The Reviews Of Lena Dunham's Netflix Show Too Much Are In – And They Will Surprise You

Graziadaily

2 days ago

Lena Dunham has huge shoes to fill – even if they were her own shoes anyway. In her first major project since her era-defining series, Girls , Dunham's new romcom _Too Muc_h has finally arrived on Netflix. The ten-part series, loosely based on Dunham's own experiences meeting her husband Luis Felber, follows New Yorker Jessica (Megan Stalter) as she moves to London in a bid to get over her ex-boyfriend. There she finds a surprising but undeniable connection with a punk musician called Felix (Will Sharpe).
And much like Dunham herself, Too Much has received a lot of hype. In fact, it's not a stretch to say it's been the most highly anticipated show of the summer. But does it live up to it? While we're sure the series will stand its ground on the Netflix most-watched list, is it worth hours of your weekend? Is it as good as Girls ? And, most importantly, is it the modern romcom we've been waiting for? Read on to find out.
Lucy Mangan at The Guardian gave the show a poor two stars calling it a 'cliche-ridden total disappointment'. Ouch. 'The Girls creator's hugely anticipated return to TV is just not good enough. It's tonally jarring, full of laboured jokes and abandons all thoughts of innovation,' she writes. 'You expect far better.'
Meanwhile, David Craig at Radio Times awarded the show three stars, writing that it 'lives up to its title' of being too much. As for the characters, Craig argues they seem to exist 'just to incessantly natter about nothing much at all in the name of "comedy", but alas, it significantly misses the mark while also playing into every negative stereotype about what Londoners are like (only some of which are true)'.
Another three star review came from Anita Singh at The Telegraph . As she puts it, the show 'pays its respect to the oeuvre of Richard Curtis but lacks real romantic charm'. Madd Mussen at The Standard agrees. 'By Netflix standards, it's a good show,' she posits. 'But it's not Girls. Nowhere near. Too Much isn't going to be shaping anyone, or raising anyone. It's a good time, but it's no masterpiece.'
According to Angie Han at The Hollywood Reporter, Too Much has intimacy issues. She writes that the show 'struggles to lose itself in its emotions, yielding a romance that's sweet enough to like but too cool to fall head over heels for'. Adding that, 'For a whirlwind romance, Too Much feels awfully dispassionate.'
However, Carol Midgley at The Times thinks otherwise. Offering a four-star review she said, 'It's sort of a romcom (and there are nods to various British comedies, TV classics and Jane Austen throughout), but it's a rom-com with bite, noir and pin-sharp observations that show that Dunham's writing still sparkles.'
Nikki Peach is a writer at Grazia UK, working across entertainment, TV and news. She has also written for the i, i-D and the New Statesman Media Group and covers all things pop culture for Grazia (treating high and lowbrow with equal respect).