Were Families REALLY Like This Back Then??
Written: Oct 11 '00 (Updated Oct 11 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: excellently developed characters, play off of eachother nicely, good stories, halarious
Cons: family roles, archie bunker's sexism and racism.
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| melanierose's Full Review: All In the Family |
"All in the Family" is a completely new sitcom for me. Growing up, I never had cable. I had never even heard of the show before. Maybe because all of the adults around me didn't want to talk about it because they were offended by it 'back in the day'. Maybe because it's not just the type of television show that you sit around and talk about... "remember the time that Archie Bunker...". I really don't know. Whatever the reason, I was completely sheltered from this show up until last year.
Apparently, "All in the Family" was rather controversial while it was being aired. In fact, it was the first television show that had the *WARNING* - VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVICED label televised before each episode was aired. It's quite understandable. Archie Bunker was a b*stard. There's no other way to describe him. He was sexist, controlling, and worst of all, a racist.
That doesn't keep me from liking the show, though. I think that it is safe to say that this certainly is one of the pioneering sitcoms. You can see how this show has influenced other sitcoms that were made after it. It made people laugh -- laugh out loud.
The characters are all very well developed. You will never see anyone doing or saying something that is out of character on "All in the Family". Archie is always cranky and rude. Edith is annoying (her voice is, anyway) and very passive. Gloria whines a lot but is much more progressive than her mother. And Michael, "Meathead", is very different from Archie, being an open-minded, educated, sensitive person. What makes this show work so wonderfully is that the characters -- and actors themselves -- all play off of eachother wonderfully. Every episode will have something that will make you laugh out-loud. Slap-stick humour is very minimal. Not saying that the humour is subtle, but much of it revolves around what characters say to eachother. Strong character development makes it feel as if you know the characters. "All in the Family" achieves this.
If I had a child, I'm not sure that I would let him/her watch this show. Although here at Epinions.com it is listed as a Kids TV Show, I in no way believe that it is. I don't know any child who would think the humour in this show particularly funny or interesting. It's target audience is obviously adult viewers. This especially is not a children's show because of the roles that each adult has in the family. Is it good for your child to see examples on television in which the father is all-powerful and dominating while the mother is passive, afraid to stand up to the husband? Maybe this would have absolutely no effect on a child's view of the typical family. Maybe it would. It's hard to say. I have no idea since I'm not a parent. An additional reason why this television show is not suitable for kids is the racist attitude of Archie Bunker. In some instances, it's really rather disgusting.
This is a sitcom for adult audiences. You either enjoy it, and find it funny, like me, or you don't. I think that although there are some problems with the attitudes and ideas of the characters in the show, we are adults, and I really don't see how watching a tv show from the 70s is going to affect our outlook on anything. Besides these few unpleasant components, I guess that I'd recommend this tv show to those people who can disregard the negative aspects of it, and just have a good laugh.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
melanierose
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Member: melanie
Reviews written: 74
Trusted by: 31 members
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