Strictly average movie

Masterful Movie

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

This show had incredible amounts of potential. Although the timing and editing was a little awkward and jerky in the beginning they really began to hit their stride in the end of the first season/beginning of the second. The jokes are topical and very funny (although a bit dated at this point). It was by no means a perfect show, but if you look back at the first season of some TV favorites (The Simpsons, Seinfeld, etc..) the first few seasons do seem a bit rougher. Overall, I think this show was unfairly canceled and had potential to be a great show for at least a few more seasons. I have the entire series on DVD and still pop it in when I need a laugh!

Even though I own "The Critic" on DVD, I'll always dearly miss it. It was one of the greatest "brilliant but canceled" series of all time, a little gem of a show that didn't get enough of a chance. Besides, like "Mystery Science Theater 3000" before it, parodying movies is a formula that can never age, because every year there is something ripe for ribbing. I'll always have a soft spot for chubby, pathetic protagonist Jay Sherman (Jon Lovitz), a film critic who is bombarded by dreadful Hollywood sequels or remakes, such as "Robo-Beverly Hills Cop and a Half 2" or "Apocolypse Wow!". As Jay struggles to maintain his integrity and his sanity, he thankfully has support from his sweet, spunky girlfriend Alice (Park Overall, who joined the show in its second season)and his Australian movie star friend Jeremy Hawke (Maurice LaMarche). Other supporting characters included Jay's unscrupulous boss Duke Phillips (Charles Napier, a hoot), and Jay's WASP-y stepparents Eleanor (Judity Ivey), a heartless matriarch, and Franklin (Gerrit Graham), a liquor-swilling lunatic. The show featured side-splitting movie parodies that, unfortunately, aren't too far off from the junk Hollywood spits out (one is a film version of "Family Affair" with Marlon Brando as Mr. French). It also employed cut-aways that, unlike recent seasons of "Family Guy", never felt too knee-jerk or gratuitous. The majority of celebrity voices are provided by La Marche ("Pinky and the Brain"), who brilliantly mimics an endless array of actors: Al Pacino, Dudley Moore, and, his trademark, Orson Welles ("Oh, what luck, there's a french fry stuck in my beard!"). Even though "The Critic" only lasted 2 seasons, it developed enough of a cult following to warrant the 2000-2001 "webisodes", which are featured on the DVD. I personally don't care for them... they make Jay too soft and they replace spitfire Alice with dull-as-tombs bimbo Jennifer as Jay's love interest. As Jay would say, "Feh! It stinks!" But "The Critic", in its original glory, doesn't. I'd say it was just as good as "The Simpsons" at its peak. I want to say I wish it lasted longer, but maybe it's just as well it ended when it did. All the better to remember a fine little animated series that could make a parody like "Hee Haw: The Next Generation" actually worthy of a chuckle.

One of the greatest cartoons ever made! I love this show. Jay Sherman is one of the best cartoon characters ever. Even back in the 90s Fox was making stupid screw ups like with TV show, canceling good shows like this. This show was just so great and they canceled it. What was going through there minds when they made that decision? I loved Jay's crazy parents. I usually like crazy parents in shows. I liked mainly the father. He was the craziest. This show reminds me somewhat of Family Guy with the different scenes in between scenes where like they mention something and then they show a small scene of what that person was talking about and then go back to the original one. The Critic is shown on Comedy Central now.

Like most Simpsons watching fanatics that are also latched tightly to the Family Guy, I couldn't help but walk (never run) to buy this series when it came out. Jay Sherman is my inspiration for my excessive amounts of film reviews. He was never afraid to speak his mind about the garbage distributed by Hollywood ever week. His classic line, 'It stinks' inspired me to find those horrible films and make sure I warned others before it was too late. He is a God among Gods in my book!Created by the same team that did The Simpsons, Sherman great to life through not only the witty banter that leapt from his mouth, but also his surrounding characters. Parodying some of cinema's finest, you cannot help but laugh at this obese critic that wants nothing more than to have respect and eat his Charleston Chew. Duke Phillips is one of the funniest characters created and provides some of the funniest social commentary on the extremely wealthy in our country. Sherman, in my eyes, represents the little man. While making $270,000 a year, he doesn't rise above anyone else. He reminds all of us of who we are, whether it would be running a marathon or trying to clean-up his hometown of New York, Sherman represents our desires and wants. One of our biggest desires is to see good cinema. We pay top dollar to see good movies, why does Hollywood continually fill our plate with all the bread we can eat before giving us the main course? Suddenly, we are too full to enjoy it.I would like to applaud Jay Sherman for his fight against a repetitive and uncreative Hollywood. As an avid film-goer it is nice to see the battle being fought in the animated world. Sadly, I only wish this series could have lasted long enough to endure some of the garbage released today. We need a new Jay Sherman to help us wade through and poke fun of today's Hollywood. I HIGHLY recommend this series to anyone that is as upset with Hollywood as I. This series will make you laugh at a large man that loves food and life.He is our, and especially my, hero!Grade: ***** out of *****