The Curse (Episodes 1 - 3)

Austin Estrada

Review By

Nathan Fielder

Directed by

Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie

November 12, 2023

Written By

Released (Showtime)

Summary

Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie’s “The Curse” hold up a mirror to our fascination with reality TV and fabricated feel-good moments.

Noted Characters and Cast

Whitney Siegel (Emma Stone), Asher Siegel (Nathan Fielder), and Dougie Schecter (Benny Safdie)

Whitney Siegel

Whitney “wears the pants” in the relationship. She’s more sociable, and commanding, and has a vision for her marriage and television dreams.

Asher Siegel

Asher is the peanut butter to Whitney’s jelly and his shallow TV kindness is more fallible for he’s less empathetic than his wife.

Dougie Schecter

Dougie will say and do anything to get the “perfect shot.” He’s a master manipulator and has no problem faking anything for TV, including a woman’s tears.

Review Summary

Emma Stone's depiction of a Joanna Gaines (Star of Fixer Upper) type mixed with Lady Macbeth in each episode is a notable highlight over the first three episodes.

Review Summary

“The Curse” is as unnerving as it is riveting as it pursues depicting those whose altruism is performative, and it picks at the scabs of would-be reality TV stars.