Purely Joyful Movie!

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

I love this show! I saw the original pilot when it aired, and totally fell in love with it. But, as the year went on and homework piled up, I didn't continue watching the show. Later, when I looked for it on the new schedule, to my disappointment, the show had been canceled.Fast forward a year and a half. I found it on NetFlix and ordered it right away, falling in love all over again. The story lines are good and thorough, and the writers aren't afraid to tackle mature content. The acting is great from the three male leads, as well as the three supporting actresses. Even the parents' story lines aren't boring.I have even gotten my friends hooked on this show. I showed it to them at a party, and they just could not get enough of it!

I miss this show....it was one of the only shows i watched cuz it was real. I was a freshmen in HS and it was the only thing that was realistic...its too bad too cuz it had real potential. Later on when I went on to senior year everything i faced was very similar to the show. Its good to have a site where i can find those shows that are like one hit wonders. I might forget the name of it but others seem to remember these shows. I'm grateful for this site, it basically bridges the gaps my poor memory has created, thanx...and remember get the DVD, if you wanna reflect on a life we left beind, a real life, not like those cheesy HS stories where its all laughs then, this is for you!

Network: ABC; Genre: Teen Drama; Content Rating: TV-14 (for frank, pervasive sexual content, language); Classification: Contemporary (star range: 1 - 4); Season Reviewed: Complete Series (1 season) For those, like myself, who view "Freaks and Geeks" as the godfather of the high school series, "Life As We Know It" is an intriguing pinch on the arm. Created by "Freaks" producers Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah, "Life" doesn't quite recreate the magic of "Freaks", but it does come to the material with the same level of knowledge about its subjects and respect for its characters and audience. It is much better than the average Fox or WB teen drama.Based on Melvin Burgess' novel "Doing It", "Life", delves into that recently network discarded demographic: teenage boys. More specifically, the hormone-driven slavery to have sex that occupies the minds of teenage boys. And "Life" does something else: it gives these boys their balls back. After being neutered for years on other teen drams our heroes here aren't feminized, sensitive, wimps falling in love. They are carnal, but not 1-dimensional jerks.Balancing all of this are Sean Faris, Jon Foster and Chris Lowell as our three leads. The success and believability of the show rests on their shoulders and they carry the load all the way to the show's premature end. Faris' Dino is the school jock who breaks up with his girlfriend Jackie (Missy Peregrym) (both of whom have their own equally devastating family problems) and ends up the seemingly last person in school to have sex. Lowell's Johnathan finds himself in a sexual relationship with his best friend, Deborah (Kelly Osbourne) who isn't the type of girl he picture himself with, and Foster's Ben gets the most unbelievable storyline of them all.The other girls are fully realized as well and given roles more complex than they would be on another show. More care and heart is put into this show than simply a desire to parade around scantly clad teens for titillation's sake (I'm looking at you, Fox). Jessica Lucas stands out in the experience "American Pie" role. But the big surprise here is Kelly Osbourne who makes a star turn from reality show brat to near pitch-perfect actress. Osbourne is a revelation.Because Sachs and Judah are involved "Life" becomes a rare place to see former "Freaks" alumni: Becky Ann Baker, Samm Levine, Busy Phillips & Natasha Melnick appear in guest starring roles, the former two limited to a single line per episode. It's hard to believe these people can't get work in anything but a Sachs/Judah production.The show is visually stylish with an effectively used gimmick: a time-freezing effect that allows the boys to break the fourth wall and deliver their inner monologue in a way that manages to be different from "Malcolm in the Middle" and other character-narrated shows. These aren't Golly-Gee "Saved by the Bell" teenagers either. What they say is dialog written like adults and put in the mouths and spun by teenagers.Sachs and Judah have gone against the grain in creating a teen series that is stylish, edgy, humorous, intelligent and honest to the point that it might be uncomfortable for the older audience demos. When the show moves away from school and into the home it begins to suffer. An original beat comes as Dino learns that his Mom (Lisa Darr, "Popular") is cheating on his dad (D.B. Sweeney). It takes the traditional gender blame roles for a ride, but Dino's outwardly emotional reaction feels unrealistic for the character. Wouldn't a guy like this push the emotions down until it exploded at a later date instead of whining and crying melodramatically all the time? That would be more authentic. The show's craziest story involves Ben having a secret affair with a hot young teacher (Marguerite Moreanu). You'd think that after "Dawson's Creek" turned this story into a parodied cliché of the high school series Sachs and Judah would have known better.It amazes me that intelligent, working adults can't miss "One Tree Hill" or "The OC" but when a good teen series comes along - like "Freaks", "Undeclared" and now "Life as We Know It" - they can't be bothered. "Life" managed to pull my attention from "The Apprentice", which was a feat by itself, capturing high school life the way it is now. The casting lessons learned on "Freaks" are once again applied successfully: get a great cast, let them bond and improvise and the show will spring together from that. If "Life" is a more tradition teen/high school series than Paul Fieg or Judd Apatow's were, that only puts it in a genre where it is head and shoulders above the competition. If ABC had the guts or confidence they would have thrown some of that "Lost" or "Desperate Housewives" money into this, put it up against any other teen/high school drama on the air and challenged them to an open street fight. They could have really made something out of this. If they wanted to.* * * / 4

Since day one the first 5 five minutes I was Hooked. It is honest, and real. It is like the wonder years of today .. It doesn't matter if it was Wally and the Beaver, or Kevin and Paul, the 60's or the 70's. These were issues then and are still issues today. It's about time we see a realistic look into the teenage boys mind.Great plots, Great characters, great show. Can't say enough about it. It has made me cry, it has had me laughing till my side hurt. It IS Life today as we know it.. I do however think because of the content of the show it should be on at a later time. I do not like the new time slot at all..Other than that. I live for Thursday nights >>>