Here’s How Stanley Kubrick and George Romero Influenced ‘The Righteous Gemstones’

The fourth and final season of HBO’s spiritual satire The Righteous Gemstones may be its wildest yet. This week’s episode, the fifth of the season, wears its cinematic influences on its sleeve, with two plotlines drawing inspiration from two lesser-known films by two of the 20th century’s most visionary directors. In a new interview with IndieWire, the show’s creators discuss how elements from Stanley Kubrick‘s Barry Lyndon and George Romero‘s Monkey Shines made their way into “You Shall Remember.”

Barry Lyndon served as the inspiration for a face-off between Jesse Gemstone (Danny McBride) and rival preacher Vance Simkins (Stephen Dorff), complete with slow zooms and Franz Schubert’s “Piano Trip No. 2.” Says McBride, film history “is always a point of reference for us, and sometimes that means taking something like Barry Lyndon and injecting it into the stupid s*** we do to try to create something special.” Meanwhile, the current plight of BJ (Tim Baltz), who is currently reliant on a helper monkey after a grievous pole-dancing accident, comes from another film. “Monkey Shines was definitely an inspiration,” says McBride. The 1988 Romero film centers around a quadriplegic man who develops a telepathic bond with his super-intelligent service monkey, who begins acting out his darkest and deadliest impulses.

What’s Happening in the Final Season of ‘The Righteous Gemstones’?

The three Gemstone children have taken over the family megachurch, and are having some growing pains as they adjust to their new responsibilities. Kelvin (Adam Devine) has had the most success, embracing his sexuality and relationship with Keefe (Tony Cavalero) as he promotes the church’s modernized, gay-friendly gospel, Prism. He’s now a contender for the prestigious Top Christ-Following Man of the Year award. Jesse and Judy (Edi Patterson) have had less success, as he contends with his failed “Prayer Pods” and she navigates hisband BJ’s injury. They’re doing it all without the input of retired family patriarch (John Goodman), who has recently taken up with his late wife’s best friend, Miss Lori (Megan Mullally), much to the consternation and disgust of his children. Meanwhile, Uncle Baby Billy (Walton Goggins), flush with the success of his game show Baby Billy’s Bible Bonkers, has a new project in the works: Teenjus, a dramatic TV series about Jesus Christ’s teenage years.

In its fourth and final season, The Righteous Gemstones has been blessed by critics with a 100% Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes. In his review, Collider’s Ross Bonaime says the series “ends with the same delightful strangeness, the blissfully hilarious humor, and the occasionally unexpected heart that we’ve come to love from this show over these years.”

The Righteous Gemstones airs weekly Sundays on HBO. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.

Source: IndieWire