Reviews

I have never seen a show like this one. First of all, it is a HS coming of age tail with some really charismatic young actors. I always like that genre, and this is well done - often funny, with typical teen intrigue/drama. A lot of the plot developments are pretty cliche, but the actors are good enough to really sell it. Occasionally they throw in some weird plot lines that kind of go nowhere. For a while I was kind of holding that against the show, but I think that it is done for effect and although it doesn't all come together in the end, it really does make for a very interesting finale. I don't know what the status is on a season 2, or if season 2 will be a continuation of the 1st, but def made for a memorable season 1

Very funny stuff - centers around Martin, a cheerful outcast with an imaginary friend (Chris O'Dowd) who (being a product, after all, of his own thoughts) reinforces his many amusingly terrible ideas. In addition to this friend/partner-in-crime, Martin has three sisters, and a mom and dad who are absolutely brilliant characters. The mother is kind of like Lois from Malcolm in the Middle, in that she's a real pro at the parenting gig, probably the smartest cat in the family and tells it like it is. Unlike Lois, she does all of this with a calmness that makes her more humorous, likable and watchable. It's clear that the dad would lose all control without her around, and often fails spectacularly at important parenting tasks. He's no fool though, even if he often plays the part. He and his wife have the air of people who could be much more if they didn't have 4 kids to raise in Boyle. They're brutally 'real' with their kids, hilariously practical in their parenting and daydream almost as much as their screwball son Martin. So, when they inevitably have to help out one or a few of the children, you as the viewer can't help but feel a little moved. This isn't just about Martin's coming of age - it's also about family and unconditional love and community. That said, it's also just hilarious. It's clever (Martin's exchanges with O'Dowd come to mind), absurd (Martin's ideas), irreverent and much more. Best comedy I've seen in a long time.

Another review (by Stelea) put this best: "Its like watching a 10hr Calvin Klein or Tommy advert, i kept expecting them to whisper "eternity by Calvin Klein"

This movie is BORING and BAD - you are not a Philistine for thinking so.

...and i guess i have to have ten lines of text to submit a review. so here are some beautifully shot movies that are actually good:

Jiro Dreams of Sushi, Y Tu Mama Tambien , Skyfall , Black Swan , Any Batman , There Will Be Blood , City of God, The Thin Red Line and many many more