The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle [DVD]

Everybody loves a good juicy comedy about how stupid and shallow the world of celebrity/showbiz is, but few of them have any real wit. One of the few exceptions is "The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle," a deliciously intelligent, razor-edged black comedy that pulls few punches... and even better, it has Jennifer Saunders as the love-to-hate-her TV host.Vivienne Vyle (Saunders) is a daytime TV host who specializes in shows like "My Son Calls The Wrong Man 'Daddy'," overseen by her insane, frazzled producer Helena de Wend (Miranda Richardson). Then during a show, she's assaulted by a guest and a large security guard accidentally falls on her head. She also almost has a breakdown, leading a psychiatrist to be assigned to follow her during her work.Having gotten a sudden burst of fame from her accident, Vivienne decides that she wants to take her show to the next level -- she tries to talk to the audience, has a disastrous interview with a tabloid reporter, wins "Best Daytime Talk Show" (only to ditch the awards ceremony), and suffers from an attack of "success." But being a host also means that her gay husband Jared (Conleth Hill) comes under scrutiny...In case you're wondering, "The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle" is not merely a showbiz version of "Absolute Fabulous." It's more like "The Office" -- a witty Britcom without a laugh track or punchlines -- but instead of looking at the world of commerce, it's focused on the entertainment world in all its sleazy shallow glory.And just about everything on popular TV is mocked -- the bottom-feeding themes, the stars insulated from "real life," the pathetic people who humiliate themselves on TV for a few seconds of vulgar fame. The dry sense of humor permeates the entire series (Jared's attempts to fix the plumbing) and there's plenty of darkly mocking dialogue ("Why haven't we started the production meeting?!" "Because you weren't HERE." "Does everything have to fall apart because I'm not here?" "You're the PRODUCER").The main problem with this show, however, is that it isn't entirely sure whether it wants to be a dry comedy or a drama. Most of the time it's darkly funny, but there are stretches that are just bleak (Jonathan talking about encountering the children of junkies) or pure belly-laugh (Vivienne having a musical hallucination).Jennifer Saunders is probably one of the few great comedians of our times, and she succeeds in making Vivienne more than a caricature. Yes, she's an egotistical, ambitious, bratty woman who sees nothing odd about having a fifteen-foot photo of herself wallpapered in her apartment, but somehow Saunders makes you like her despite that, particularly during some touching moments with Jared.Richardson is gloriously ditzy, dizzy and eccentric, a career woman who's getting nothing done (her kid only speaks Spanish and thinks the nanny is her mom) and always looks like she just rolled out of bed. Hill is rather sweet as Vyle's insanely patient husband, although I never figured out why she married a gay guy."The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle" is a satirical, biting show that sometimes vacillates between drama and comedy, but is still deliciously warped anyway. Not a comedy for people who like pratfalls and silly faces.

Purchased this because I loved Jennifer in AbFab. Was not disappointed! Great watch! 😂

This is a wonderful semi-departure for Jennifer Saunders. In this she plays a woman who is fully in charge of a television, interview show, but, true to Jennifer, Vivienne is as obnoxious as they come (but without the merit of pity, LOL). It is a delightful series too watch and well worth the time for fans looking for a good follow-up to Absolutely Fabulous.

I really enjoyed this new six-episode series. Jennifer plays a daytime talk show host a la Jerry Springer- tacky and sensational. Her guests are the dregs of society and she showers them with abuse with the stated purpose of helping them. The real purpose being to generate ratings, of course. The series is full of Saunders' trademark dry wit spiced up with occassional camp pratfalls.She's even meaner than Edina Monsoon, though, which took a couple of minutes to get used to.I also enjoyed the supporting players. Her relationship with her gay husband is fun to watch, and in the sixth episode, there is a heart -touching (well, sort of) twist. If you like Jennifer Saunders (I LOVE Jennifer Saunders), you will enjoy this.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this dvd. I purchased it because I have enjoyed almost everything I have seen Jennifer Saunders star in. This series was no disappointment. It's a morose comedy which follows the life of a talk show hostess striving to cope with her own life, which, at times appears to be as dysfunctional as the lives of her talk show guests. She is a vile woman; arrogant, mean spirited, selfish, and constantly stands in judgement of the people who come to her show for help with their lives. The writing and acting is superb, and it is always interesting to watch a 'show within a show.' I hope that there is another series.

I have always been a fan of AbFab and when I saw this I had to check it out. It' funny, but not as funny as Absolutely Fabulous series. But a good watch if you are a fan of BBC comedy and Jennifer Saunders and her work. She is Absolutely Fabulous. P.

Jennifer came up with a good character! Vivienne Vyle. She is a talk show host with lot's of things to say to people. Lot's of f-words. Vivienne Vyle could go on forever. She is a character that is ballzy and offers her own view on different subjects. It does miss something! Other than that, you can really enjoy Vivienne! This puts american talk shows to shame!

Excellent. Yes, lots of the fearsome "f" word, but those who complain about it are missing the joke. It is a running gag! Part of the overall horrid nature of all of the characters, one might say. Saunders is just fantastic. Buy it and be prepared for some very edgy, very pessimistic humor from characters you can't help but hate. Not for kids!

Any fan of French and Saunders ,must add this to their collection.

A fabulous satire on the fad that is talk shows. Very funny sub plots too. A revolting character made loveable through humour.

With Jennifer Saunders you know you're in for a laugh as well as some social commentary. I could tell this was a parody of The Jeremy Kyle show and I loved it.