IN the pilot episode of Girls, precocious 24-year-old Hannah Horvath tries to persuade her parents to financially support her as she writes her first novel by telling them, ‘‘I think I may be the voice of my generation… or at least the voice of a generation.’’
Confident? You bet. The same tag could apply to 26-year-old New Yorker Lena Dunham – the creator, writer, star and sometimes director of the much-hyped HBO series.
At 23, Dunham wrote and starred in an independent film, Tiny Furniture, which conquered the film festival circuit and won praise for its lo-fi sensibilities, pathos and laugh-out-loud lines. Comedy superpower Judd Apatow – the man behind The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up, among others – saw it and wanted to executive produce a TV show for Dunham. HBO green-lit a pilot, then a 10-episode series, then a second series.
Critics came out in force, wanting to tear Dunham down. But Girls is a really good show. It has been billed as Sex and the City for a younger generation, a comparison largely unfounded. Sure, there’s plenty of girly chatter about love, sex, work and life – but Girls is undeniably grungier, more daring and, for the record, has a hipster-approved soundtrack.
The pilot introduced us to Horvath, her misogynist ‘‘boyfriend’’ Adam (Adam Driver) and her best pals Marine (Allison Williams), Jessa (Jemima Kirke) and Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet). Many worked with Dunham on Tiny Furniture and it shows; the chemistry between the four female leads is special.
Dunham has no fear in her writing. She happily derobes later in the series, the sex scenes are raunchy and next week’s episode revolves around abortions and STDs (in news that will have most males switching off, the V-word is mentioned. A lot). Where Girls really shines is in its humour. Horvath’s rants are a joy and episode two features a hilarious job interview scene and a cameo by comedian Mike Birbiglia.
Some have criticised the lack of non-white characters, but it’s a program about middle-class white kids who hang out with other middle-class white kids. Dunham says it is based on her real-life experiences and she didn’t want to appear tokenistic in casting.
It’s not uncommon for a hyped show to fall flat, but Girls just keeps getting better.
Showtime, Monday, 9pm.
