Phil of the Future

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Harmless, cliché-ridden young teen misadventures.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that although this series aims to teach viewers about good behavior and respecting others, its hackneyed situations and endless cheesy sound effects get in the way of anything meaningful. The futuristic elements are so poorly tacked on to the stories that they seem irrelevant. And Phil's sister is so nasty, rude, and antagonistic that it makes the show nearly unwatchable. All in all, the show is harmless but unpleasant.

  • Phil's younger sister is a mean, selfish, manipulative bratty kid, and her behavior is played for laughs, though she generally is "taught a lesson" by the end of each episode. The entire population of the show is white.
  • Not applicable.
  • There is talk of dating and relationships from both teens and adults, but nothing beyond the crush stage.

What's the story?

A family from the future is trapped in the suburban present in this rehash of just about every teen show you've ever seen. Although Phil (Ricky Ullman) and his family have access to various futuristic gadgets (a brain switcher, an age transformer). The teen and his friends experience the ups and downs of their age group. For example, in one episode Phil gets a crush on the popular girl at school and has to learn about being himself, and in another story, Phil's best friend Keely (Alyson Michalka) uses the aging machine to see what she'll be like at 25 and has to learn about being herself. Predictably, Phil's sister Pim (Amy Bruckner) is a cute kid who is a complete brat and mean to everyone.


Is it any good?

 

Though the series attempts to impart a few life lessons, the situations are so clichhd and the settings so overly familiar that you can predict everything that's going to happen and everyone's reaction to it long before it occurs, and so the "lesson learned" impact fizzles out. And in case you weren't sure which parts are supposed to be funny, a barrage of sound effects is constantly going off during each episode, adding a cartoonish element that does nothing to enhance the viewing experience. There are far, far better ways to spend half an hour than watching this show.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about whether the lessons the show is trying to teach are derailed by Phil's sister's behavior. Can you look past her nastiness to see what the message is supposed to be? Is what she does funny or just mean? How would you deal with a sibling who acts like she does?


This review was written by Sarah Wenk
Adult
April 9, 2008
 
Pretty good show
Phil of the Future is a show that is apropriate for kids of any age, although some younger kids might not understand the conflicts. A funny Disney Channel show about the problems that a family coming from the future would have in our day.

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Teen, 14 years old
April 9, 2008
 
Best show ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My Mom lets my 5-year-old brother see this, she thinks this is like the best "good" show for kids. Only Pim is a bratty,spoiled, I-want-to take over-the-world-kid, you should talk to your kid about Pim after the episode.

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Teen, 18 years old
April 9, 2008
 
The Best
I Think this show is one of the best. My whole family loves even my mom!

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Kid, 13 years old
March 14, 2011
 
best show ever!!!!!!!!
i use to watch this show when i was younger and loved it and i still do. i wish disney would put this back on TV that way i do not have to watch it on youtube. overall best show ever!!!!

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Teen, 17 years old
July 11, 2011
 
Why Parents?
What is up with the stats? 95% say violence is an issue 95% say sexual content is an issue 95% say language is an issue 95% say there's too much drinking, drugs, or smoking 95% say they noticed product placement First of all there was never any drinking, drugs, or smoking, never. Yeah there's a little kissing and flirting but it's a family show, what do you expect? Where's the language and the violence? The gadgets are cool but the episodes are sometimes boring but season 2 is much better

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Teen, 15 years old
October 6, 2010
 
Comical
It was one of my favorite shows growing up, not the best, but not horrible. The acting is pretty off, the siblings fight a lot, Pim is 'evil', and the parents can be pretty clueless. But overall its a pretty fun show, I miss it, and it was really creative. The gadgets they have a pretty cool, and the stories told are neat. Not the best, but it was always a favorite.

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Kid, 11 years old
September 30, 2010
 
Why????????????????????
This show gives me a weird feeling. Some episodes can be fantastic, some episodes can be horrible. I was half happy it canceled, half upset it cancled.

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Teen, 15 years old
July 27, 2010
 
I hate it.
This show was a bunch of Disney Channel crap. Disney hasn't had a good thing since Good Morning, Miss Bliss!

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Adult
June 22, 2010
 
It was so cool! Bring it back! I double dare you to bring it back!
This was one of my favorite shows of all time! I liked the new gagets and plots, they always have a new twist. And I like hearing about those 'future' stories the parents tell. I cant hate any of the characters, they all have something to love. They usually learn a lesson at the end of the show, and it was not a sitcom! (Hallaluya music plays) sometimes their acting is a little off, but not nearly as bad as the suite life on deck acting. I'm getting it on DVD because knowing the 'new Disney' they wont bring it back. If they did, I wouldn't mind watching replays! And they actually go outside in this show, they don't use a green screen! Its all real neat, and Phil and Keely really dedicate themselves to their friendship even though they have a crush on eachother, they dont act sappy all the time, they act like great friends.

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This review was written by Sarah Wenk
This review was written by Sarah Wenk
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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