Bet that hasn't been quoted in a while. Anyway, the show we are talking about is The Critic. Let me first say that I am not a big Jon Lovitz fan. He strikes me as someone who is kind of the guy you met at a party and couldn't ignore even if you tried your damnedest. I know that a lot of people have wondered about Lovitz. Is he gay or isn't he and to tell you the truth, I don't give a rat's a**. That thing is milked for all of its worth by giving him a boss (brilliantly voiced by Charles Napier, you know the guy from Rambo II and a couple of Russ Meyer films) who thinks Jay Sherman (Lovitz' character) is gay.
This show has not been shown in Denmark but I was so curious about it that I had to check it out because Al Jean and Mike Reiss of The Simpsons were involved. My doubts about Lovitz were put totally to shame. Sure, he is a little shrill but he manages to make a character that you actually care a little about. Then there is the brilliant portrayal of his stuffy parents, well mostly his mother. His father is pretty out of it most of the time. I have seen Judith Ivey in a couple of films but she was most enjoyable in the Steve Martin vehicle "The Lonely Guy". Here, she perfectly nails the Katharine Hepburn'esquire mother who is kind of ashamed of her son but loves him all the same. Gerrit Graham as the father is really one-dimensional, but what are you gonna do? Nancy Cartwright as the sister, Margo is of course brilliant but the real surprise is that she is stuck with a character that doesn't have any quirks. She is just too plain nice and Cartwright has an incredible range that is kind of left unused here. And finally we have Christine Cavanaugh as Sherman's son who is even more whitewashed. Soucie and Cartwright are both skilled voice-over artists so it's a shame to hear them as only these two and a couple of additional characters in this show.
If you have compare this to another animated show (and I always do) let me say that I can understand why this didn't catch on. The characters are brilliant but the pace of the show gets a little slow and Lovitz is really not leading man material (in any form). He is best in supporting parts and if you have to base a show on a fat, bald guy you have to make him into something more than a Alan Alda or Woody Allen clone all the time. Not to dis any of those two but let me just say: "Been there, done that" and wrap it up.
Oh, one more thing. This is an animated show so let me just point out that the animation is not that brilliant either. It is much too static but I guess that wasn't really a first priority to begin with. Sorry, but better luck next time.
This show has not been shown in Denmark but I was so curious about it that I had to check it out because Al Jean and Mike Reiss of The Simpsons were involved. My doubts about Lovitz were put totally to shame. Sure, he is a little shrill but he manages to make a character that you actually care a little about. Then there is the brilliant portrayal of his stuffy parents, well mostly his mother. His father is pretty out of it most of the time. I have seen Judith Ivey in a couple of films but she was most enjoyable in the Steve Martin vehicle "The Lonely Guy". Here, she perfectly nails the Katharine Hepburn'esquire mother who is kind of ashamed of her son but loves him all the same. Gerrit Graham as the father is really one-dimensional, but what are you gonna do? Nancy Cartwright as the sister, Margo is of course brilliant but the real surprise is that she is stuck with a character that doesn't have any quirks. She is just too plain nice and Cartwright has an incredible range that is kind of left unused here. And finally we have Christine Cavanaugh as Sherman's son who is even more whitewashed. Soucie and Cartwright are both skilled voice-over artists so it's a shame to hear them as only these two and a couple of additional characters in this show.
If you have compare this to another animated show (and I always do) let me say that I can understand why this didn't catch on. The characters are brilliant but the pace of the show gets a little slow and Lovitz is really not leading man material (in any form). He is best in supporting parts and if you have to base a show on a fat, bald guy you have to make him into something more than a Alan Alda or Woody Allen clone all the time. Not to dis any of those two but let me just say: "Been there, done that" and wrap it up.
Oh, one more thing. This is an animated show so let me just point out that the animation is not that brilliant either. It is much too static but I guess that wasn't really a first priority to begin with. Sorry, but better luck next time.