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"4:20" could have been the refreshing hit of the summer, but failed on almost all fronts - voila! culture

2023-06-03T22:50:57.228Z

Highlights: One concerned father teams up with two failed dealers to catch a special strain of cannabis in Hot's light-hearted crime series. But puzzling dialogue and shocking chemistry between the actors lead to a disappointing result. "4:20" was created by Ido Dror and David Dahan, best known from youth series such as "Galis" and directed by Jonathan Bar-Ilan, who has signed another children's series - the acclaimed Palmach. The very attempt is admirable, and undoubtedly tries to echo the huge hit of the same Hot from the beginning of the previous decade, "Asfur"


One concerned father teams up with two failed dealers to catch a special strain of cannabis in Hot's light-hearted crime series. But puzzling dialogue and shocking chemistry between the actors lead to a disappointing result


An unfortunate miss. From "4:20" (Photo: official website, photo: Ohad Romano and courtesy of HOT and NEXT TV)

Drug trafficking has become widespread on Israeli television in recent years: from the lost boys of "Alumim" and "Bnei Or" to the experimental drugs of "Pamta" - a substance from a high circulating in the streets, that is, on the screen. Without getting into moral panic, you can notice that this smoky bonfire is joined by another series that cannabis stars in - "4:20" (Hot), named after the famous slang for smoking weed. It was created by Ido Dror and David Dahan, best known from youth series such as "Galis", and directed by Jonathan Bar-Ilan, who has signed another children's series - the acclaimed Palmach.

Plot summary (from the two episodes sent to journalists): Snake catcher Assi (Oz Zehavi) and his ex-wife Nivi (Yuval Scharf) are concerned parents of a little girl suffering from epilepsy (Emanuelle Pfeffer, daughter of Uri Pfeffer and Yael Goldman). The only thing that alleviates the daughter's suffering is cannabis oil of a certain kind, which she receives as part of a medical experiment entrusted to, of course, mother's new partner. However, when one of the children loses consciousness, the experiment is stopped and cannabis is sent for destruction. Nivi is convinced that there is no way out other than complex and risky brain surgery – which Assi strongly opposes.

Terrible chemistry. From "4:20" (Photo: official website, photo: Ohad Romano and courtesy of HOT and NEXT TV)

Therefore, Assi - who under circumstances that have not entirely been clarified is also involved in the money laundering of others - decides to capture the lost cannabis on the way to destruction and refine it himself. To this end, he uses the comic break of the series - two frightened young men, stupid and failed drug dealers (Dolev Mesika and Neve Tzur), who stupidly accumulate a huge debt to their supplier, who have no way to repay. Somehow, it's all about a ruthless local mobster who everyone owes (Hanan Savion is quite likable in a role that ranges from reserved to angry). Other guest appearances, among others: Aki Avni, Alma Dishi and more.

So, from here on, it's safe to assume that "4:20" is likely to become another semi-comedy drama about ordinary people who get entangled in the world of crime. There have been quite a few such series in Israel in recent years, but most of them chose a more realistic direction and a darker tone than this series, which is not obvious on Israeli television and tries to create a lighter viewing experience, with a fast pace, creative sting operations and even stellar humor. The very attempt is admirable, and undoubtedly tries to echo the huge hit of the same Hot from the beginning of the previous decade, "Asfur", a feeling that is also contributed by the presence of Zahavi and Savion.

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It's hard to take it seriously. From "4:20" (Photo: official website, courtesy of HOT and NEXT TV)

But with all the good intentions, "4:20" falls on almost all fronts, and what seemed to be a fun, upbeat series on paper turns out to be a weak and disappointing television event. Her cast is likable but the chemistry between them is terrible and sometimes it seems as if some of them make no effort at all to bring the script to life, the characters are not convincing even a little, and most of all: the dialogues are lame and puzzling, some to the point of eye-rolling. No conversation sounds real and the robberies are ridiculous too.

When that's the case, it's hard to take anything of what's happening on screen seriously, especially not the show's attempts to say anything of added value about justice and law, paternity, legalization, organized crime and the monopoly on conversion – issues that are already dealt with here superficially and quite automatically, if at all. All of this raises a frustrating feeling: With so many talented people involved, the potential of "4:20" was much, much higher than it ultimately presents.

  • culture
  • television
  • Watch Online

Tags

  • Oz Zahavi
  • Yuval Scharf
  • Hanan Savion

Source: walla

All tech articles on 2023-06-03

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