Let's Be Real
By Melissa Camacho,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Irreverent puppet parodies have innuendo, strong language.
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Let's Be Real
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What's the Story?
Created by Robert Smigel, LET'S BE REAL is a comedy sketch series featuring life-size puppets of prominent individuals in politics and pop culture. From a televised news conference with New York governor Andrew Cuomo, to conversations with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, it presents timely satires of contemporary politics. It also offers political and social commentary through parodies of shows like Carpool Karaoke and The Mandalorian. Also making appearances are real-life celebrities, like Jimmy Kimmel, Zooey Deschanel, and Ed Asner.
Is It Any Good?
What began as a political comedy special has now evolved into an unapologetically irreverent series that offers timely, unsparing social commentary. Much like the popular British show Spitting Image, it parodies prominent politicians and contemporary popular culture figures and trends, and often combines the two. It also pokes fun at the way many issues, like political correctness and sexual harassment, are addressed.
Not everyone will find watching a spoof about COVID-19 vaccinations, or a puppet of former U.S. president Donald Trump trying to sell stolen items from the White House on Antiques Roadshow appropriate. But Let's Be Real isn't produced to make people feel comfortable. Some viewers may think it crosses the line from smart satire to silly ridicule. Others will find it an amusing way of thinking about, or coming to terms with, the current sociopolitical climate we are living in.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about puppets. Puppetry is an ancient form of theatre that's approximately 3000 years old. How has it been adapted over the years for modern audiences? Is it easier to poke fun of people through puppetry?
Shows like South Park and Let's Be Real are often accused of crossing the line between satire, which is often designed to deliver a social message, and ridicule for the sake of humor. What do you think? Why?
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