Craving for SWEET TOOTH

 Article first published as SWEET TOOTH TV Review on Seat42F.

Note: This review only covers the first episode of the series.

Netflix recently released SWEET TOOTH, a series starring a young boy who is half deer. Based on the comic series, SWEET TOOTH follows the child as he ventures out into the world, dodging hunters and searching for his mom. He isn’t alone, thank goodness, but he does have to rely on himself a fair amount. Surely, the story have a happy ending, though probably not the one the boy hopes for.

SWEET TOOTH takes a little time to get going, providing exposition through the eyes of Dr. Aditya Singh (Adeel Akhtar, Enola Holmes). We see a plague overtake his city, and are told it’s widespread. This could be a bit traumatizing for some who just lived through a pandemic, especially if you lost someone. But it really isn’t too graphic, focusing on Singh’s emotional journey, including as his wife, Rani (Aliza Vellani, Little Mosque on the Prairie), becomes one of the infected. Listed as a lead, it’s certain we’ll come back to Dr. Singh’s tale in later episodes. This is a good way in for those who aren’t already drawn to post-apocalyptic fare. In all, especially with the accompanying narration by James Brolin (Life in Pieces), it’s a strong opening.

From there, it quickly moves to a man (Will Forte, Last Man on Earth) carrying a baby into the woods. We know from the hospital scenes that there are many animal-human hybrid infants, though we don’t know why, and this guy has one with him, a little boy with deer features. The man, known to the boy as Pubba (sounding like Papa), raises the child for nine years, and this extended sequence, making up about half the episode, is phenomenal. It is incredibly moving, if a little tame, and the love the father has for his son is palpable. Forte ditches the goofiness and really brings home the feelings.

It isn’t surprising when that happy time comes to an end; the trailer and poster spoil that it will. But like the beginning of the film Up, it could make a fitting stand-alone short that would be worth watching repeatedly.

The rest of SWEET TOOTH’s pilot sets up the premise. Pubba makes the boy, Gus (Christian Convery, Legion), promise not to leave their home, but it’s a given that he won’t listen. Gus does stay  for awhile, but this story needs a journey, and you can’t get that hiding away. There is an arc, quickly gone through, developing the kid, and it’s just as moving as the stuff with his dad. Gus is a compelling protagonist who will immediately have you rooting for him.

The second lead, Tommy Jepperd (Nonso Anozie, Game of Thrones), is barely introduced in episode one, but already demonstrates plenty of complexity to attract interest.

SWEET TOOTH isn’t for little kids, even if it looks like it might be. But older children can watch it with their parents, as the deaths aren’t gruesome and the terror isn’t intense. It has a magical and hopeful spirit about it that is sure to intrigue many viewers, feeling like a heart-warming story that is sanitized, but not so much that it distracts. The acting seen so far is solid, and the story is interesting. Set in the woods, it also looks beautiful. There’s lots to praise SWEET TOOTH on.

I would be surprised if this series doesn’t have legs. Reviews have been good so far, deservedly so, and I was easily sucked into the story. I’m sure I’ll watch further installments before the end of the day. With a first season of only eight episodes, it should be an easy, enjoyable binge.

SWEET TOOTH’s first season is available now on Netflix.

SISTERS, Sisters

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: 'Sisters' on Blogcritics.

As of today, the film Sisters is available to own. Released in theaters late last year, the movie tells the story of two messed-up female siblings who come together one last time in their childhood home to throw a huge party and recapture what they’ve lost. With an impressive comedic cast, it’s a new twist on an old genre, the party film, with the young-at-heart instead of the young (though they certainly aren’t old, either).

The stars of Sisters are the great Tina Fey (30 Rock) and Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation). Tina is Kate, the fun-loving sister that can’t hold a job or a place to live, and has alienated her daughter, Haley (Madison Davenport, Shameless). Amy is Maura, the uptight one who can’t keep a husband. While Maura is admittedly more responsible, her issue of not knowing how to loosen up is a problem, too, and so the two must help one another, each rubbing off on the other.

That sounds like a very familiar formula, and it is. Even mixing it with a party film (most of the running time takes place at a celebration on a single night) isn’t novel. Nor is the basic love interest for Maura, James (Ike Barinholtz, The Mindy Project), whose only defining characteristic is that he’s nice to Maura because he likes her, and knows how to fix things for her.

What makes Sisters unique, though, is the exact manner in which it tackles this premise. By putting all the characters around forty-ish, it adds a new element. And while Maura and Kate may be the only party-goers with full personalities, seeing their high school chums fall back into old patterns and stereotypes and reopen old wounds is satisfying, too, like a school reunion, but in a totally wild setting. It took awhile for me to start appreciating exactly what makes Sisters special, but by the end of the two hours (yep, it’s a full two hours, not ninety minutes like most comedies), I think I finally understood it.

