DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: ***1/2 (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: **1/2 (out of 5 stars) STARRING Leslie Bibb as BROOKE MCQUEEN Carly Pope as SAM MCPHERSON Tamara Mello as LILY ESPOSITO Christopher Gorham as HARRISON JOHN Sara Rue as CARMEN FERRARA Bryce Johnson as JOSH FORD Tammy Lynn Michaels as NICOLE JULIAN Ron Lester as SUGAR DADDY Leslie Grossman as MARY CHERRY Diane Delano as BOBBIE GLASS Rated TV14 Studio: Buena Vista Home Entertainment Back to DVD Review Home |
 |
Back in the late 90s, teen angst dramas were all the rage. The defining show was “Dawson’s Creek,” but the WB network loaded up its slate with others as well, trying for a lock in the teen market (as FOX had done ten years prior with “Beverly Hills 90210”). Now, I was never what you’d call an avid fan of teen angst dramas. At that time, I was much more into “The X-Files.” But looking at a show like “Popular” in retrospect, I will say it was pretty well done.
When the show started, like most series, it hadn’t quite gelled yet. I have a friend in “the biz” who says that shows don’t really come together until the 10th episode or so, and this is a dead-on assessment for “Popular.” When it started, it didn’t know exactly what it was going to become. But by the middle of the season, it hit a comfortable stride.
As I watched the entire first season over the course of a couple days, I was able to break it down into three basic parts. The first part was a healthy go at being a light-hearted “Dawson’s Creek.” The show dabbled in the surreal, which was really rocky at first and felt too much like an attempt to rip off “Heathers.” In general, this first third of the season dealt with the standard teenage issues.
There were shows about cliques, teen romance, losing your virginity and problems with grades. Some of the continuing storylines included Carmen Ferrara (Sara Rue) desperately trying to overcome her weight problem to be a cheerleader, Josh Ford the quarterback (Bryce Johnson) getting the lead in the school musical and Sam (Carly Pope) having a crush on her teacher (Chad Lowe).
In the second part of the season, “Popular” tried to preach a little too much. During this time, it was in danger of becoming the “issue of the week” show. Some heavy-handed political diatribes it targeted were sexual harassment, teen bisexuality, anorexia and animal rights. The worst episode of the entire season was “Booty Camp” in which the writers and director bowed to the political correctness Gestapo and declared that even looking at the opposite sex wrong was a heinous act of violence. Fortunately for the show, it also was starting to embrace its wilder characters as well as its surreal elements. That’s really the only thing that saved these issue-driven sermons.
By the end of the season, deplorable characters like the borderline psychotic Texas cheerleader Mary Cherry became a wild caricature and made the show fun again. Before the show actually became a spoof of itself, the drama came from the cold hearts of the hate-filled girls Sam and Brooke (Leslie Bibb). However, by the time we reach the season finale, things get so silly and self deprecating that I grew to really like it.
Over the course of watching this show, I developed a love-hate relationship with the characters. On one hand, I empathized with both Sam and Brooke. It was typical Hollywood nonsense to cast the ultra-hot Carly Pope as the unpopular Sam, as well as Christopher Gorham as the supposedly dorky Harrison John. Both of these actors were so good looking that I just didn’t buy them as the nerds. (And believe me, I spent plenty of time on the nerd time clock in high school, so I’m an expert of the subject.)
Some of the characters were a bit too stereotypical, such as Carmen, the typical fat girl. She was so obsessed with popularity that she couldn’t be true to herself. Then you can add activist-in-training Lily (Tamara Mello) to the bunch, which gave the show a chance to preach about social issues.
However, I did respect the writers for giving the uberpopular cheerleader Brooke an actual heart. Normally it is so tempting for writers to make the popular girls evil cardboard characters like in films like “Jawbreaker” and “Mean Girls.” However, “Popular” managed to show that high school can be hell for everyone - not just the losers.
While the character of Mr. Grant (played by Chad Lowe, who seems to be channeling a younger Mark Hamill) was originally meant to be a centerpiece of the show, he quickly disappeared. Eventually, Diane Delano as the ruthless biology teacher Bobbie Glass stole the show. Recently seen in “The Ladykillers” as Mountain Girl, a middle aged woman in pigtails, she is one of the hidden treasures in “Popular.” If I ever decide to actually utilize my degree I hold as a biology teacher, I want to be just like her. (See, the show can provide good role models.)
The special features are rather slim on this six-disc DVD set. The only bonus are three episodes with cast and crew commentary. However, these commentaries are better than most I’ve heard. In particular, Leslie Grossman steps up to the plate to talk about the psychotic depths of her character Mary Cherry. Hilarious stuff!
