Diablo Cody And Spielberg Can't Save 'Tara'

By Andrew Wallenstein

Published January 16, 2009 at 1:00 PM EST

The new Showtime series United States of Tara couldn't be more of a sure thing. Besides the promising premise of a comedy about a mother with multiple personality disorder, it boasts Steven Spielberg as executive producer, Oscar-winning Juno screenwriter Diablo Cody and respected actress Toni Collette. Yet critic Andrew Wallenstein says Tara is a disappointment.

Tags

US / World

Andrew Wallenstein

Andrew Wallenstein is the television critic for NPR's Day to Day. He is also an editor at The Hollywood Reporter, where he covers television and digital media out of Los Angeles. Wallenstein is also the co-host of the weekly TV Guide Channel series Square Off. His essay on Holocaust films was published in Best Jewish Writing 2003 (Jossey-Bass), and he has also written for The New York Times, The Boston Globe and Business Week. He has a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University.