This American Life:Second Season
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Audio: English (Dubbed)DVD Reviews of This American Life:Second Season
DVD Review: Now *this* is reality TV!
Summary: 4 Stars
"This American Life, Season Two"
(Showtime, 2009)
Like many fans of the PBS radio show, "This American Life," I have to struggle with myself regarding my feelings about the television version of the unique, irony-filled documentary program. Having watched the first two seasons of the TV show, I am still partial to the original radio program, which engages me more on an imaginative plane -- however, the Showtime program is still provocative and consistently surprising. This season seems less dependent on wacky imagery to compensate for thinner narrative structures, although the cinematography is still quite nice. The stories are frequently uncomfortable -- the first program is about a child who has a progressively degenerative skeletal disease; watching this bright, funny person trapped inside a crumbling, constrictive body is quite difficult, but also quite moving. Likewise, an episode that captures a marriage as it implodes is mesmerizing yet sad. The season finale is an ambitious project, in which several people of different ages -- from an infant to a senior citizen -- who all share the name "John Smith" have their life stories stitched together in a way that suggests a continuous narrative. The conceit is clever, but the concept seems somehow exploitative and misleading, particularly in sequences such as when "John" makes the unlikely transition from drug-rehabbing slacker to high-tech exec at Microsoft. There are some similar themes -- dealing with health issues, raising children -- but the John Smiths do not cohere into a working composite, and ultimately viewers may wonder what the point really was. Regardless, the show is still puckish and unique, and certainly more of a legitmate "reality show" than the tawdry contests seen on the networks. Definitely worth checking out. (Joe Sixpack, Slipcue film review blog)
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