Page 1 of 30: | [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] |
Index | 292 reviews in total |
This is the funniest show currently on television. All you need to enjoy this show is an appreciation for high-quality acting and incredibly hilarious writing. Jason Bateman as Michael Bluth is perfect as the under-appreciated do-good guy who's just trying to keep his family together and himself sane. Other highlights of the show include Will Arnett as GOB (George Oscar Bluth II), Michael's lame-excuse-for-a-magician brother; Jeffrey Tambor as George Sr., Michael's incarcerated father (he was jailed for "shifty accounting practices"); and Michael Cera as George Michael Bluth, Michael Bluth's perpetually nervous 13-year-old son (who just happens to have a strange infatuation with his cousin, Maebe, played by "State of Grace"'s Alia Shawkat). All in all this show is sure to be a hit, at least with those people whose level of understanding of comedy is above slapstick and bathroom jokes. TREMENDOUSLY hilarious writing and outstanding performances by the whole cast will have you laughing the whole time. Ten out of ten!
This show takes a few episodes before you *really* GET it. And once you get
it, you'll realize why everybody thinks it's one of the best sitcoms
ever.
Each character is really defined and original...with real, unique
personalities. All of the actors have fantastic chemistry, making for
really great interactions and relationships within the
show.
The writing for this show is great, and the plots are so absurd that you
can't help but find them funny.
A refreshing change in a world where people like reality shows...it's the
only good sitcom left.
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
OK, seriously, after reading the recent past reviews of the show am starting to ask myself if you people are even giving the show at least five minutes of your time before rushing online to bash it. You guys are saying that season 2 is going downhill yet your not even explaining why the this season is so inferior to the first. I've seen the second season and I have to say it right on par with the first with more funny twist and situations that Michael and the Bluths have to deal with. Yes they changed some of the story lines now (George Sr. on the run, Gob taking over the company, Buster threating to join the army, and so forth) but THATS HOW SEASONS GO. If they kept the same storyline from the first the show would've haven't gotten repetitive before the first two episodes. And beside the show still retains it wit and subtle humor from the first show while continuing storyline from previous episodes. So really whats the problem with the second season? Cause all am hearing is whining and undeserved bashings from folks with short attention spans.
Strange, Fox's promos almost made me miss out on this whole thing.
It's a sit-com made with very high standards, it's a career revival for
Ron Howard, Henry Winkler and Liza Minelli, and it's a show that puts
Fox's profile into HBO territory. "It's Arrested Development"
"In fact...", a Ron Howard quote that has become a cliché around our
house, in fact, it's all those things and more. The writing is as good
as everyone says it is, the cast is on par with that of Seinfeld or
Roseanne. (Say what you will about her, that was a dream cast) Whenever
new characters appear, they are inevitably played by people familiar to
fans of edgy, intelligent humor. People like Jeffrey Tambor and Jason
Bateman are dependably good, Michael Cera is a standout, and David
Cross is finally being seen for the talent that he is.
The strongest thing I can say about this is that I find myself
repeating various running gags, things that, like "In fact...", have
become clichés. "I've made a huge mistake." "I'm having the time of my
LIFE in here!" "surprisingly cat-like" "Take a powder, willya fellas?"
This last one, uttered by Liza Minelli as Lucille Austero, sticks with
me especially, and I hope that Liza stays with the show longer. As good
as the principles are, she manages to outclass even them. The same with
Henry Winkler, whose Barry Zuckercorn is the sort of lawyer
television's been dying for. Among those main players, Lindsay and
Tobias are pretty strange characters to begin with, but when you
consider that they are an old married couple, that crosses the line
into the bizarre. This show is full of people and situations you just
won't see anywhere else, at least until other derivative shows start
appearing.
Watch carefully, as there are many bit and pieces lingering in the
background that you might miss. Recently, George Michael was dumped by
his girlfriend. As he trudged home in a state of misery, you could hear
sad Charlie Brown music. In the background, you could see a real - but
bright red - dog house, with a real dog lying on top of it. It's things
like these that tell me that the creators are just pleased to be doing
this show for it's own sake, and that kind of love of the work shows
through in the end.
Who knows if this show will last? There's an audience out there for
this sort of thing, but they've generally settled into the Sunday night
HBO schedule. Hopefully the Emmys, the word of mouth, and the critical
raves will draw attention to this show. If not, we'll just have our
A.D. dvds to keep us warm, and thank God for 'em!
this comedy is smart where so many others are not. its one of the few
shows on today that you find DO NOT have a laugh track which alone
makes it unique, but with the excellent writing and acting make it a
refreshing and hilarious change. after a few episodes, it all makes
sense and is that much funnier once you know the characters and their
very individual quirks.
this show deserved all of the awards it won plus a few more just to
make sure it gets noticed. its been voted TV-lands "future classic"
after only a single season if thats any clue to those who haven't seen
it yet. the dry acting of jason bateman and the voice over by ron
howard are both stellar and add greatly to the shows overall style.
watch this show as soon as it begins again (nov 7, 2004 after the
simpsons) you wont be sorry.
