I love this movie so much

Brilliant and touching

All that we are seeing on the screen is happening with real people, real action sequences in the background, forcing the eye to watch as if we were there.

Blistering performances.

This show essentially takes the newspaper advice columns and bring them to live on TV. Almost every show we have the victim(s) of a terrible human drama bring their problems to Phil for answers. Then Dr. Phil puts a home spun type of forum to it and suggests how he can help.Harpo Productions (Oprah) is the boss we owe this too. It is talk show format, and is a laid back version of human complications being presented on a static stage with emotional out bursts. Sometimes we get a special guest during sweeps to do Star Burst and promote their egos. I fully expect Taylor Swift will get a shot at this one after the groping case gets out of court.Meanwhile, a synopsis of everything goes, "Help me, I just had a nightmare about my problems and somehow visited an English teacher who gave me advice in French that I love to hate and I still can't sleep at night after getting a root canal on my grammar."The thing is, Phil has some of the same eccentric problems as his guests so in a simple way, he can always relate to them on a basic level. His personality and that level are the reasons for this shows success. There is harm in these victims lives. Phil tries to sincerely address that harm.Of course perhaps the thing to watch it for is the train wrecks of life presented without Jerry Springer's Final Word, or Maury's DNA test. Yes, Phil, you are the father, and sometimes, yes, you do get the final word at the end of your show.

I abhor Dr. Phil. I find absolutely no redeeming quality in his show or in the man himself. He has supporters or he would not be on TV, but those who sing his praises have not been flagrantly displayed and humiliated on his show. I feel terrible for those poor people who somehow were duped into thinking he was going to help them, only to be harangued and abused by the "Doctor". It is painful to watch. No one with an ounce of compassion or decency would do what he does to those who are seeking help. I have caught his show on the fly many times in the years that it has been on. Certain pitiful participants tug at my heart and I wish that I had the money to get them some real, professional help. Unfortunately, Dr. Phil ruins the entire episode with his loud, aggressive tactics and his smarmy, high-handed manner. He is not helping these people! He is using and abusing them.As far as his "Texas charm" is concerned- I am from Texas, too, and I wouldn't treat my worst enemy the way this man treats his "guests". He gives Texans an even blacker eye than we already have. He is an embarrassment. This is not down home humor and good, plain speaking. This is bullying in its crassest form and I cannot, will not, tolerate it. As for the gentleman reviewer who thinks that Dr. Phil is biased for women... Really? You think that? Well, I don't. Dr. Phil is a sexist pig. He is not for women or men... or children, for that matter. He is only interested in furthering himself and his annoying family. Read between the lines, people! Can't you see it? Don't just slip into a TV coma, nodding your head like the rest of the sheeple, bleating the PC drivel that Dr. Phil regurgitates on a regular basis. If I happen to get "caught" while flipping through channels, I am always able to make the break to freedom the minute his homely mug takes the screen hostage. He makes it easy to zap the channel, since I am nauseated by the very sight of him... without fail.

