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TV on DVD Reviews > Punky
Brewster - Season One
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Punky Brewster
Season One 1984-1985
(Shout! Factory-2004) |
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RETURN TO TV SHOWS ON DVD REVIEWS MENU
 
Copyright
©2004 PopEntertainment.com.
All rights reserved. Posted: June 1, 2004. |
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Description: |
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When
I was younger and Punky Brewster was on its first run, I didn't like
this show. I found its star, the perky little moppet Soleil Moon
Frye, rather annoying. However, in the years since, I have actually
become a fan of Soleil's adult work as an actress, in guest starring roles
on shows like The Wonder Years, Working and Friends and in her
co-starring role on Sabrina the Teenage Witch. So when Shout!
Factory released the series on DVD, I decided to see if it would
have a different effect on me after all these years. Watching Punky
Brewster in the year 2004 is an odd experience. I still think it
was basically a bad show; too cutesy, too obvious and not all that well
written. But, I have to admit to kind of digging it. Punky
Brewster is sort of like The Brady Bunch, even as you're watching
it you know it isn't very good, but you still can't help but enjoy it on
some light level. |
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What's
Good About It? |
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thing I have to say is that I totally underestimated Soleil Moon Frye as an
actress. Yes, she was over-the-top in her precociously cute vivacity,
but the surprising thing is that it wasn't her fault. She was just
doing what she was told. Though there were way too many annoying Punky
power moments on the show, watching her work now I realize that even then
she was a quite personable actress, with terrific timing and charm, stuck in
a show that let her down a bit by going for the easy laughs too often.
Her co-star is veteran character actor George Gaynes, who was just coming off his triumphant supporting role in the
Dustin Hoffman movie
Tootsie (playing a character named Dr. Brewster... hmmm...)
Gaynes is
chewing scenery with crusty-but-lovable gusto here, but his histrionic acting becomes oddly
fascinating. Then current references to Michael Sembello
songs, Mr. T, Lyle Alzado, Cabbage Patch Kids, breakdancing and NBC head Brandon Tartikoff (who the show shamelessly named Punky's
dog after) make the show a weird, but fun time capsule. Fading pop star
Andy Gibb guest starred in two episodes, once as himself and once as a
completely different character, Punky's piano teacher.
The
show also
counts amongst its supporting actors the greatest über-nerd in
Hollywood history, Eddie Deezen (Grease, Midnight Madness, WarGames). |
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What's
Bad About It? |
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You
can only watch a show with ironic detachment for so long. Eventually
you have to get back to the stories and the writing. Here, Punky
Brewster still disappoints pretty much, though I enjoyed it more
than I remembered. |
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What's
Missing? |
| Shout!
Factory has done an amazing job of putting this package together, with bonus
features including episodes from a long lost animated Punky series,
featurettes and cast interviews. However, apparently they couldn't get
stars Soleil Moon Frye or George Gaynes to participate, leaving the viewers to have to settle for long forgotten
supporting cast kids, the show's creator and one of the series' writers. |
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PopEntertainment.com
final grade:
C
for the show. B
for the nostalgia. |
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You can't watch too many episodes of this one after
the other, for fear of cavities and sugar shock. However, watched in
small chunks, the show is peculiarly and compulsively entertaining.
Jay S. Jacobs
Copyright
©2004 PopEntertainment.com.
All rights reserved. Posted: June 1, 2004. |
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