Helping the film’s appeal along is a stellar supporting cast, which includes many Saturday Night Live alum and cast members, joining fellow players Tina, Amy, and the movie’s scribe Paula Pell, who created some of SNL‘s most memorable late ’90s characters. Those actors are Bobby Moynihan, Kate McKinnon, John Lutz, Chris Parnell, Rachel Dratch, and the incomparable Maya Rudolph. Toss in Samantha Bee (The Daily Show), Jon Glaser (Delocated), Renee Elise Goldsberry (The Good Wife), Matt Oberg (The Onion News Network), Greta Lee (New Girl), John Leguizamo (Moulin Rogue), WWE wrestler John Cena, and Life in Pieces couple Dianne Wiest and James Brolin, and you would be hard-pressed to find a better ensemble.

I guess Sisters isn’t for everyone, and if you don’t get that bizarre take on a relatable familial chemistry that it’s going for, you may be left confused. But once you embrace the madness and just let yourself enjoy the performances, it becomes a fun way to spend a couple of hours.

As far as extras go, there are tons. Besides an unrated version of the movie itself and the expected deleted and extended scenes, there are outtakes, unused improv moments, and behind-the-scenes material to explain what the filmmakers are doing. There’s also an interview with writer Pell, commentary with her, the director, and the two leads, and and an extra on special effects. It’s quite a lot for a release such as this, and thankfully much of it is showing us more of the funny performers in their element.

As always, I recommend blu-ray over DVD. Visually, there are some bright Florida colors and the dark light show at the party that beg for good contrast. In the second half of the film, there’s a lot going on with the audio, from dialogue to music to ambiance, all mixed together. In a testament to the overall quality, I detected no flaws in any of it during my HD viewing, and I never had trouble understanding what the characters are saying. I can’t help but think a standard definition experience would be harder to stomach, needing the crispness to balance everything out appropriately.

Sisters is available now on blu-ray, DVD, and digital download.

LIFE IN PIECES Holds Together Well

Article originally published as LIFE IN PIECES Review on Seat42F.

Every once in awhile, a family sitcom comes along that just feels fantastic. The most recent was Modern Family, the first such program to do the mockumentary style, and now comes LIFE IN PIECES, a single-camera show that feels a bit more poignant than its peers, at least at the start, with a truly terrific ensemble, bridging the gap between dramas like Parenthood and comedy.

LIFE IN PIECES revolves around a couple in their 70s, their three children, and the families of those children, all undergoing major transitions in their lives. The half hour is split into four pieces, one for each couple, and through the short vignettes, reminds us of what life is about. It’s hard to tell a moving story in roughly five minutes, but this show manages to do so four times over, and by keeping them so short, leaves material for future, fresh episodes on the same topics.

In the pilot, John (James Brolin, Pensacola: Wings of Gold, Catch Me If You Can) decides to stage a mock funeral for his seventieth birthday. His loved ones have varied reactions to the event, but it’s his wife, Joan (Dianne Wiest, In Treatment, I Am Sam), who is the most affected, as one might expect, as while the couple isn’t near death, it’s something they’ll have to think about sooner rather than later.

Son Matt (Thomas Sadoski, The Newsroom) is at the opposite end of the spectrum, just beginning to date Colleen (Angelique Cabral, Enlisted), who is still living with her ex (Jordan Peele, Key & Peele), so they haven’t yet begun their lives together. Other son Greg (Colin Hanks, Fargo) has just become a father for the first time with wife Jen (Zoe Lister Jones, Whitney). Daughter Heather (Betsy Brandt, Breaking Bad) is sad about her kids growing up, as her son, Tyler (Niall Cunningham), looks at colleges, daughter, Samantha (Holly J. Barrett), has her first period, and daughter, Sophia (Giselle Eisenberg, The Wolf of Wall Street), becomes disillusioned about Santa Claus. Too bad her husband, Tim (Dan Bakkedahl, Legit), isn’t much help.

As you can see, LIFE IN PIECES is not just a Modern Family retread. For one thing, only one of the four couples has kids that can be a part of the plot. For another, the topics they are tackling are a little more mature and complex. That makes the show a little less frivolous, and a bit more mature, than its peer.

(For the record, I’m not knocking Modern Family; I still love that show. I’m just illustrating the differences.)

The material is genuinely funny, and the performances are what you would expect from such a strong cast. In twenty-minutes, I was moved numerous times by the trials and frustrations of life. It’s relatable because LIFE IN PIECES shows us things most people go through, but it’s also emotional, as life is just a series of pieces, and these are the important ones to hang onto, or that will be remembered. It’s this insight, not novel, but still vital, that makes the show so good.

