottom Slider:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">In Slider</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-videos field-type-video-embed-field field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"> <div class="embedded-video"> <div class="player"> <iframe class="" width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/jok7jfOUUxI?width%3D640%26amp%3Bheight%3D360%26amp%3Bautoplay%3D0%26amp%3Bvq%3Dlarge%26amp%3Brel%3D0%26amp%3Bcontrols%3D1%26amp%3Bautohide%3D2%26amp%3Bshowinfo%3D1%26amp%3Bmodestbranding%3D0%26amp%3Btheme%3Ddark%26amp%3Biv_load_policy%3D1%26amp%3Bwmode%3Dopaque" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> </div> </div> </div></div></div> Fri, 10 Mar 2023 00:00:29 +0000 tara 11720 at https://www.highbrowmagazine.com https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/23467-history-world-part-ii-delivers-mel-brooks-s-delightful-brand-humor#comments