Consider this an apology FAN Podcast pals. I do indeed love Jon Benjamin. There are not a lot of programs that could get me to buy all the seasons of their show, sell them, and then buy the box set. If further proof of my love is needed, my girlfriend can vouch for the fact that I made her watch this first thing when she got Netflix. Luckily she liked it, so I didn’t have to break up with her. “Home Movies” was introduced to me at a time when my friends and I were making our own 3 hour long home movie with my crappy 1998 handy cam. We were 14 and doing our worst “Jackass” impression, but it still struck a chord. This show hooked me for life on comedy, so get ready for drooling adoration folks.
I trust myself to write about this show
“Home Movies” ticks almost every box I have for keeping me entertained. Is it funny? Of course. Does it have a great cast? Most definitely. Are the characters interesting? Yes. So we have sold stories, great music and improvisation? Yes and yes. The only problem people seemed to have with the show was the Squigglevision, but eventually that dropped out and we have four solid seasons of amazing television.
Our main protagonist is 8 year old Brendon Small. He lives with his mother Paula and little sister Josie. He also has his father Andrew and his stepmother Linda in the periphery. Those two are pretty nonexistent in Brendon’s life than a short stint in group therapy.
I feel it was in their best interest to not do that anymore.
Andrew is a successful lawyer, so he’s likely the source of funds in the Small house. Paula tries, but she teaches creative writing at an adult education center, and that doesn’t even happen all the time. Her thirst of alcohol and prescription meds doesn’t help with the money crunch. Don’t take this as me calling her a bad mother, she lives for her children. Poor Paula just has a lot of problems. She is good at keeping Brendon in check. Her other job is to keep marbles out of Josie’s nose.
That also didn't work out.
Brendon is an aspiring big time film maker. When his father left him, he gave him a camera to occupy his time. Brendon then started to make films with his two best pals. He’s a sensitive kid and can’t take any type of criticism. He slacks off in school and is the worst player on his awful soccer team. His films are the only outlet he has, and boy does he let loose.
His two best friends are Jason and Melissa. The latter is a very intelligent girl that has a wicked attitude when her hand is forced. Her father Erick is a single dad/ real estate agent that is voiced by the wonderful Jonathan Katz. The former is a timid odd ball who happens to be the son of seemingly wealthy parents that care little to have a child. This is probably the reason for his lack of hygiene, addiction to candy and has proper motivation to be a great actor.
Perhaps the biggest star of the show is of course the fantastic Mr. Donald Lynch.
Wait, no, it’s the best children’s soccer coach of all time John McGuirk.
"Weird old fool dies, leaves me a sausage. Not money, a sausage, because money is something I could use. Now I have to eat this repugnant sausage because I have no food. This sausage is probably eighteen years old, this thing could vote, this thing could go to war and die for its country."
This foul mouthed Irishman is somehow allowed to work with kids. He drinks around them, involves them in crazy schemes, neglects to talk about soccer even at times, and even takes Brendon to see a dead body. Coach originally latched on to the Smalls in order to date Paula, but he soon found that his best friend was this witty 8 year old. I could talk about Coach McGuirk for an entire review, so I’ll leave this video here to demonstrate. The “Best” of Coach McGuirk
Seriously though, Lynch is great too. Lynch demonstrating his teaching skills
The kids are pretty good movies makers. They are really good mainly because they are motivated and imaginative. The most enduring creation of theirs was the movie “Star Boy and the Captain of Outer Space.” This film is about a space kid and his brother, his actual brother, forced the kids to find other cast members. They turned to the mush mouth foreign kid Junior Addleburg (whose father Ken is the only employable person in the city) and the incomparable duo of Walter and Perry.
They are the closest friends in the world. They get married, get trapped in apple carts, and even have quite the thirst for fighting.
Here’s 15 minutes of them to boot.
Brendon and the gang also rely on the douche Fenton Mulley when they really have to. He’s a clinger when it comes to Brendon. He’s mainly fueled by wanting to be a big video-film star.
Duane was a mush mouth teenager that had a great band named SKAB. He provided the music for these little kids just because he’s a nice guy. Duane also was camp counselor for the kids at Performing Arts camp. It doesn’t go so well. Coach McGuirk gets lost in the woods and Rabbit Troop Sucks
A not so nice guy is the sweetest bully in the world Shannon. He beats people up, steals and breaks stuff, but is very courteous about it. He’ll beat you up, but he’ll go sing in the school play too.
I’m running long here, and I didn’t even talk about the different incredible movie ideas and plots on the show. We’ve got the “Wizard’s Baker”, “The Adventures of Amy Lee”, “Fat Club” and a bunch of others. Just don’t get on “The Dark Side of the LAW!”
Or on the dark side of Mr. Lindenson
If you do, you might get a card “Loan, Coach McGuirk.
Credit Goes To: http://home-movies.tumblr.com/, tvguide.com, youtube.com, fyeahhomemovies.tumblr.com, and wikipedia.org