Obviously, one episode is not enough to judge a show on, and it would be hard to deliver four pivotal bits every single week, twenty-two weeks a year, for seasons on end. But the way LIFE IN PIECES approaches its topics, big moments, but just a part of lives constantly moving, sets up a repeatable format and a way to keep things going. The immediate aftermath of Jen coming home from the hospital, for one, is important, but there will be many other important bits in that first year, and new things the couple must go through. It gets a little gross, like life, but remains relevant and compelling.

I’m excited about LIFE IN PIECES and am already setting a season pass on my TiVo. I’m usually terrible at predicting which shows will do well and which ones won’t, so I’ll just say that I hope this one catches on. I want to still be watching it five years from now.

LIFE IN PIECES premieres Monday, September 21^st at 8:30 p.m. ET on CBS.

Community more than just "Cooperative Escapism"

Article first published as Community more than just "Cooperative Escapism" on TheTVKing.

NBC's Community delivers the second consecutive solid episode of the fourth season this week with "Cooperative Escapism in Familial Relations." It's Thanksgiving, and Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown) invites everyone to her home for dinner. They accept, except Jeff (Joel McHale), who has a surprise - he's going to visit his estranged father, William (James Brolin, Castle, Catch Me If You Can), this holiday.

Jeff is a shallow jerk of a man, or so we believe for the first couple of seasons. But at the end of season three, Community made a choice to begin to explore his psyche in a real way, allowing for growth and development, and delving into what makes him the way he is. It's great to see "Cooperative Escapism in Familial Relations" continue that trend.

Who Jeff's father is has long been eating at the character, as William abandoned Jeff as a young boy. In this episode, we see a lot of what Jeff gets from his father, but also the type of guy that would disappear from his son's life. It's a complex portrait, developed in such a way that we see the similarities and differences between the Winger men, as well as the cause of them, all in a single episode of a sitcom. It's quite a feat.

At first, William wants to take credit for Jeff. Jeff appears confident and successful, having had a good life, and William thinks that may be what has helped Jeff. By contrast, Jeff's younger half brother, William Jr. (Adam DeVine, Workaholics), who William raised reluctantly, is a blubbery emotional mess. But Jeff sets William straight, baring a lot of his soul, a deeply painful story, and a literal scar. It's a bit of a wake up call for William, though only time will tell if he will squander the second chance he doesn't deserve that Jeff is graciously giving him.

For someone who originally seems sarcastic and closed off, this honesty and rawness from Jeff in the episode is startling and impressive. For the first time, viewers get to really know Jeff. It's a whole new side of the character, and one that explains a lot. This is McHale's masterpiece in the series, and he handles it with brilliance and a huge amount of talent that seems to come effortlessly. Bravo.

It completely adds to this plot that Britta (Gillian Jacobs) follows Jeff to his family's home. Everyone makes fun of her, and rightly so, for her desire to be a therapist, and the poor way that she seems to perform as one. Yet, here, she has clearly gotten through to Jeff, and as reluctant as he might be to admit it, Jeff owes her a huge debt of thanks.

The whole thing perfectly pays off when Jeff prepares a lovely and sincere Thanksgiving for the group, and even invites the Dean (Jim Rash). These are his chosen family, the people that mean the most to him, and he finally ready to start showing it.

Meanwhile, at Shirely's house, the rest of the group finds a horrible mess of an event, and end up hiding from Shirley's family in the garage. Shirley's feelings are hurt, which we eventually learn, since she invited them to have a buffer from her husband's horrible family. At this revelation, they rally and support Shirley the way that they should.

Some of this arc is weak. Having Abed (Danny Pudi) turn their garage stay into a Shawshank Redemption and Prison Break bit is going a little far. There are some solid jokes, such as digging the tunnel behind the poster and the unnecessary map of the house on his stomach. But I do wonder if perhaps Abed is losing it. What I perceive as a hollowing of the character could be symptoms of a larger issue that will have to be dealt with, a continuation of the problems glimpsed in the season premiere. If so, this is a smart, not lame, arc for the character, and would redeem the first couple installments of the season. If not, the writing for Abed is just so much more flat this year, and that's disappointing.

Besides the bigger stories, there are a ton of fun callbacks and references stuffed into the episode. We see Shirley's sandwich shop sign, Abed utters "cool, cool, cool," Pierce (Chevy Chase) tries and fails to engage Abed on numerous occasions with Star Wars references and being meta, and Jeff uses Britta's name as a verb against her. Also, in the opening scene in the study room, inside messages are written on the board behind the cast, including a thank you to fans for tuning in. Awesome.

After a soft opening, spirits are buoyed as Community picks up steam. Maybe the emotional stuff Jeff in particular experiences isn't completely consistent with what the show was, but they have been earned and feel natural at this point. Community airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.