Awesome Movie

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

When Denny Crane was introduced on The Practice I thought it would be too much having 2 nutjobs in the same law office. I was wrong. They even made room for several more. The wackiness works and the relationships between them all (especially Alan & Denny) are very amusing. Over time I've noticed some melding of characters and their speech patterns. The Alan Shore type monologues are being delivered by others now. That's understandable over time I guess and not as pervasive here as Shonda-speak or the West Wing patter. That is about as critical as I could get about such an enormously enjoyable series that isn't afraid to call out important controversial issues that still persist a decade later while occasionally taking a leak on the leg of the person feeding them. By the way, look at the cast members (and crew) that have come and gone. Whether recurring or one-offs, there are none better. Oh, and just one more thing, the music is always exceptional.

I have spent the past several months watching this series from beginning to end. The first 3 seasons of this show, although politically biased, are very entertaining. The last 2 seasons however, border on annoying. I grew up in a very right wing household where I was constantly being hounded about what my political beliefs needed to be. As a result, I don't like left or right wing agendas when it comes to television shows, especially ones that are supposed to be funny. At first Alan carries the show, and it's hilarious. But by the end, I found myself getting bored during his long liberal speeches and losing concentration to the point where I would miss if he won or lost. Denny is great in the beginning as well, even though the character was only created to make all republicans look like idiots. Something else that really gets to me is that with all of the liberal points to be made, sexism oozes from this series. It's not as bad as Ally McBeal, but the focus is on 2 males instead of an anorexic head in the clouds female, so I didn't suspect it would be.Politics aside, there is no way I could rate this show higher than a 6 because it is majorly lacking when it comes to character continuance. There are at least 5 major characters that are not so much written off, as they just disappear. Fairly large plot holes can be found in different story lines as well.The best thing about this series is Jerry "Hands" Espenson. Out of all of the characters he shows the most range and growth. I also loved any episodes with Betty White portraying spunky Catherine Piper.Just know that you dead end with obnoxious liberal ramblings, but you'll enjoy the scenery before you get there.

My ORIGINAL REVIEW: This is becoming one of my favorite shows of all time, I can't believe I never watched it while it was still on TV.The character acting is brilliant for the most part. The sexual tension between Bowen and Valley, between Spader and Bergen, holy cow. And the guest characters who endure for a span of 5 or 10 episodes like the "pee pee" peeping Tom, Bethany the spunky little person who Denny falls in love with, all the unique judges, the adorable romance between Claire and Clarence... For me this show is unforgettable. And more than any of these, Shatner as Denny Crane is full of brilliant one-liners and unstoppable charisma.But what makes this show ten times better than any of the other impressive character dramas on TV is the writing. When Brad finds out that Denise's pregnancy is his child, his immediate response is "Have you thought about schools?" Almost every episode this show takes us somewhere I never would have expected. We hear passionate defenses from every end of the political spectrum, conservative, liberal, Republican, Democrat, gay, white supremacist, foreigners, gun rights, abortion, homelessness, tons of cross-dressing, fetishism, throughout all the insanity the resounding theme is not who's right or what should be legal but "This is the human condition." There is some political pandering and point-making (Spader delivered one too many lines beginning, "Have we become a country of...?") but this show really endures several years off the air now. We see Denny Crane objectifying women and saying some of the most offensive things I've ever seen on TV and the script's written so well that we don't object to them. We see Denise wrap men around her little finger yet we somehow resist the urge to stop wanting the best for her. There's a hook here to catch anybody who happens to catch an episode and frankly I'm surprised it only lasted 5 seasons, though I guess every show realistically has its limits. This has become one of my favorites.UPDATES: When I wrote the above, I was midway through season 3. Season 4 and Season 5 really took things downhill into leftwing political pontificating. I'm a liberal myself and it was unwatchable to even me. And what I absolutely HATED was that Jerry and Katie got together in the end. All throughout season 4 I was happy that there was a potential coupling but the writers resisted the urge to exploit it, and instead took it as an opportunity to examine a friendship between two coworkers of the opposite sex. Their friendship was beautiful in season 4. In the end, Katie decides to give Jerry a chance at romance, even though she's clearly never been attracted to him. My opinion of the seasons, from best to worst: Season 3, 2, 1, 4, 5 (worst).

I'm one of those people who isn't very fond of the judicial system and especially lawyers however Boston Legal is more about humanity than anything else. Every second of every episode is filled either with tactful humor or profound worldly idealism that leave you emotionally stirred. It made me think about life unlike any other show in this respect. The relationships between the characters is, in itself, enough reason to watch. Alan Shore (James Spader) is the single most fathomless character I have had the pleasure of encountering on screen. David E. Kelley's creation doesn't fail to entertain (and somehow enlighten) even for a moment.