My fiancé and I are 90s kids, and we were stoked when we noticed reruns of "Home Improvement" coming on a very small network on her cheap antenna, a couple months back. We've been watching it in a pretty dedicated manner: four episodes every single night, back-to-back. And we've had such a great time enjoying something from our childhoods together. This doesn't happen often, since we always liked different things, so this show actually ended-up meaning a lot more to me now than it did when I was a young boy.
The general set-up for this not-so-unique sitcom is that we have a family mostly consisting of boys. Two parents (one being played by Tim Allen), and then three boys. In such a short span of time, over eight years of re-broadcasted television, my sweet fiancé and I got to watch this family grow-up the way we never had before. And it was nice, for the most part. The father Tim Allen plays has his own Tv show where he does repair work, and he always seems to mess things up horribly, or get injured, no matter what they're doing. Allen SHINES in this role-almost as much as he did as Santa in "The Santa Clause"-one of my favorite movies of all time! The special actress playing Jill, Tim's wife, is also hilarious. I love her sarcasm and wit compared to Tim's obnoxious grunting and constant injuries. They make a fantastic duo. The two oldest boys in the family (I'm going to call them their character's names) are really good, when they're young. The oldest son, Brad, becomes terrible, once he becomes a teenager. The actor just could not keep-up with Tim Allen and the wife's performances. And that's understandable. But the middle son I just mentioned, Randy, is played by one of the most promising young comedians and actors I've ever seen in my life, and I'd argue that Randy could be my favorite character in the show. The actor is spot-on, and ALWAYS has my fiancé and I laughing way too hard. We absolutely love that guy. Then there's the youngest of the sons-his name being Mark. Look, folks, child acting isn't easy. You grow-up around many things a person-much less a CHILD-should never have to see. I give him props for sticking around for so very long, but he is absolutely horrible-as a child actor AND as an adult actor, in those later years of the program. I don't want to be mean, but it's just the truth. But I wouldn't want the show without him. Because the two older brother's pranks on him are hilarious, when they're all super young. That's a layer I believe the show loses, as it progresses. The family also has a neighbor-names Wilson-that always has most of his face hidden-whether it be behind oddball objects, or just the tall fence between the two houses these characters live in. That actor is brilliant. He's sort of a Mr. Feeny-type character, who has tremendous amounts of knowledge he helps his neighbors out with, but his Buddhism and wild religious beliefs really irritate me, as a Christian. It seems that nonsense is everywhere, even in those good, old days. But it is what it is, man. Let's move along to Al-Tim Taylor's TV show co-host. I love that character, and I love the actor who played him. He's a mama's boy, a genuine-hearted, sarcastic, immensely loving and lovable pal that just feels like that one truly good guy you can't help but admire at your own workplace, in real life. That actor truly brought something awesome to the show, and I could watch he and Tim Allen insult each other on the set of the show (not in a mean way, just in case you're confused) all day long. There's a lot of recurring characters on the show, too, and I'd even say they do a solid job.
I'm not a big comedy guy, folks, and I'll be honest when I say a comedy better be damned strong and fine to be something I enjoy to watch. Too many "comedies"-film, TV, or any media platform-tend to be heavily reliant on foul language and sexuality. This show shows that it isn't necessary the way Charlie Chaplin always did. And I admire that. Not because I'm a nostalgic fan, but because true comedy takes honesty and creative talent, which seems to be lacking in almost EVERY genre, here, in 2019. "Home Improvement" was mostly clean, and Rachel and I always had a fun time watching it, now, as grown adults. I expected more serious episodes, every once in a blue moon, and I'll admit that I'm a little let down by not seeing at least one a season. There weren't many touching episodes, either. If I had to pick a favorite episode, when it comes to a great blend of emotion, comedy, and hard topical honesty, it's the episode about Jill and her father wanting to come visit. You know the episode, if you're reading this, more than likely, and this is a spoiler-free review, so I don't have to go any further with that explanation. The comedy is very much the frontrunner for "Home Improvement", and I'm fine with that. When it comes to hit-and-miss ratios for jokes, I'd say the writing tends to do a very solid job about getting every-other joke to make you smile, at the very least.
The set designs are huge, a lot of the time. But then we're sometimes given sets like Tim's backyard, with the fence between he and his neighbor's house, and the yard looks so fake, it's unreal. Especially the grass-that bothered me endlessly, no matter how much I enjoy the show.
I must also say that while I like the intro theme song for "Home Improvement", I think the overall intros are way too long. It kind of gets annoying, in a marathon. But that's just a nitpick.
One of the very rare things I saw on this show was a three-part finale (which, again, I will not spoil for you). That's highly uncommon, and I think it was very solid and sweet, for the most part. Most of it was just a bunch of clips, but I still had a good time, and still couldn't help but tear-up even though, as soon as the finale wrapped-up, the station we were watching it on started back at the very first episode from the very first season. I'm hoping I'll get to watch the entire show through. It means that much to me, honestly. But I do think I've seen enough of it to have a thicker opinion than most.