Dr. Phil is another show in a long procession of talk's shows that set out to provide assistance in their private lives. The difference that separates Dr. Phil from the others is that Dr. Phil McGraw is genuine in his concern for his guests and he is more than willing to provide the answers and solutions to thee guests private lives but only on the grounds that the guests are willing to work not for him but there selves. This approach to his work guarantees that his guests are 100 percent genuine in solving their private problems and not just being another form of white trash entertainment that Jerry Springer presented in the 90's.I am not one to watch these kinds of talk shows because of the idiots that are inclined to be on them and the problems that these idiots bring on themselves by dating serial adulterers or living with their interfering mothers. With Dr. Phil you get the opposite of the spectrum. You get good decent everyday people whose private problems might seem minor from an outsider's point of view. But with the aid of verbal description and hidden cameras we discover examples of sleep terrors that are having a profound affect on the individual suffering on them and how he or she can become a physical night time threat to the health of his or her loved ones. Dr. Phil's problem solving technique is very straightforward. He uses a tough love approach where he insists on the guest using their common sense to solve their problems. This leads to often-humorous quips from Dr. Phil regarding the pettiness of the couple's situations. In the areas of substance dependency Dr. Phil is more than willing to use all his powers with seeking the best professional help available to help his guests.With a show like Dr. Phil's you can expect that you will be completely enthralled by some case matters or totally bored by others. That is one of my main three faults with this show. My second fault is that Dr. Phil pretends he cares but not before he markets his latest book. Every show produces another new book that relates to that days subject matter. Either Dr. Phil publishes a new book every week or he wants to clear his shelves of the books that did not sell before 2002 and the first broadcasts of his show. Finally there is my biggest hate and that is his ever-present wife Robin. Dr. Phil gives this woman too much credit in his shows which makes me ask the question if she is so bloody inspirational and genuine and he wants to promote couples working together why isn't the show called the Dr. Phil and Robin McGraw show.Despite these problems I do find the show to be very interesting. One of my favorite shows was the episode on people who think they are cursed. This featured a lady who at a young age was exorcised by her father who was a Pentecostal minister. In the intervening years that followed this lady had had a run of bad luck. She believed that during the exorcism she was possessed by a demons and these demons were responsible for many tragic events in her life. When I was watching this I felt bad for this lady as it was very obvious that her childhood innocence had been shattered by her parents spiritual leanings. It made me feel that although I think at times life is bad but for others it's a lot worse and the worst part is that a show like Dr. Phil has to remind me of this I myself automatically acknowledge it. What's more this show teaches me that what might seem to be a huge problem can be simply solved by using common sense at that organ that god gave me called a brain.I often see Dr. Phil as the cool uncle you would go to if you had problems and his attitude would be comforting. This is cool as I personally would not want him as a dad. The show is really good at times it can be quite boring but that depends on the problems that you the audience can relate to on a personal basis. It is however definitely the best of these kind of shows that offer help to troubled people. 6 out of 10.

This piece I am writing is not a review, but more a thank you to a person who I believe right now is one of the most influential personalities on TV in the world. The man I am referring to is arrogant, in your face and straight to the point. He is also very caring, compassionate, giving and understanding. His name is Dr. Phil McGraw or simply 'Dr. Phil' as he is known in the TV world. He is a very clever man, with a great way of being able to sum up any given situation. Phil also shows that his experience as a clinical psychologist is very invaluable.Dr. Phil C. McGraw is a renowned life strategist and best-selling author, formerly on the 'Oprah' show. He now hosts his own daily program that is a "stop talking and do something show." Covering a full range of topics from news headlines to coping with life's challenges - Dr. Phil offers viewers a positive, transformational, and entertaining experience like nothing else on television.I am guilty of initially thinking that Dr. Phil was just another bald Doctor on TV who is raving on about the usual old issues. Well I was totally wrong. Sure he might be talking about these old issues, but Phil somehow has a different angle to present his opinion on a certain issue. Some of his shows are so fascinating that they are tantalizing for me and I am sure the thousands of viewers he has.Another good point that Phil does have for the show is that he creates some wonderful series for his programs that are not only good viewing, but crucial for many people's well being and lives. Things like 'Parenting 101', 'The ultimate weight loss challenge', 'Family in crisis'/'Family divided' and just recently 'relationship rescue retreat' have all been great. All of these segments are terrific, give good insights, and I continue to wait with anticipation for the next new segment he comes up with.The show itself has many good parts to it, besides the stories and the Doc. Robyn McGraw (Phil's beautiful wife), Jay and Jordan (his two sons) are a part of his shows from time to time. In fact, Robyn is at every show, and her and Phil walking of set together at the end of every show is great. I also think that the crew Phil has assembled are incredible for the work that they do. While the show's musical theme is something that at times I cannot get out of my head, it is just great.I feel that in these times, psychology, psychiatry and counselling are dismissed by many people as being unimportant and very much a waste of time. Well I totally disagree with that opinion and say that those people should watch Dr. Phil to see that they are wrong and that those areas are all important in the world we live in. In fact I have been fighting a battle of my own over the past few years, in relation to mental illness, had many highs and lows and with the help of these areas have almost beaten my illness. Trust me, it has been a challenge too! Dr. Phil is not everyone's cup of tea, I understand that, but I think he is the best man on international TV, and although he is predominantly targeting American audiences, Phil is touching many people around the world, and that includes my country, Australia. Dr Phil from the bottom of this Aussie's heart, thank you so much, keep up the incredible and more importantly inspirational work going that you do.Your friend Old Joe (bassybaby@ozemail.com.au)