3. "Welcome back Alex P. Keaton" In response to Reply # 0
This could have some legs
<-- Dave Thomas knows what's up... __________________________
Jay: Look here homie, any nigga can get a hit record. This here is about respect. Game: Like Gladys Knight. Jay: Aretha Franklin. Game: Word, I like her too. Jay: Nigga...
5. "I wanna watch, but can anyone tell me...." In response to Reply # 0
...how his Parkinson's affects his performance? Because I love the dude. He's a childhood staple. But when I see him struggle on talk shows and whatnot I end up more depressed than entertained. Like I'm so happy that he's not letting it define him and he's powering through it.... but it's still sad to me. Is that fucked up?
6. "he's playing himself basically, he has Parkinson's in the script" In response to Reply # 5
so any erraticisms you see are used the way they should be I'm glad he's back on TV, he's one of the best actors of his generation
__________________________________________ CHOP-THESE-BITCHES!!!! ------------------------------------ Garhart Ivanhoe Poppwell Un-OK'd moderator for The Lesson and Make The Music (yes, I do's work up in here, and in your asscrease if you run foul of this
10. "i felt a bit conflicted about it" In response to Reply # 5
i honestly can't recall the last time i saw him act in something (never seen his arcs in the good wife or rescue me or the episode of curb), but i have seen him in interviews in recent years, and having watched the episodes last night i was wondering how much was spontaneous (i.e., real) and how much was him portraying on command the symptoms of parkinson's for the story. it is pivotal to the writing and his character, and i must admit that it was occasionally uncomfortable and sad for me to see, but overall i enjoyed the shows. the man can act, the writing was pretty funny for a network sitcom in 2013, and the series seems pretty promising.
and having watched the episodes last night i was >wondering how much was spontaneous (i.e., real) and how much >was him portraying on command the symptoms of parkinson's for >the story.
one reason is it would be a testament to him as an actor to call up the symptoms as needed to serve the story. i might also feel a little less sad for him if he's not actually suffering as much as shown for the character. there are other reasons, i'm sure, but mostly i'm just curious how they are doing the show.
13. "Did it really feel like the character was "suffering"?" In response to Reply # 12
>one reason is it would be a testament to him as an actor to >call up the symptoms as needed to serve the story. i might >also feel a little less sad for him if he's not actually >suffering as much as shown for the character. there are other >reasons, i'm sure, but mostly i'm just curious how they are >doing the show.
14. "suffering is relative" In response to Reply # 13
i'm not saying he was dying on tv. what i'm getting at is the distinction between laughing with and laughing at. this is a daring show in that you have a real-life famous person who was out of the spotlight for a few years because he thought he couldn't or shouldn't continue his acting career (in the late '90s to early '00s) because of his disease, one that affects a lot of people. the show is a comedy, and a lot of the jokes are derived from the effects his parkinson's has on life situations. obviously MJF has learned to cope as best as he can with it, and i hope this show helps others. the show has to walk a fine line without being offensive or exploitative, so my mind naturally wanders to whether each depiction is called up on command or what was actually happening to his nervous system as the cameras rolled. tics and shakes that don't serve the plot i would assume are spontaneous, which means we are seeing someone suffer, however minor and routine the extent, from a debilitating disease. other instances are the direct part of the joke or storyline, and i assume they are acted. i definitely think there is room for situation comedy involving parkinson's, it's just a little tough to see an iconic actor (at least for a young person in the '80s and early '90s) deal with it in real time and wringing jokes out of a very serious disease (that millions of people live with every day and can cope with for decades). maybe if i watch a few episodes it will be a little less jarring; like i said, to my recollection, i haven't seen him act since he went public with having it.
23. "It's pretty clear that he doesn't want y'all's pity or sadness" In response to Reply # 5
I mean, everybody can feel how they have to but MJF doesn't seem to give a fuck
Wouldn't shock me if he wanted MORE Parkinson's jokes in the show
In any event, seems like he's going out of his way to show everybody who might "feel bad" about him that he can live a somewhat-normal life, complete with sex, running, and inappropriate jokes about his condition
______________________________________________________________________________________________________ But Zootown, black people and media, so...
> >In any event, seems like he's going out of his way to show >everybody who might "feel bad" about him that he can live a >somewhat-normal life, complete with sex, running, and >inappropriate jokes about his condition
..outside of michael j. fox and wendell pierce, the rest of the cast has no chemistry
the only exception MIGHT be the youngest child (jack gore).
i've seen fox in reoccurring roles over the years (most notably: rescue me, curb your enthusiasm), so i know he still has the chops. i think a show about how he's dealing with parkinson's is a great idea, i just don't like the dynamic they currently have in place.
i know its early, and it takes time to develop a solid rhythm, but almost everything else about the season premiere was awkward/clumsy.
22. "The story is that the daughter is making a video project for her class" In response to Reply # 17
In the pilot she turned in a lazy one and was going to be failed but she apparently took her brother's suggestion that she ask the teacher for an incomplete which would give her time to make a heartfelt video on her family
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________ But Zootown, black people and media, so...
27. "RE: The story is that the daughter is making a video project for her cla..." In response to Reply # 22
i didn't grasp that all of the characters' confessionals were for that... i thought it was more like the above reply, that it was filmed in partly mockumentary style, a la the office and parks & rec, only without explanation (come to think of it, i can't remember it being explained on P&R either, it's just from the same people as the office). i'm cool with it being for this class project and not part of the style of the entire series.
32. "Turned it off halfway through." In response to Reply # 0
This formula major network comedy shows are following these days is terrible. Mockumentary, fast edits, punchline after punchline. It's probably just me but I was a much bigger fan of his appearance on Curb. I know that with NBC we weren't going to get something like that, but this is basically Modern Family with Parkinsons.
36. "I *WANT* to like this show..." In response to Reply # 0
but I can't.
it's not consistently funny, I feel like the wife (haaaay Betsy Brandt! GET THEM CHECKS, MA! GET THEM CHECKS!) and the family are coming off like caricatures...
i agree with someone above...nix the family and shit does go hard in the paint.
I love Wendell Pierce on the show.
But, between this and Sean Hayes show...man fuck Sean Hayes. He's the most PAINFULLY UNFUNNY comedian on the air. moreso than Robin Williams
And Welcome to The Family: the cast deserves *WAY* better writing than what I got in the pilot ep (which is up online now either at NBC.com or go here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2709648/?ref_=sr_3
but ugh...NBC about to cancel it's comedies and keep its new dramas and probably drop Revolution (ain't no way this shit gets a season 3, if it does, it's BARELY getting one).
40. "there's kinks to be ironed out but I'm sticking with it for a bit" In response to Reply # 0
I got enough goodwill stored up from my childhood days watching Michael J. Fox along with Wendell Pierce's involvement and to a lesser degree Marie to make it for awhile.
The kids don't really add much yet but they don't annoy me completely either.
These episodes will be a nice, easy watch on the DVR on a slow night when my parents are staying at my place next week.
Printer-friendly copy 
Email this topic to a friend
Pass The Popcorn
