‘The Four Seasons’ series review: Food, friends and Vivaldi-OxBig News Network

Colman Domingo, left, and Marco Calvani in a scene from “The Four Seasons”.
| Photo Credit: JON PACK

After watching Matthias Schweighöfer’s Army of Thieves and obsessively listening to Wagner’s Ring cycle operas (Colin Dexter’s Inspector Morse also contributed to a fascination with the German composer), The Four Seasonshas prompted a passion for Vivaldi’s violin concerti celebrating spring, summer, autumn and winter.

Based on the eponymous 1981 movie, The Four Seasons, which Tina Fey adapted with Lang Fisher and Tracey Wigfield, while not laugh-out-loud funny all the time, has enough going for it to elicit warm smiles as we recognise ourselves or friends in the couples on screen.

Steve Carell, Kerri Kenney, Tina Fey, Colman Domingo, Marco Calvani, and Will Forte in a scene from “The Four Seasons”.

Three couples — Kate (Fey) and Jack (Will Forte), Claude (Marco Calvani) and Danny (Colman Domingo), and Anne (Kerri Kenney-Silver) and Nick (Steve Carell) — go on vacation four times a year. In spring, they go to Nick and Anne’s lakeside cottage to celebrate the couple’s 25th wedding anniversary, only to learn to their horror that while Anne has planned a surprise party to renew their vows, Nick wants to end the marriage as he is not happy with Anne anymore.“We are like co-workers in a nuclear facility,” Nick explains to Danny.

Once Nick and Anne have separated, Nick brings his much younger girlfriend, Ginny (Erika Henningsen), to the vacations, upsetting the group dynamic. The others are not willing to give Ginny a chance, out of a sense of loyalty to Anne. Ginny also does not do herself many favours, choosing a decidedly uncomfortable “eco-friendly” resort for the group’s summer vacation.

Ginny acts much younger than her 32 years, more like she and her friends are 20-something flower children, but never mind. Awkwardness abounds during autumn break when both Anne and Ginny land up for a family weekend at Anne and Nick’s daughter Lila’s (Julia Lester) school. Kate and Jack’s daughter, Beth (Ashlyn Maddox), also goes there. Things take a turn for the worse during Lila’s play which reveals exactly what she thinks of Ginny and her father.

Winter sees Nick celebrating New Year’s Eve with Ginny’s friends, who are mostly sober and vegan, while Anne joins the group with Terry (Toby Huss), whom she is dating.

Steve Carell in a scene from “The Four Seasons”
| Photo Credit:
JON PACK

Through the seasonal vacations, the friends and couples get into fights, apologise and are there for each other. Even the fact that the jokes do not come thick and fast is reassuring, as not everyone can be “on” all the time and makes Danny telling Kate “why is your face so loud” that much more funny.

The funeral, the stripper-shoe-shaped urn, the sea urchin bite, the heart surgery and The Burning Man sand goggles all come together for eight half-hour episodes of frothy fun. These are people one can happily spend time together, giggling and tearing up in equal measure.

And there is Vivaldi and Vampire Weekend, or Terry’s truly dreadful rendition of ‘Candle in the Wind’ and the friends’ reaction, to sweeten the deal.

The Four Seasons is currently streaming on Netflix