"Malcolm in the Middle": Lois rules!
Written: May 30 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: It's the funniest (and smartest) comedy on TV
Cons: It's in reruns now, and we have to wait for new episodes!
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| Chuq's Full Review: FOX |
You're not the boss of me now. And you're not so big.
And life is definitely unfair, but that's all part of being a kid.
"Malcolm in the Middle" is by far the funniest program on TV right now, and adds to my constant befuddlement about what the Fox network is all about. By far they produce the crappiest and most exploitative programming on TV, but then again ... they give us "The Simpsons", "The X-Files", and "Malcolm".
This show has been hilarious and SPOT-ON since the very first episode, and if there's been a weak one yet, I haven't seen it. If you haven't see it, it's about a young boy named Malcolm and the dual burdens in his life: having been recently declared a genius and suffering the resultant special treatment plus peer ostracism, and living in his wackily dysfunctional but ultimately loving family. Oldest brother Francis has been sent away to military school in Alabama for his behavior, second-oldest brother Reese is Malcolm's principal tormentor/collaborator, and youngest brother Dewey manages to get himself into trouble in the most surreal ways. Dad Hal quietly muddles through it all, and Mom Lois ... rocks.
She is the quintessential Mom-From-Hell to some, but I tell you what -- she's in charge, and she doesn't put up with any crapola from anybody. She's an amazing character, and Jane Kaczmarek is amazing in the role. Lest you think the character is exaggerated, a friend of mine's kids think that Lois is very much like their mom ... who proudly tells me that she thinks so too, and sees Lois as a colleague/role model. :-)
In fact, all the actors, including Frankie Muniz in the title role, are uniformly excellent, but what really makes this show is the writing. It is intelligent, funny, and absolutely top-notch. The jokes are often subtle rather than blatant, and you actually have to pay attention. (Lois and Hal shoot flirtatious glances at each other all through dinner, until the commandant of Francis' school calls to tell her of his latest misbehavior. She blows her stand and goes on the warpath; Hal sighs, and mumbles "Another night in the chatroom...") The payoff is rich, though, 'cause you'll laugh your butt off. And the producers are quite wisely disinclined to insult your intelligence by adding a laugh track. Nobody needs to tell you when to laugh at this show, because, unlike most sitcoms, it's actually funny.
Even the score and theme song is terrific, by They Might Be Giants. When's the last time you sang along with the theme song of a TV show every time you watched it?
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Chuq
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Member: Chuck Taggart
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Reviews written: 29
Trusted by: 81 members
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