Highly Overrated But Still Good

Absolutely brilliant

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

A consistently watchable and fascinating peek at the anxieties of assimilated American Jews. Imagine a 1940s movie shot in the style of a shampoo ad, peopled with models, dressed in mail-order catalog furniture and clothes, and tracked with a lot of anxious, booksy verbal exchanges. You'd have this tale of a family of Jewish small businesspeople that marries into Goy-land-- a den of vixens with "foreign" names like TIFFANY and CARLA. LILY's otherness is downplayed throughout the series. This was presumably done to broaden the show's appeal, a detail almost as fascinating than the details of the writing. All the clichés of the Assimilation Genre turn up: the Evil Nordic Boss, the Repressed Wasp Wife, the Funny Jewish Doctor, the Crazy Shiksa, and so on. You can almost tell what the characters are going to say before they open their mouths. But not even Grace shows an iota of curiosity about what lives outside the snug little bubble. There's even a casting joke: just like the sexy fantasy wives in DECONSTRUCTING HARRY, the sexy Jewish Girls are played by Gentiles-- one of them from Mississippi, no less!

Bought Series One on spec and I am so glad I did. I expected an updated version of Different Strokes or something. No way. I watched all the episodes over the last two days stopping only to sleep. Wow! I went through all the emotions, crying a lot which doesn't come easily to a middle aged man. Superb acting from big and small, the script was outstanding with hardly a dull moment. The camera-work switching between homes mid dialogue and once coming through fridge doors! Series Two coming out soon and I can't wait. Yes everyone is a bit too good looking but I can cope with that as the story lines are all too true. Relationships, bereavement, etc are all there and are not sensationalised. Very nicely surprised and very much recommended.

Once and Again is a pearl of a show. It's always interesting, and more importantly, realistic.I started watching it as my sister had a crush on Shane West, but by the second episode I watched, I was hooked. Expecting it to be nothing more than a lightweight excuse for Shane West to act moody and broody, I found that instead it was a show where I saw that he actually can act, not to mention all his co-stars.Easily the most impressive is Evan Rachel Wood, showing to me (before Thirteen was even an idea) that she had a tremendous amount of talent, I found her story lines to be compelling, and her to be exemplary in them. Indeed, it was this show that made me want to see Thirteen so much, so as I could see her performing again.But I won't ramble.Once and Again is brilliant, and if there was ever a show that should be continued, this is it.

"Once and Again" is without question my very favorite show of all time. One of the show's greatest strengths is the writing. The writing is wonderfully crisp and natural and actually sounds like people talking for a change. It examines daily life in a very intricate, exquisite, and truthful way. The second greatest strength is its acting. I don't know if there has ever been a television ensemble this good. From Sela Ward's self absorbed and yet lovable Lily to Billy Campbell's conflicted Rick to Jeffrey Nordling's perpetual screwup Jake to Susanna Thompson's uptight but loving Karen to Marin Hinkle's resilient romantic Judy, all of the adults in the cast put in consistently stellar performances.But perhaps the show's finest performances came from its younger actors. Julia Whelan was perfect as whiny teenager Grace,awkwardly trying to survive the hell of being an adolescent. Shane West touched our hearts as Eli, never quite sure of his place in the world, and Evan Rachel Wood lit up the screen as Jessie,blossoming in front of our eyes from a shy, insecure child to a beautiful, more confident young woman. All three of these young people have the potential to be stars someday soon."Once and Again" is a gem of a show that was never truly given the recognition it deserved. Nevertheless, it's a show that has touched my heart. I can't imagine television being any better than this.