Post by maya on Mar 8, 2010 9:38:10 GMT 10
TV: Why?
Parenthood, for those not in the know, was a preachy, sexist, bad film from Ron Howard. The only saving moments of the film came from the storyline involving the 'misfits' Keanu Reeves, Martha Plimpton, Joaquin Phoenix (then billed as "Leaf Phoneix") and Dianne Wiest. The misfits were so, so much more interesting than the moralizing prigs making up the rest of the film. They were not, however, enough to turn the bad film into a good one and that bad sitcom for the big screen is remembered today mainly for what may be the first filmed confession of womb envy. As Susan Faludi noted of Howard's film, "In the last five minutes of Parenthood, the whole brood crowds into a maternity ward, with virtually every woman either rocking a newborn or resting a proud hand on bulging tummy. As the camera pans over row upon row of gurgling diapered babies, it's hard to remember that this is a feature film, not a commercial break for Pampers" (Backlash, p. 132).
That was the original. Then, one year later in 1990, NBC and Ron Howard tried to turn bad film into bad TV and the show was thankfully canceled. It's ten years later and NBC just knows this piece of crap is what America wants to see.
And they might have been able to pull it off. Even with all its faults -- and, goodness, does this Ron Howard helmed show have problems -- they might have pulled it off had oldest daughter Sarah been played by Maura Tierney as planned and cast.
Health issues meant Tierney had to withdraw from the series and the role was recast and eventually went to Lauren Graham. (We know Maura and we also know Helen Hunt who almost got the role.) We're not saying that Graham can't act. We are saying that were this the theater, you'd cast Maura in Ibsen and you'd cast Graham in a Noel Coward play or something similar. In other words, Maura haunts a part, Maura is smoke and ash and singed memories. She inhabits a character. Graham tosses around a line. In the same detached way. Over and over.
If you saw Gilmor Girls, you've pretty much seen everything Graham can do . . . even if you only saw five minutes of one episode. If this were a laugh out loud comedy, Graham wouldn't have any problems with the role. But it's not. It's an hour long show that wants to be a dramedy. It's an hour long show and her 'quirky' line readings are so predictable and so tired that you really wonder what they were thinking when they cast her?
In fairness to Graham, if Maura were playing the role, a hundred other problems would still exist. Problems having nothing to do with the character Sarah. But Maura would have anchored the show. She would have given the show depth -- a quality it strives for but only ends up mired in melodrama as if NBC had decided to move Days of Our Lives to prime time.
thirdestatesundayreview.blogspot.com/2010/03/tv-why.html
Parenthood, for those not in the know, was a preachy, sexist, bad film from Ron Howard. The only saving moments of the film came from the storyline involving the 'misfits' Keanu Reeves, Martha Plimpton, Joaquin Phoenix (then billed as "Leaf Phoneix") and Dianne Wiest. The misfits were so, so much more interesting than the moralizing prigs making up the rest of the film. They were not, however, enough to turn the bad film into a good one and that bad sitcom for the big screen is remembered today mainly for what may be the first filmed confession of womb envy. As Susan Faludi noted of Howard's film, "In the last five minutes of Parenthood, the whole brood crowds into a maternity ward, with virtually every woman either rocking a newborn or resting a proud hand on bulging tummy. As the camera pans over row upon row of gurgling diapered babies, it's hard to remember that this is a feature film, not a commercial break for Pampers" (Backlash, p. 132).
That was the original. Then, one year later in 1990, NBC and Ron Howard tried to turn bad film into bad TV and the show was thankfully canceled. It's ten years later and NBC just knows this piece of crap is what America wants to see.
And they might have been able to pull it off. Even with all its faults -- and, goodness, does this Ron Howard helmed show have problems -- they might have pulled it off had oldest daughter Sarah been played by Maura Tierney as planned and cast.
Health issues meant Tierney had to withdraw from the series and the role was recast and eventually went to Lauren Graham. (We know Maura and we also know Helen Hunt who almost got the role.) We're not saying that Graham can't act. We are saying that were this the theater, you'd cast Maura in Ibsen and you'd cast Graham in a Noel Coward play or something similar. In other words, Maura haunts a part, Maura is smoke and ash and singed memories. She inhabits a character. Graham tosses around a line. In the same detached way. Over and over.
If you saw Gilmor Girls, you've pretty much seen everything Graham can do . . . even if you only saw five minutes of one episode. If this were a laugh out loud comedy, Graham wouldn't have any problems with the role. But it's not. It's an hour long show that wants to be a dramedy. It's an hour long show and her 'quirky' line readings are so predictable and so tired that you really wonder what they were thinking when they cast her?
In fairness to Graham, if Maura were playing the role, a hundred other problems would still exist. Problems having nothing to do with the character Sarah. But Maura would have anchored the show. She would have given the show depth -- a quality it strives for but only ends up mired in melodrama as if NBC had decided to move Days of Our Lives to prime time.
thirdestatesundayreview.blogspot.com/2010/03/tv-why.html