Disney+ Originals are headed our way on November 12th and we’ve been taking an early look for you. Today is a bit of a detour into the would of one of Disney’s strangest stars.
This caveat, first of all: Watching four episodes of The World According to Jeff Goldblum back-to-back-to-back-to-back probably isn’t the ideal scenario. There are eccentricities that don’t work in concentrated doses but might work as a 25-minutes of weirdness in the middle of an otherwise normal day.
https://youtu.be/P7aN9OkNl7U
The thing is, the entire existence of The World According to Jeff Goldblum is predicated on the notion that his particular brand of eccentricity is endearing enough that a viewer would be willing to follow him wherever he might lead. And given the range of topics Goldblum seems intent on covering in this oddball docu-series, that’s a pretty bold assumption.
Because there’s a curious kind of math that’s going on in the four episodes available for preview, which tries to make things equivalent that really aren’t. Each half-hour segment finds Goldblum wandering across the country, gathering information and talking to people about a topic that apparently is of great interest to him. In Episode 1, that subject is sneakers, and it is admittedly fascinating digging in to why athletic footwear has become a combination of practical need, collectible item and work of art; Episode 3 addresses the history and technique behind tattooing, covering both the contemporary, individualistic tattoo artistry of the west and the deep significance of tattoos in Polynesian cultures. But Episode 2 has as its central topic … ice cream. And while it might be mildly interesting to see someone create a custom flavor from oxalis, there’s just no equivalency between the mystery behind “why do people spend several hundred dollars for sneakers” and “why do people like ice cream.”
At the center of it all is Goldblum himself, a lanky delivery system for hand gestures that look like parts of an incantation, and plentiful touching of his own face. He does an impressive job of seeming almost mystically transported by some of the information he’s absorbing, and occasionally allowing himself to look endearingly silly, like when he shows off his running stride on equipment at the Adidas shoe research facility, and his company escort keeps telling him that his movement has “too much bop.” But at a certain point, each episode becomes less about whatever it is Goldblum is investigating, and more about him looking as though every detail he’s sharing is helping him unlock the secrets of the universe—which he will then convey to you, the viewer, in tones of hushed reverence.
It would help if there were more moments like the one in Episode 4, focusing on denim, where Goldblum goes spelunking through an abandoned California mine with Brit Eaton, a collector/treasure hunter passionately obsessed with finding items that might have been worn in the 19th century. He’s actually even more of a character than Goldblum is, and there’s a fair amount of fun in finding our host look genuinely amused by interacting with someone as odd as he is. Not everything or everyone is equally deserving of an entire half-hour of whirlwind exploration. Just because Goldblum can convey a childlike wonder at absolutely anything doesn’t mean his audience is going to feel the same.
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Let’s Hear From You
Is Jeff Goldblum a favorite of yours? Does this feel like the kind of content Disney+ should be offering? What would make Disney+ essential viewing in your opinion?
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