Reviews

I was flabbergasted to see such harsh negative reviews of what our family sees as one of the best new cartoons on TV. My very Caucasian 3-year-old has rewatched the first couple of episodes so many times she's singing the indigenous language song by memory! ... I have to believe that nonwhite representation and the associated sensibilities are part of what drives such negativity in the comments below.

And a decent trip around the entertainment track even for those who aren't that wise to the sport of kings!

Richard Dreyfuss is excellent as Jay Trotter, so down on his luck for so long that he can't believe his good fortune today (and ONLY today). He's the highlight of this sometimes wrong-headed, but always right-hearted, comedic tale of a serial loser's redemption.

Jennifer Tilly is simply ... well ... smokin'!

Terri Garr, Robbie Coltrane and David Johansen do fine work in supporting roles. Watch closely and you'll see a (very) young Cynthia Nixon! (You know, the redhead from "Sex and the City.") ... And you get the impeccable race calls and captivating voice of the remarkable Trevor Denman.

Those who "get" horse racing should love this film. A lot of you other folks will, too.

Seabiscuit, it ain't. But you could gamble away 90 minutes of your life on far worse comedic fare.

This truly was a worthy (and, most important, funny) series that was cut down before it ever reached its prime. In hindsight, it had sort of the feel of "The Drew Carey Show" (duh, Drew Carey was in it) meets "Everybody Loves Raymond."

Funny, engaging, a tiny bit risqué in one episode, but mostly just good, clean family fun. A real winner that somehow lost. And now we've made the prime-time transition from warm, witty sitcoms to "reality" television that has nothing at all to do with reality -- unless you've ever been shipwrecked and had to live 30 days on an island populated in part by cameramen and TV hosts.

"The Good Life" deserved better, and we as television viewers deserved and continue to deserve better.

One of my top-five favorite movies of all-time (which includes another Cohen Brothers film, 'O Brother, Where Art Thou'). It's overtly funny. It's subtly funny. It's funny from beginning to end. Sheer comedic genius.

But if you think the antics of someone who is more than a little crazy can also be more than a little amusing, then you'll find "I'm With Busey" aimlessly, hopelessly, helplessly funny.

Often you won't know whether to laugh or to summon psychiatric help for Busey, but if you don't find this show at least a little bit funny, then you're missing the point. ... Which is that there IS no point.

"I'm With Busey" is a modern-day, unscripted "Two Stooges." The action is madcap, the dialogue mostly mindless improvisation, and the outcome of each episode -- unlike studio series and even many reality shows -- unpredictable.

In an age where viewers invest hour upon hour with reality shows where people stop acting like themselves and simply start acting, "I'm With Busey" is frighteningly genuine. Scary though it might be, Gary Busey's life probably IS this weird.

Now THAT'S entertainment.

"Possums" is formulaic, yet fantastic. An almost excessively cute film with a predictable ending, you'll like it nonetheless.

The "name" actors -- like Mac Davis, Andrew Prine, and Cynthia Sikes -- offer their usual, professional performances, but with that added enthusiasm which comes from really enjoying the story being told. Veterans like Clive Revill and Dennis Burkley are expertly cast in more minor roles. Also of note are a number of locals, folks like then-Nowata, Okla., newspaper publisher Ken Murnan and Coffeyville, Kan., musician Rodney Lay (formerly of Roy Clark's band) who took roles and gave credible performances. (I lived near the real-life town of Nowata, Okla., where this flick was shot.)

But most important here is the story -- a twist on the typical "local boy makes good" tale. The Nowata Possums don't exactly make "good," but in a town desperate for any sign of life from its high school football team, the boys make "good enough" for now, and finally offer Nowata a ray of hope for the future.

Heartwarming fun for the whole family, it deserves a whole lot more exposure than it has received.

I was surprised to see Volunteers rate out at just a 5 on a scale of 10. But that rating is pretty consistent across all demographics, so maybe I'm just a sucker for Hanks and Candy. I *know* I'm a sucker for Rita Wilson.

Still, I thought the movie offered several good laughs, solid performances from all the principal characters, and a feel-good ending. If nothing else, it should have taught you the words to Washington State University's fight song!

If you haven't seen it, rent it with an open mind. It REALLY IS better than a 5.