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STUDIO: Lionsgate
MSRP: $29.98
RATED: Not Rated
RUNNING TIME: 264 minutes
SPECIAL FEATURES:
None
The Pitch
African-American family televised for all to watch.
The Humans
Damon Wayans, Tisha Campbell-Martin and others
The Nutshell
There comes a time when black comedians have to try on the family man role. Starting with Bill Cosby, so many talents have fallen into the mold of the friendly sitcom. That doesn’t mean the result is always bad. It’s just not thrilling to see a once great comedian slum it with jokes about carpooling. Sadly, that’s the kind of material we have here today.
The Lowdown
Damon Wayans plays the father role in a rather mean fashion. He’s constantly cracking jokes at his family’s expense. They’re little jabs and nothing that terrible. But, it comes across as mean. Hell, it’s one thing to make fun of a teenager. The same sort of material doesn’t work against a little kid.
The
show also takes a creepy turn with how often the parents’ sexual relationship is brought into matters with the kids. The parents often joke about how much their son masturbates. Damon Wayans also spends an entire episode getting his son to act right, so he can get laid. Damon Wayans’ character is often shown pushing his family into a mold of his design. If they can’t agree to function the way he sees fit, then he won’t have any of this.
The
obsessive
focus on making sure that the husband is constantly satisfied plays out a little odd. Sure, past sitcoms were always centered around the male lead. But, this show seems a little deranged in their desire to make it work. A better title would’ve been some guy is an asshole to his wife and kids. Then, there’s the forced push on Damon Wayans.
Damon Wayans used to be funny as hell on his short SNL stint and his lengthy run on In Living Color. Watching a comedian get older and lose their claws is always a sore point. But, Wayans kind of gives up and mutates in this bizarre television personality. He’s a bit of an ass that can’t find new material and work his way into the confines of a sitcom.
The
show arrives on DVD with average A/V Quality. You can tell that the show was shot on the cheap for network television. The audio is unimpressive, but no dialogue is dropped. Throw on the lack of special features for an extra reason not to pick up the disc. Yeah, like you needed extra reasons.
The Package
The
DVD sports no special features. Hell, the slipcase was a little bent. Throw on the fact that it’s a shortened season and it’s kind of like LionsGate is daring you to buy this. Don’t cave into peer pressure. Avoid this title at all costs.