In this age of lazily-conceived, hastily-produced, fill-in-the-blank
reality shows that the FOX network seems to corner the market on, it's
refreshing to see them invest in a show that doesn't fit a clichéd
formula and challenges the audience's intellect with hilarious results.
Previously, I had written off this show without giving it a chance,
assuming that it's just another show about rich people with problems, a
la "The OC". It's too bad I didn't give it a chance because I just
happened to watch a random episode right while waiting for "Malcom in
the Middle". Little did I expect to laugh so hard at George Michael
continuously wearing a muscle suit just because his COUSIN. Maebe, gave
him a passing compliment. And the absurdity of the situation was
amplified by Ron Howard's deadpan narration of the episode, giving it
the seriousness the situation doesn't deserve.
The show was still confusing because I wasn't clear on all the
relationships and the origninating humor that the episodes look back
to. Good think FOX did a marathon of the show in order to set me
straight.
Bottom line, this show did not win all those Emmies for nothing. It
could give Frasier, Friends and Seinfeld a run for their money any day.
Let's hope the Emmys shielded the show from the FOX cancellation bug
that afflicted other good shows such as "Action", "Titus", "Greg The
Bunny" and ESPECIALLY "Family Guy".
**** out of ****
You've doubtless heard fans rave and rave about this show, and may have
even checked it out. The camp is sharply divided, people either
absolutely love it, or tend to just "not get it." In that sense it may
not be for everyone (great television, and great art in general, rarely
is), and to each his own. But after watching each season multiple
times, I can easily say that it is the funniest show that I have ever
seen by an ENORMOUS margin. Even after many repeat viewings, I still
end up in tears all the time.
DVD treats this series well simply because it suits itself to rapid
digestion (and after getting hooked, you won't be able to get up). The
writers include many, many running gags that persist through entire
seasons, or even the entire series ("I've made a huge mistake."
"Her?"). The entire cast is extremely WELL cast and everyone's comedic
timing is spot on. The real stars are David Cross as Tobias, and Will
Arnett as GOB. Their physical comedy is drop dead hilarious as well.
But Jessica Walters and Jeffrey Tambor are phenomenal, the former most
especially in the third season.
As others have stated there is no laugh track and this is part of what
throws some of the "we don't get it" camp off. The humor is very fast
paced as well, and many of the biggest laughs are very subtle physical
comedy, or a line of dialog that is dropped in the midst of a
conversation. Some of the music that was written for the show is
absolutely hilarious as well, especially the song that plays often when
George Micheal is put in an awkward (sexual) situation ("whatcha trying
to say to me??").
Start with season 1, give it 4 episodes (go through at least the
episode "key decisions" which I believe is ep 4). If you're not hooked,
or at least intrigued by then, its likely you wont be at all. But if
you're like me, and MANY others, you'll find that you've just stumbled
upon one of the greatest shows ever made. VERY highly recommended.
10/10
Annyong (Hello)! I absolutely love this show and so will you! If you haven't seen it- give it a second week and you will be laughing at all the subtle things and be caught up on the storylines. I usually tape it and watch it a second time with friends so I can catch the things that I missed the first time around or just because I like to watch it again! Yes, that is Ron Howard narrating the show. In an early episode the did make an Opie reference and last week Henry Winkler did a trademark Fonzie move in front of a mirror when they were combing hair. Don't let FOX cancel another brilliant show! P.S. Annyong is the Korean boy that Lucille adopted because Buster would not eat his cottage cheese (it might be one of those had to be there to understand)! His name really is not Annyong- Annyong means Hello in Korean!
Probably the best show of the 2003 season, and the best new comedy in years.
It's very hard to describe, since the comedy is entirely character-based,
not plot- or wisecrack-based.
Basically, it's the story of the Bluth family, developers who are in
bankruptcy with the father in prison for fraud. One son, Michael, tries to
be responsible and keep things going, while the rest of the group is
entirely self-centered and can't seem to focus on the fact they are broke
and in disgrace.
The various family members go off in various directions: George (GOB)
fancies himself a magician, Buster is a momma's boy, Lindsay goes off
supporting odd causes, Lindsay's husband Tobias fancies himself an actor.
It's a show you need to watch closely, but the laughs are all over the
place, from unexpected directions.
We enjoyed re-discovering the amazing antics of the Bluth family and preparing ourselves for the much anticipated second season. Arrested Development is my kind of situation comedy. No laugh tracks, thank you for respecting our intelligence! When it's funny, we know when to laugh. There are lots of surprises, special guests, great acting and excellent writing. Ron Howard's narration is a bonus. When someone asks me what it's like, I compare it to "Scrubs" but less mean spirited and more family values. I hope it represents the beginning of a trend toward great but gentle humor. I'm just about fed up with "reality" programs. Thank you very much. Keep up the good work.
Page 1 of 30: | [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] |
Plot summary | Ratings | Awards |
External reviews | Plot keywords | Main details |
Your user reviews | Your vote history |