Wonderfully offbeat film!

Brilliant and touching

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

I was very pleased when American Restoration spun off of Pawn Stars The concept was thoroughly engaging and became a personal favorite. Its decline in quality was subtle until the dramatic and unessisary introduction of the character Leonard. This was a grave and incredible stumble and prompted me to simply stop watching the show. So strong was my reaction and disappointment it compelled me to write this comment while seeing a re-run. As it evolved the show became less technical and more incredible. Obviously staged scenes attempted to keep the audience engaged. It has instead transitioned to being sad with sarcastic characters and plot lines that are insulting. Simply not true to the original concept. The premise was good, the current execution is unacceptable. You have silenced a positive voice for American Restoration and you've lost at least one more viewer.

I used to like this show and Rick just to watch the things they find and the way they turn them new But the show started to become fake His prices are jacked up and not real , you can see the fake acting (the customers who are told what to say and how to react) And the crew , I don't care about any single one of them or their fake problemsAnd the worst part trying to shove that trailer trash wife down our throat, not to mention how slutty she got in one episode ( this is a family channel )!!!!! She should either go to some other show like the cheap trailer wife's of Las Vegas or dance on a pole somewhere This show is not worth watching anymore.

Let's get the negatives out of the way first. Yes, I do agree with the critic who noted that, as the series progresses, they are spending less time on the actual restorations and more time on the lives of the characters, who invariably get into dramas that may be real, or may the result of the writer's over-active imaginations. Were I more cynical (and I can be, on demand) I might start to question this magical world where every restoration turns out perfectly, every customer loves the result, and nothing ever goes wrong, except when Tyler (Rick's son) does something that you'd except to see on LEAVE IT TO BEAVER or DENNIS THE MENACE. OK, so much for the negatives. This show could be, bar none, the most upbeat production on the air. Rick Dale should run for office. He genuinely seems to find the good in every situation, every job, every client and he generates a palpable longing for the days when Americans made things by hand, by themselves, and they lasted. 30 minutes hanging out with Rick is the rough equivalent of listening to the STAR SPANGLED BANNER 78 times, give or take. As a warned you, this is a guilty pleasure. Ultimately, the real joke will be that Tyler does not actually have to learn his dad's tricks of the trade, he will likely be able to retire on the residuals.

If you are a fan of Pawn Stars as I am, you probably noticed that regular expert Rick Dale hadn't been on for a while; that is because he now has his own show! Rick Dale is a very likable guy who during the run of Pawn Stars has restored some amazing pieces for the guys at Gold & Silver Pawn. Now he has his own show which runs along a similar format to Pawn Stars; he usually has around 3 customers per episode who bring in various interesting items to be restored, they negotiate a price and for the next 30minutes, the action revolves around how the items are repaired and made to look new before a grand revealing at the end. Regular characters who appear on the show are Tyler, Rick's son, his brother Ron along with Kowboy, Kyle and Brettley. All the recurring characters are very enjoyable to watch in their own way, with Kowboy enjoying the role of antagonist with deadpan Kyle being an excellent foil. There is a great deal of crossover between American Restoration and Pawn Stars with episode 02/14 involving a full episode for each programme, this episode even involves Danny from Counts Customs; who along with Rick Dale and Sean Rich made up three of the best experts from Pawn Stars. Overall, American Restoration makes great viewing, being both entertaining and interesting, complimented by a great cast. It also seems a lot less staged than Pawn Stars has become, even though some of the restorations clearly take a lot longer than the few days the programme appears to suggest. This programme has the potential to run and run!!