Touches You

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

This is a show about teenager-wannabees that are 10 years old. The first few episodes of this were all right and they were doing well with Nickelodeon and I enjoyed them, but the new ones have easily-solved plots and spastic drama from (guess who) Angelica and Susie. My little sister watches this and I can see her sometimes getting ticked off because of the stupid lines of the characters. I'm trying to make this show bad and I'm also trying to make a persuasive argument. I could relate this to Fairly Oddparents, which also has easy-to-solve plots and sappy lines. Nickelodeon is going down the tubes and if 3-year-olds are watching it daily, don't be surprised if they start blurting out phrases like, "Whatever!" and, "So yesterday, galfriend!" I admit that I'm exaggerating this show, but with the previous sappy shows of Nickelodeon backing me up, my point is pretty clear.

I never saw the original special that started it all. I think it would've been better had this series not been made.Every episode I've seen stresses too heavy on the morals. Well it's a kid show, I suppose that's normal. But everything is recycled, and the main antagonists are those so-called cool kids that are nothing but assholes. "We say it's cool." That is so retarded! And that episode where Kimmy doesn't find out until she's like 12 or something that she's Japanese and wants to be more Japanese: #1 I don't think kids are that stupid and would know what ethnicity they are before they get too old #2 The moral of the episode seems to discourage having an interest in one's own true culture which really upsets me.There's a desperate cry for work on writing and characters. Among all things Dil is a FULL clone copy of Carl from "As Told By Ginger" another unoriginal show, while the rest of the cast only bear some similarities to other characters in personality.I'm not some freak who thought that this series was a bad idea from the start. I had hopes for it, but when I realized while watching how much of it has been done to death, I was outraged.The show lacks fantasy and wonder which was what makes The Rugrats special, nothing like its spin off at all.

As good as "The Rugrats" were in their heyday (1991-4), it's almost painful for me to contemplate how terrible they've become since the first movie in '98. I absolutely reviled the original "All Growed Up" special, for it sucked. Though the idea of seeing the 'Rats as teenagers for one episode might be kinda neat (to seem people), I think that making them tweeners for a whole series (and one that seems to have at least some base of popularity, since it has yet to be cancelled) is REALLY stretching it. It's bad enough that this show took a lame idea and stretched it out beyond all reason, but that could be overcome, if this show was written with some degree of wit and originality. But it isn't. This is the usual Klasky-Csupo, unfunny, lowest-common-six-year-old-denominator garbage, at best a fifth-rate rip off of "As Told By Ginger" (which I dislike but isn't completely terrible, contrary to my review of that show). The plotlines have been recycled from the cliche bin of virtually every kid's television show ever made. There are plotlines about a career aptitude test (everyone from "The Simpsons" to "Hey Arnold!" have done that one) to Kimmi hanging out with a "bad boy" (name one kid's show that doesn't involve a similar plotline) to Susie being ripped off by a supposed talent agent (the most recent show to do that was "Everybody Loves Raymond", but I seem to recall it occurring in a number of other shows as well). So obviously, this show wreaks of originality.The characterization is even worse, with the usual cliche teenage characters, mixed in with some truly out there characterizations. Angelica is really the only survivor; she's as bossy and egotistical as she's ever been, but at age 12/13 she somehow seems less entertaining than when she was 3 years old. Susie's pretty close to what she once was, too, but she was never more than a marginal character, so that's kinda irrelevant. Tommy is now a dumba** would-be avant-garde filmmaker (remember his "brilliant" movies about sneezing and dirty laundry?), without much other characterization. Chuckie's very geeky (though he's somewhat more rebellious), as to be expected, but thanks to the "ingenious" casting of Nancy Cartwright to replace Christine Cavanaugh, Chuckie sounds more than ever like Bart Simpson with a head cold. Kimmi isn't exactly a particularly enlightening character either. Dil is a weirdo who believes in UFOs or some garbage like that, and Phil and Lil are pretty much typical popular kids. And the parents now are virtually non-existent caricatures of their former selves.So: is "All Grown Up" a p***-poor spin-off of an increasingly turgid franchise, or simply an average teen show with familiar characters? Actually, it's both. I've watched three eps of this show, and they've made me not want to watch any more. And the theme music is absolutely gut-wrenching as well.No stars. I'd rather watch post-Dil, even post-Kimmi "Rugrats" (shudder) than this filth.

This show has done a good job of replacing the Rugrats. They can develop better than Rugrats. Dil is weird, (he did get bonked in the head by Lillian Marie Jane and Phil Deville) Each character has a different personality which helps use a Tom Brady spread show type of PreTeens. Stu is clumsy, Didi worries too much, Did Lulu die? Grandpa Lou has yet to get his part, Tommy, the film maker, co-leader, Dil, the weird boy with the brains to get out of a bases loaded jam type situation, Betty, still tough...she pulled a school bus out. Howard, funny, and OLD, Phil, still gross, he still needs to develop more, Lil trying to gain respect for popularity, Chaz, the clumsy Java Lava worker, Kira...unknown, Chuckie, the geeky daredevil, with a girlfriend, Kimi, gaining independence with her Japanese group, Angelica... still bossy, but softer when gaining independence, Drew, unknown, Charlotte, Struggling with her face. Susie, loves to sing. It needs time to gain towards other NICK shows, might catch SpongeBob in about 4 years, like a rookie in football, or basketball (Lebron James), (Carmelo Anthony). Ages: Stu: 44 Didi: 49 Tommy: 10 Dil: 9 1/2 Chazz: 45 Kira: 43 Kimi: 10 1/2 Chuckie: 11 3/4 (to turn 12) Betty: 47 Howard: 60 Phil: 10 1/2 Lil: 10 1/2 Susie: 12 (to turn 13) Angelica: 12 (to turn 13) Charlotte: 41 Drew: 45 Lulu: 86 Lou: 86 Miriam: 88 I like the idea of Dil getting his ego with Pangborn, and Chuckie risking himself. And how about punches when Tommy embarrassed his friends.