This is How Movies Should Be Made

Awesome Movie

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

For some reason this show came on like gangbusters. For guys it was the fantasy of living (and the possibility of having sex...) with two women. For women it was the "romantic tension"; i.e. "can he stand the choice, and who will he choose?" Those were the dynamics behind this show. And, as a teenager who understood the implications of the title, show premise, and all that went with it, I found the the thing incredibly dull. And, on a more basic level, unfunny and stupid.What's funny is that I thought the premier of "Mork and Mindy" was funny. I thought select episodes of "All in the Family" were funny. I thought the Warner Brothers classic cartoons from the 30s and 40s were a riot. Heck, even "Good Times" had a few laughs. But this show? "Three's Company"?Well, "WKRP in Cincinnati" is ain't. I remember that age, and wondering when the future would come. How could we get to the stars? Could computers help solve our problems? Why isn't there a greater interest in high tech, science and science fiction shows? And while I was sitting there staring at the screen watching Jack Tripper and his antics with his two roommates, I just didn't get why on Earth anyone would want to get into this show.But, as per my opening paragraph, it's the same old story; guys wanting sex, girls wanting attention. And I guess there's enough idiots in the world who buy into shows like this. Made for the single white male/female of the 70s and 80s, I was not the target demographic. I understand that. But it doesn't explain why the humor was so miserably poor, and yet in spite of (or perhaps because of it) that the show succeed for several reasons. Heck, "Giligan's Island" was funnier than this, and I barely laughed (more like smirked) at that show, and only because there was nothing else on at the 4:30OPM to 6:00PM time slot before Trek came. So, as you can probably guess, I'm not a fan of this show. I don't think it's funny. I think the premise is stupid. And, further, I think you have to be stupid to like it. But, most of the TV viewing audience are not critics of great art, and are just regular people who want something they like. And perhaps that's all anyone can ask for in a TV show. This one included.No, I'm not forgiving the show for what it was and is, and no, I don't think I'm being too hard on Jack, Janet and Chrissy. But, if you like your entertainment more basic and brainless, then maybe you'll take a shine to it. Personally I'd just assume it had never been shot, much less aired.

Season One 73/100- Classic example on how to make a successful show based on a comedy of errors work. The first season was basically six pilot episodes due to the show being a spring mid season replacement. Although only a handful of episodes were produced, the successful formula that made the show popular was already set into place. The main five cast members work terrifically together. Susanne Somers gets a little more credit than she deserves for her work on the show, but she plays the bumbling "dumb blonde" stereotype. Joyce Dewitt does a good job as Janet, the brains of the little platonic trio. But its John Ritter who absolutely steals the show with his unmatched physical comedy, and innocent charm. Apartment owners The Ropers are so perfectly portrayed as a couple by Normen Fell and Audra Lindley that its uncanny. You can't help but smile each time Mrs.Roper's desperately sighs "Oh, Stanley." Richard Kline has a cameo appearance as Jack's friend Larry Dallas that really captures the energy out of all the precious few seconds he's on screen. Really looking forward to seeing him become a recurring character. On the downside this season had no other real secondary characters that had a large impact on me. Although the scenes with the Ropers are funny, even more hilarious once Stanley started to smile at his own jokes with the audience, I kind of hope they have more depth than simply complaining about not having sex. As for the main trio, some of the episodes hint that Janet might have a thing for Jack. I really hope this doesn't go anywhere, because I see the show working better with them just being close friends. Show also had some of its trademark heartwarming moments that helps to establish that the trio is a family, evidenced at the end of Janet's birthday party when Jack buys her back the jewelry she pawned earlier. Great intro and theme.

What a wonderful program. Most of us know the basic premise, straight man pretending he is gay to dupe the landlord, by being able to reside with 2 attractive women. Characters came and went. First you had the Ropers as the landlords... Norman Fell and Audra Lindley. Always bickering Mr. Roper was the grouchy bad cop to forever sexually starved Audra Lindleys good cop as far as landlords. Later we had Don Knotts as not so swinging bachelor Ralph Furley decked in leftover Festrunk brothers clothes from SNL. The true star was John Ritter as Jack Tripper. Perfect name for his slapstick antics. If there are thousands of overrated actors, John Ritter is perhaps one of the most underrated actors of our time or perhaps all time. Mr. Ritter could give the Stooges and Abbott and Costello a run for their money with his wonderful slapstick. Absolutely terrific . He is a comic genius with his foil... Larry Dallas, his best friend and mild dresser compared to Furley. This show was the king of double entoundres and the prince of the misunderstandings. Though criticized for being edgy; Looking back and watching these shows now, this program was mild and can perhaps be more compared to Leave it to Beaver rather than Two and Half Men, which I like by the way. If you have not seen these shows give it a shot and you will also see a very young Suzanne Somers, though she was only with the show for the first half or so of the 8 year run. Enjoy!

...make it "Upstairs, Downstairs, Upstairs." If you've never seen "Three's Company," one of my favorite shows of childhood, I can tell you that the show suffers with the passage of time. The pacing of most episodes is slow; the writing is sometimes painfully trite and contrived. Even some of the premises are dated. But the acting holds up, most notably that of John Ritter as Jack. Engaging, energetic, and sincere, with a charming innocence, Ritter WAS "Three's Company." And never was he funnier than in the wonderful episode "Upstairs, Downstairs, Upstairs"--the first episode of Season Five.Similar to the finest "Cheers" episode "An Old-Fashioned Wedding," "Upstairs" plays like a French farce, moving along like a locomotive, with crisp writing and sharp performances, especially that of Ritter. And even though Suzanne Somers ("Chrissy") had begun her famed contract dispute, she did indeed appear in this episode, which means you'll see the REAL "Three's Company," because the show was never the same without her. In short, this episode plays like my memory of the show, which is quite a compliment. If you pick one episode of this show to watch, this should be it.