"Home Improvement" is a fine show, but it isn't perfect. Again, though: if you have a tight taste in comedy and you happen to love and adore Tim Allen, then watch the show immediately. It's that much fun.
The general set-up for this not-so-unique sitcom is that we have a family mostly consisting of boys. Two parents (one being played by Tim Allen), and then three boys. In such a short span of time, over eight years of re-broadcasted television, my sweet fiancé and I got to watch this family grow-up the way we never had before. And it was nice, for the most part. The father Tim Allen plays has his own Tv show where he does repair work, and he always seems to mess things up horribly, or get injured, no matter what they're doing. Allen SHINES in this role-almost as much as he did as Santa in "The Santa Clause"-one of my favorite movies of all time! The special actress playing Jill, Tim's wife, is also hilarious. I love her sarcasm and wit compared to Tim's obnoxious grunting and constant injuries. They make a fantastic duo. The two oldest boys in the family (I'm going to call them their character's names) are really good, when they're young. The oldest son, Brad, becomes terrible, once he becomes a teenager. The actor just could not keep-up with Tim Allen and the wife's performances. And that's understandable. But the middle son I just mentioned, Randy, is played by one of the most promising young comedians and actors I've ever seen in my life, and I'd argue that Randy could be my favorite character in the show. The actor is spot-on, and ALWAYS has my fiancé and I laughing way too hard. We absolutely love that guy. Then there's the youngest of the sons-his name being Mark. Look, folks, child acting isn't easy. You grow-up around many things a person-much less a CHILD-should never have to see. I give him props for sticking around for so very long, but he is absolutely horrible-as a child actor AND as an adult actor, in those later years of the program. I don't want to be mean, but it's just the truth. But I wouldn't want the show without him. Because the two older brother's pranks on him are hilarious, when they're all super young. That's a layer I believe the show loses, as it progresses. The family also has a neighbor-names Wilson-that always has most of his face hidden-whether it be behind oddball objects, or just the tall fence between the two houses these characters live in. That actor is brilliant. He's sort of a Mr. Feeny-type character, who has tremendous amounts of knowledge he helps his neighbors out with, but his Buddhism and wild religious beliefs really irritate me, as a Christian. It seems that nonsense is everywhere, even in those good, old days. But it is what it is, man. Let's move along to Al-Tim Taylor's TV show co-host. I love that character, and I love the actor who played him. He's a mama's boy, a genuine-hearted, sarcastic, immensely loving and lovable pal that just feels like that one truly good guy you can't help but admire at your own workplace, in real life. That actor truly brought something awesome to the show, and I could watch he and Tim Allen insult each other on the set of the show (not in a mean way, just in case you're confused) all day long. There's a lot of recurring characters on the show, too, and I'd even say they do a solid job.
I'm not a big comedy guy, folks, and I'll be honest when I say a comedy better be damned strong and fine to be something I enjoy to watch. Too many "comedies"-film, TV, or any media platform-tend to be heavily reliant on foul language and sexuality. This show shows that it isn't necessary the way Charlie Chaplin always did. And I admire that. Not because I'm a nostalgic fan, but because true comedy takes honesty and creative talent, which seems to be lacking in almost EVERY genre, here, in 2019. "Home Improvement" was mostly clean, and Rachel and I always had a fun time watching it, now, as grown adults. I expected more serious episodes, every once in a blue moon, and I'll admit that I'm a little let down by not seeing at least one a season. There weren't many touching episodes, either. If I had to pick a favorite episode, when it comes to a great blend of emotion, comedy, and hard topical honesty, it's the episode about Jill and her father wanting to come visit. You know the episode, if you're reading this, more than likely, and this is a spoiler-free review, so I don't have to go any further with that explanation. The comedy is very much the frontrunner for "Home Improvement", and I'm fine with that. When it comes to hit-and-miss ratios for jokes, I'd say the writing tends to do a very solid job about getting every-other joke to make you smile, at the very least.
The set designs are huge, a lot of the time. But then we're sometimes given sets like Tim's backyard, with the fence between he and his neighbor's house, and the yard looks so fake, it's unreal. Especially the grass-that bothered me endlessly, no matter how much I enjoy the show.
I must also say that while I like the intro theme song for "Home Improvement", I think the overall intros are way too long. It kind of gets annoying, in a marathon. But that's just a nitpick.
One of the very rare things I saw on this show was a three-part finale (which, again, I will not spoil for you). That's highly uncommon, and I think it was very solid and sweet, for the most part. Most of it was just a bunch of clips, but I still had a good time, and still couldn't help but tear-up even though, as soon as the finale wrapped-up, the station we were watching it on started back at the very first episode from the very first season. I'm hoping I'll get to watch the entire show through. It means that much to me, honestly. But I do think I've seen enough of it to have a thicker opinion than most.
"Home Improvement" is a fine show, but it isn't perfect. Again, though: if you have a tight taste in comedy and you happen to love and adore Tim Allen, then watch the show immediately. It's that much fun.