HBO's new show starring Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman, Big Little Lies, premiered at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. Based on the book with the same name, written by Liane Moriarty, the premiere show garnered praises from everyone present at the event. But what do the TV critics have to say about the show?
Also Read: Big Little Lies: Five things you need to know before watching HBO's new all-star show
Plot: Based on the New York Times number-one bestseller by Liane Moriarty, this seven-part limited series is a subversive, dark-lit comedy drama about a murder. The series explores society's myth of perfection and the contradictions that lie beneath the idealised facade of marriage, sex, parenting and friendship.
Comparing the show with the first season of True Detective, Variety's TV Critic Sonia Saraiya said Big Little Lies is less about the whodunit than about the world at large. "It is maddening to once again contemplate the ultra-rich — but in this case, it is also deeply satisfying; Big Little Lies is a bonfire of the vanities for this faux-progressive, self-satisfied set. Underneath the show's mystery is a searing glimpse at the longevity of trauma and the limitations of intimacy, especially when it comes to the gender that still, even in the most affluent and progressive circles, tends to be the one that raises the children," she said.
Saraiya also pointed out the outstanding performances by Kidman and Witherspoon. "Witherspoon, as lead Madeline, inhabits the unforgiving contours of a character who is relentlessly awful. It would be simple to flatten this role into mere villainy, but in Witherspoon's hands, Madeline's rage is oceanic — seething and vast, concerned only with expanding its territory. She (Kidman) is so good at becoming this flawed and strange character that she is hauntingly arresting," she said.
TV Line's Dave Nemetz called the show HBO's Wicked (Good) Miniseries. "If the story sags at all, it's when Woodley's Jane is the focus — only because her dark back story is so far removed from the rest of the moms, it feels like it's from a different series altogether. Big Little Lies is at its best when it plunges us into the trenches of the Monterey moms' social warfare, fought on the battlefields of elementary-school functions and kids' birthday parties... where words can cut almost as deeply as knives do," he said.
Meanwhile, Hollywood Reporter's Tim Goodman felt Big Little Lies is yet another soapy show. "HBO's soapy melodrama is more annoying than entertaining, and its marquee cast can't correct that. Unfortunately, Big Little Lies feels a lot like a soapy ABC drama, with nudity. The endeavor seems to be constantly pushing its take-me-seriously tone and getting in the way of the fun. It's precisely that rigorous pursuit of gravitas that makes Big Little Lies so divisive. On top of the murder and the twists that will come from it, we are to fixate on bad marriages, abuse, working moms vs. stay-at-home moms, recalcitrant teens, bullying, suburban ennui, general unhappiness and a bevy of hurt feelings and curt social exchanges. It's a lot. And it's never subtle," he wrote. However, he added Big Little Lies is a must-watch limited series for people who like high volume drama and soap.
Newsweek's Tom Shone wrote, "The first few episodes have the luxury of being able to punt. Director Jean-Marc Vallée fills the gap with lots of arty shots of sea foam and a feel-your-pain soundtrack including Stevie Nicks and Neil Young, but Kelley's script will eventually have to decide between the two. I hope he lets one of these momma grizzlies summon a real roar."
So is it worth watching? Absolutely. Big Little Lies airs on February 19 at 9pm ET/PT on HBO and February 23 at 10 PM IST on Star World Premiere HD. Watch the trailer below:
Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern, Zoë Kravitz, Alexander Skarsgård, Adam Scott, James Tupper, Jeffrey Nordling, Santiago Cabrera, PJ Byrne and Virginia Kull.
Directed by: Jean-Marc Vallée
Written for television and created by: David E Kelley
