Common Sense Media Review
By Joyce Slaton
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Sex and drug jokes in hilarious show satirizing critics.
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Why Age 16+?
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Review
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What's the Story?
Forrest MacNeil (Andy Daly) is a reviewer, he tells us in the intro to his show, REVIEW, but he doesn't review movies, books, or restaurants. Instead, he reviews life experiences, heading off on quests to do such things as hunting, becoming a racist, or making love to a celebrity, which is complicated by the presence of his wife, Suzanne (Jessica St. Clair). MacNeil doesn't necessarily enjoy these life experiences, mind you. But there's no limit to his zeal to explore everything life has to offer -- and to give it a star rating.
Is It Any Good?
Okay, we see the irony in reviewing a show that reviews things, and we get the central joke of Review: that everything in life is now up for critical commentary, and everyone's a critic. It's a sly, subversive joke indeed, and one that Review is too smart to underline. Instead, the show focuses on the suitably absurd repercussions of MacNeil doing stuff like asking his beloved wife for a divorce in pursuit of a new experience or asking his kid's babysitter to her senior prom (and then doing cocaine with the popular kids in the bathroom).
But in contrast to what you'd see on lesser shows, MacNeil's sitcom-ish hijinks actually have consequences. At the end of the divorce-review show, wife Suzanne doesn't laugh at her wacky husband's crazy job and agree to forget it all just in time for the next episode. She actually dumps her husband, who then careens miserably through subsequent quests. The mix of over-the-top and realistic is odd, but it's also funny and fresh.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why Review is funny. What types of things are usually reviewed online? Is Review pointing out anything about these reviews or the people who write them?
Which life experiences would you like to review? In general, how many stars do you rate your life so far?
Is the audience supposed to find MacNeil ridiculous or relatable? How can you tell?
TV Details
- Premiere date : March 6, 2014
- Cast : Jessica St. Clair , Andy Daly
- Network : Comedy Central
- Genre : Comedy
- TV rating :
- Last updated : March 13, 2020
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