No Need to Meet THE MCCARTHYS

Article first published as THE MCCARTHYS Review on Seat42F.

I usually complain about CBS being the home of the very tired crime procedural, done to death and copied over and over again by the network. In today’s review of their new comedy, THE MCCARTHYS, I get to complain about CBS redoing the very tired family comedy. Does that count as a change-up?

THE MCCARTHYS centers around Ronny McCarthy (Tyler Ritter, John’s other son), a gay man living in Boston. Dwelling very, very nearby are his parents, Marjorie (Laurie Metcalf, Roseanne, The Big Bang Theory) and Arthur (Jack McGee, Rescue Me, The Fighter), as well as his brothers, Sean (newcomer Jimmy Dunn) and Gerard (Joey McIntryre, from the band New Kids on the Block), and his sister, Jackie (Kelen Coleman, The Newsroom). Most of the together-all-the-time, overbearing clan is obsessed with sports, but Ronny and his mother still enjoy The Good Wife together, the family finding a happy balance.

That is, until Ronny decides to upset the balance by accepting a job in New Hampshire. Much of the pilot involves his family trying to make him feel valued so he will stay. I believe viewers will be able to guess the outcome of this, but THE MCCARTHYS does a decent job with the emotional arc that gets Ronny realistically to his decision.

The dynamic of family is both complicated and familiar. Every group has its own chemistry, with each member relating to every other person in a variety of ways. But the overall picture of love and acceptance, even when there is a lack of understanding, is the most traditional, recognized version of this. It’s not always realistic, but it’s what we all wish for and have become very comfortable seeing on our television screens.

THE MCCARTHYS is not a bad example of this. McIntryre and Dunn seem a little weak for now, but are good for a punchline now and again, and may improve in time when they get used to the format. Ritter channels his father, which earns him nostalgia that can only help most of the audience’s impression of him. Coleman has popped up on quite a few shows recently for good reason, as she’s terrific, and McGee is a reliable man. Metcalf, easily the best of the group and certainly the most recognizable, gives the kind of performance we expect from her, making for a decently strong ensemble.

But the writing just feels dated. In a time where Modern Family, About a Boy, and even, to a lesser extent, The Millers, have illustrated that the traditional family unit is no longer the only answer, seeing six individuals biologically linked together might almost be a novelty, if it hadn’t been down six thousand times in the decade prior. Plus, last year already saw the revival with The Goldbergs and others. The gay son is their nod to the present era, but it’s just that, a nod, not a primary focus, which is nice to see, but makes the show more mundane. THE MCCARTHYS doesn’t have anything new to say. Television has moved on from this stock image because it’s been worn out, so resurrecting it now is without benefit to the viewing community.

THE MCCARTHYS is funny; I’ll give it that. I didn’t get bored watching it, and some of the over-the-top stuff that the characters do actually seems genuine to these eccentric personalities. Perhaps there really isn’t a family like them out there, but if there was, this is how they’d be. The characters are consistent and the jokes, while often unoriginal, have good delivery. There are a handful of relatively compelling hooks involving Arthur’s basketball team and Jackie’s secret that ask watchers to tune back in. Which means that THE MCCARTHYS has a chance at finding an audience and sticking around.

I just mourn the loss of opportunity. Why not try something different that we haven’t seen before? Or at least put some kind of new twist on it. It’s good, not great, and when the TV landscape is as crowded as it is currently, full of high-quality, ground-breaking stuff, good is just not good enough.

THE MCCARTHYS airs Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. ET on CBS.

Blu-ray Review: 'The Heat'

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

The Heat was recently released on Blu-ray and DVD. The comedy-action movie is the story of a stuck up FBI agent named Ashburn (Sandra Bullock, Gravity) forced to partner with a rough Boston police officer named Mullins (Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids) to take down a drug kingpin. In one another they find friendship while learning something about themselves.

The Heat is a typical buddy cop movie for much of the running time. This time, the cops are women, meant to be novel take on the genre. True, there have not been dozens of female buddy-cop movies, however, the plot is pretty standard fare, so novel, it’s not.

The main draw of The Heat is the casting of  Bullock and McCarthy. They don’t seem a natural pairing, so of course one expects it to be entertaining when the two are thrust together. They are both terrific actresses, and have created two mostly well-defined, layered characters, but the material drags them down.

They are surrounded by a great comedic supporting cast. Marlon Wayans (Scary Movie) plays a fellow agent with a crush on Ashburn. Dan Bakkedahl (Legit) is a creepy albino DEA officer, and his partner is played by Saturday Night Live‘s Taran Killam. MADtv‘s Michael McDonald is a villain, and Back to the Future‘s Tom Wilson is Mullins’ boss. The cast also includes Tony Hale (Arrested Development) and Kaitlin Olson (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia). But none of these comedy stars manages to really contribute much of anything major to the movie.

We are introduced to Mullins’ family, constantly bickering and ripping on one another. Jane Curtin (3rd Rock from the Sun), Michael Rapaport (Prison Break), Nate Corddry (Harry’s Law), Joey McIntyre (Boston Public), Michael Tucci (Diagnosis Murder), Bill Burr (Breaking Bad), and the comedy duo Jessica Chaffin and Jamie Denbo (Ronna & Beverly) make up the loud-mouthed clan, who frequently improvise. They could easily fill out their own spin-off movie, a la The Klumps, only they’d probably be quite a bit funnier, which, to be fair, isn’t saying much.

Now, with Mullins’ family and a semi-clever twist at the end, The Heat isn’t a complete waste of time. Plus, there are some really nice scenes between McCarthy and Bullock. Overall, though, the film left me feeling a bit empty.

Director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids) also co-created Freaks and Geeks, and directed episodes of a ton of great TV shows, including The Office, Arrested Development, and Nurse Jackie. With his record and a great cast, you might think The Heat would be at least amusing.

There are a ton of special features on this release, including additional footage. There are deleted, extended, and alternate scenes. There are also a number of 10-minute segments of themed deleted scenes and bloopers with introductions by Feig. Which means if you do like the film and want more, you can spend hours pouring though the unused footage. Plus, we do get to hear about how the movie was made, and multiple audio commentaries, including one by the Mystery Science Theater 3000 guys, are included.

There is not a strong argument for going Blu-ray over DVD on this one. I always love watching things in the best quality available, of course, but there aren’t really any dark scenes, special effects, or detailed audio bits that beg for high def. Your experience would probably not be much negatively impacted by going with standard definition. Of course, even if nothing really pops in the visual or auditory, clarity is always appreciated, and the Blu-ray is an extremely clear presentation.

The Heat is available now.