Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

Merolliv I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

Asad Almond A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Quiet Muffin This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

melvelvit-1 A sharply satirical soap opera about a modern-day "Candide" (Louise Lasser) and the dysfunctional pre-fab Americana she inhabits. In the opening episodes (beginning 1/76), Mary has to contend with her impotent husband, indifferent daughter, pervert grandpa, hot-to-trot sister, and the massacre of a local family (along with their 2 goats and 8 chickens) but it seems the waxy yellow build-up on her kitchen floor subliminally affected the mass media-influenced Mary more than all the domestic drama combined. The absence of a canned laugh track can make viewers feel they're either losing their mind or experiencing a darkly comedic, penetrating pop-culture parody. Possibly both. I loved it then and I love it now!

brendanchenowith Oh, how I've missed her, how I've missed her. Just like Pavlov's dog, I would often drool just at the sound of Norman Lear's name - and Lear has never disappointed. I'd always enjoyed watching soaps as well as sitcoms and Lear's name on top of the two was a hell of a mix.I'd heard it was a comedy, I'd heard it was a drama. I was surprised there was no laugh-track, but that was a good thing because it challenged my sense of humor and I think I won. It didn't matter what anyone said, I laughed at whatever happened to strike me funny - I went with my instincts. From the age of 12 (when this initially aired), I didn't need anyone to tell me when something was funny, and, thank God, I still don't, even though others will try, by God.I loved the use of overly melodramatic music in the background underscoring a really funny scene, which caused middle America to scratch its head and try to guess whether or not it was funny. They let the music tell them how to feel. You decide - you're watching something being played out in front of you - do you think it's funny - do you think it's sad. Mary Hartman Mary Hartman let us decide for ourselves and God bless Norman Lear for going in this direction. It paved the way for more of the same with Arrested Development, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Extras, the British "Office". Nice to finally have the spearhead of this movement back in my living room where it belongs.

preppy-3 A satire on soap operas dealing with a VERY strange housewife named Mary Hartman (Louise Lasser) and her heavily dysfunctional family and friends. It dealt with homosexuality, alcoholism, wife beating, drug abuse, rape, murder ALL done with a comic twist. Most TV shows wouldn't touch those subjects--but this one did.This was considered very strong material for its time. It usually played during the afternoon hours but parents were horrified that their children were being subjected to this. Personally I was 14 when it started--I just found it funny and not even remotely shocking. It was moved to late night (11:30) in most areas on the country. It had a successful run for a few years until creator Norman Lear decided to end it. There was a final episode that tied together all the loose ends.In terms of subject matter this was extreme...but its also very much of its time. The show didn't get too controversial (two gay characters were only allowed to talk to each other--no kissing or hugging) and the off the wall humor kept giving the show a light touch. So it was ahead of its time--but today it comes across as pretty slow and dated. The humor seems pretty silly now and the subject matter isn't even remotely extreme anymore. TV Land tried to revive it a few years ago and it didn't work.So--it did help push the boundaries of what could be shown and talked about on TV but, unfortunately, it doesn't age well.

oldsalvus This was indeed a work of art for many reasons. First, it was done tongue-in-cheek, but believe it or not really depicted real situations, which actually continue to happen in American life.For example it is astounding that a recent survey found that something like 20% of Americans actually believe that the Sun revolves around the earth. Another example of just plain dumb, or totally uninformed people, can be found by remembering that during the early World War II years, polls showed that in spite of ads, posters, war campaigns, and other national information efforts, about 25% of Americans still had no idea who Franklin D. Roosevelt or Adolph Hitler were.Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman was a classic because it warned us that we still have a long way to go, if we want to be accepted as an informed society.I would love to get a copy of the entire production, so I could play it for my grand children. We, and they, need to know that these types of people are still out there, and must be understood and dealt with on a daily basis.Luis J. Orozco, II