everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Don't listen to the negative reviews

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

The Facts of Life premiered when I was already about 21. So I was past the issues that confront adolescents during their school years. But this show was so good, it could be enjoyed by those of all ages. It was warm, funny, and showed teenage girls in a positive light. Each episode had a moral to it, without being too preachy.The characters really were '80s'-types; meaning that they reflected the increasingly conservative mood of the country during the run of the show. In other words, they were more serious-minded, focused, and had a bit more faith in their teachers, than we who were teens in the 70s seemed to. When I was a teen in the early through mid 70s, kids seemed to be wilder (more inclined towards partying, drug-use, drinking, and casual sex). But then, I was a teen before the conservative Reagan-era of the 80s. Teens of the early-80s were entering a new era, where they were beginning to buckling-down, and take their futures seriously. And the characters in the The Facts of Life certainly did so. Of course, they had their basic insecurities, and conflicts, like all teens do.The Jo Polniaczek character was an especially positive role model for girls, since she seemed to be the most strong-willed and intelligent of the bunch. Mrs. Garrett was also excellent as the stern, yet understanding housemother/confidant/guardian for the characters. I do agree with some of the others who commented on the show, regarding how it was best during the first couple of years or so. It was still okay to watch when Mrs. Garrett left the show, but Cloris Leachman just didn't seem to cut it as their new 'mother-figure'. I would definitely recommend this show, both for the 80s nostalgia-factor, and the excellent characters. Just be aware that the first few seasons of the show are the best.

Did you know that Jo was the worst character ever created? Nancy McKeon can't even act very well, and had to resort to so many cosmetic(facial makeup only) procedures just to get the role won for her(examples, {{Green Colored Contacts/Blue Colored Enhancer Contacts to play as green eyed Jo} that's if Jo's eyes were green that is.}, Facial makeup to make herself look more mature, tough, and 16 instead of 13-14, etc.And don't even get me started that Jo has green eyes and Blair's eyes were brown with green and gold flecks crap. Jo/Nancy's eye color is Hazel and looks exactly the same yellow/gold/olive brown/light brown colors as Kelly Clarkson's eyes, Hillary Duff's eyes, Carisma Carpenter's eyes, and Lil Bow-Wow's eyes. And Lisa/Blair's eyes are just plain solid brown colored and her eye color and shade resembles Sandra Bullock's and Captain Spock/Leonard Nimoy's own set of pure/no flecked brown eyes.This whole show with its green/blue tinting makes me sicker than a dog.And yes, I think Nancy McKeon did wear colored contacts on this show.

If you want to see another example of why the 80's were the greatest decade of the 20th century, here's a prime example. Although I was a male, me and my brothers loved this show. I don't why, I guess it was a "what were we thinking" kind of deal. I guess as fans of "Diff'rent Strokes", we would watch the spin-offs. Granted, no one in the cast of females would cause the S Club 7 girls to lose sleep in the beauty department (sorry Lisa), but the character development was superb. Natalie Green, Jo Polnochek, Tootie Ramsey, Blair Warner, and the young girls that would come and go were all so appealing. You cared about them all. Charlotte Rae's Mrs. Garrett was the kind of women we all wish we could have known and befriended. Heck, I even miss Pippa, she was a cute, headstrong kind of girl. The acting was always good, it felt like it was real life instead of an act. I would like to check this show out again, just to see why I watched it. Oh, and Mrs. Garrett, Oingo Boingo's music is still very cool.

I LOVE this show! It's dramatic and funny simaltaneously. The Facts of Life focuses on serious issues that teens have to face and it also has a humorous twist. Mrs. Garret, who is played by the very talented Charlotte Rae, is a housekeeper turned housemother turned dietician. She watches out for four girls, Blair (Lisa Whelchel), Jo (Nancy McKeon), Tootie (Kim Fields) and Natalie (Mindy Cohn). She plays the peacemaker and always tries to resolve problems that the girls are dealing with. She calls them "her girls" and is always there for them when they need her.The episodes with Mrs. Garret are the best. However, the ones later on into the show where she is gone and her sister Beverly Ann is around are horrible. And the cast additions that took place in the last two years of the show, Makenzie Astin as Andy and Sherry Krenn as Pippa, totally ruined The Facts of Life.I suggest that you watch the episodes that are from the first several years of this show because they feature an excellent cast. But don't watch the last two years of this show because the new cast was horrible, with the exception of the four original girls that remained on The Facts of Life from the very beginning.