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Do The Critics Say AMC’s BREAKING BAD Is Any Good??
SPOILER ALERT !!
I am – Hercules!!
It’s a comedy-drama, from writer-producer Vince Gilligan (“The X-Files”), about a dying high school chemistry teacher who starts a crystal-meth lab so his pregnant wife and palsy-stricken son might be taken care of following his demise. It stars “Malcolm in the Middle” dad Bryan Cranston.
Entertainment Weekly gives it a “B-plus” and says:
… there are some twists you'll never see coming, and Cranston gives the kind of shaded, comic-dramatic performance that always bubbled just below the surface of his manic Malcolm dad. Breaking Bad mixes desperation and deviousness to yield a volatile, valuable product.
TV Guide says:
… Grisly and wacky, suspenseful and sorrowful, this darkly compelling cautionary fable of very abnormal chemistry is infused with a Coen Brothers-like flavor of macabre humor. …
USA Today gives it three and a half (out of four) stars and says:
… Wisely, writer/director Vince Gilligan (X-Files) uses our societal desire to keep the drug at a distance to fuel Walt's dilemma and to separate his show from the lighter, more comic Weeds. There's no doubt that death has brought Walt to life, turning him from a milquetoast to a man of action, but it also leads him into a series of terrible decisions. Bad is no advertisement for drug use or dealing; the world Walt enters is dangerous, dehumanizing and gruesome. …
The New York Times says:
… It’s the pacing that makes “Breaking Bad” more of a hard slog than a cautionary joy ride. It has good acting, particularly by Bryan Cranston (“Malcolm in the Middle”), who blends Walt’s sad-sack passivity with glints of wry self-awareness. But the misadventures of Walt and his slacker sidekick, Jesse (Aaron Paul), are a picaresque comedy filmed at the speed of a tragic opera — jokes, visual and verbal, are slowed down from 78 r.p.m. to 33 1/3 by an underlying earnestness, as if it were a foreign art film set in the American Southwest. …
The Los Angeles Times says:
… it's very good, "Breaking Bad," although as sad and disturbing as the mustache implies. (That's not to say there aren't a few laughs along the way.) …
The Chicago Tribune says:
… my recommendation -- and I do think the show is worth checking out -- is not as hearty as I'd like it to be. "Breaking Bad" reminds me of TNT's "Saving Grace," another cable series that started strong then began to fizzle soon after its promising premiere. "Breaking Bad" likewise starts out strong then loses steam, especially in its unevenly paced third episode. Yet I'm willing to give this promising show a chance, in the hopes that it will give Bryan Cranston, who plays desperate chemistry teacher Walt White, a more substantial showcase for his skills. …
The Washington Post says:
… In "Breaking Bad," Cranston does lots of coughing, a great deal of grimacing, and way too much running around in his underwear. But he also takes a tricky character and makes him believable, sympathetic and worthy of concern. … sometimes suffers from an overabundance of dialogue and scenes that stretch on too long with repetition and pauses. There are also words and actions that AMC, hypocritically enough, would probably edit out of a theatrical film being shown on the channel. As an auteurist exercise, "Breaking Bad" is several steps up from "Mad Men," the first of AMC's original efforts and the recipient of bafflingly positive reviews. … You snicker as you cringe; you wince as you laugh. "Breaking Bad" may give you an oddly gratifying case of the creeps. …
The San Francisco Chronicle says:
… very compelling and rife with potential … Watching three - of a season total of seven - episodes doesn't make it clear whether "Breaking Bad" is going to achieve the molecular shift necessary to go from intriguing to brilliant, but Sunday's premiere is a pretty stellar start.
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer says:
… To read this makes "Breaking Bad" sound like a comedy. It should be, and by the end of the third episode you are going to wish somebody would let in more light. But no. Instead, we have another drama taking itself far too seriously. The pilot, however, is good enough to fool a person into thinking AMC has something in "Breaking Bad," and that's largely due to Cranston's surprising performance. … Gilligan fails to give us a reason to bond with any of these characters, and their obstacles play more like excuses than hooks for our sympathies. …
The Portland Oregonian says:
… Who knew that getting into the methamphetamine business could be so inspiring? Chalk it up to the wonders of chemistry. Which also has something to do with "Breaking Bad's" engaging weave of characters and sub-cultures, and also its contrasting currents of drama and mordant comedy. … easily the most thought-provoking new series to hit the air since "Mad Men" bowed last summer.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:
… definitely not the tour de force "Mad Men" was … has its moments of dark humor, but it's largely a morose drama that covers familiar ground: characters with anti-hero tendencies leading double lives. … Regardless, Cranston is a revelation. His performance as a mild-mannered, wildly intelligent, possibly henpecked family man is the primary reason to recommend "Breaking Bad." …
The Denver Post says:
… has the gritty sensibility of "Rescue Me," without the sex appeal. Cranston ("Malcolm in the Middle") is terrific but his character is disconcerting — Walter's illness is so top-of- mind it negates any zaniness. He is more difficult to be around than Denis Leary's tortured fireman. "Breaking Bad" may summon more humor in the future but, at the outset, it's a rather sobering experience. Surely this isn't the next-big-thing AMC hoped would follow its breakout drama, "Mad Men." …
The Boston Herald says:
… The opening shot confirms the worst. A pair of pants drop from the desert sky. A Winnebago careens crazily. A frantic Cranston yelps at the wheel, clad only in his underwear and a gas mask. Welcome to “Malcolm in the Meth Lab.” “Breaking Bad” is an uneven show about a man deep in crisis who chucks his moral compass and conversely finds his backbone once he is given a death sentence. …
The Boston Globe says:
… the show tries too hard to be socially relevant, with Walt representing a desperate middle class attempt to gain footing. So tame and worn thin by his financial lot in life and his grim diagnosis, Walt's not gonna take it anymore. You can feel creator Vince Gilligan (of "The X-Files") straining to build an emblematic American fable and forgetting to fill in his story with particularities and believable motivations. …
The Hollywood Reporter says:
… While no one expects or wants "Bad" to be an after-school special, its laissez-faire attitude toward crystal meth is a little problematic. (A brief synopsis of the third episode says Hank, the DEA agent, warns Walter's son about the dangers of drugs. However, the episode was not available for review.) That said, give Gilligan credit for a pilot, written mostly as one long flashback, that is suspenseful and surprising. Cranston is always fun to watch and "Bad" is no exception. What's more, a strong supporting cast suggests there is a lot of room for this series to grow.
Variety says:
… Series creator Vince Gilligan brings a quirky sensibility to the pilot, and the show grows increasingly rich and absorbing in the second and third hours. Whether "Breaking Bad" can ignite to become more than TV's version of a little-seen indie film, however, could be an elusive formula. … it's difficult to count this series as an unqualified breakthrough just yet. Then again, as Walt can testify about dealing with volatile ingredients, sometimes the gutsiest strategy is simply to toss them together and see what happens.
10 p.m. Sunday. AMC.
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Jan 20, 2008 12:45:33 AM CST
Allan Melvin (Sam the Butcher) dies at 84. No tribute thread?
by orionsangels
No love for character actors AICN? Granted he wasn't a super star, but he may have the record for appearing at least once on every popular TV show from the 60,s and 70s. Alice is a widow now. Will miss ya Sam
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I live in Seattle, and I can't tell you how many times the PI fucking blows it in their reviews.the only worse reviewing entity is the black hole of taste and understanding that is Lisa Schwarzbaum from Entertainment Weekly...here's a quick rundown, she gave the original Matrix a C, and Monkeybonea B+...she did rip Passion of the Mel a new one, though...but still
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One of the classiest and most underused actresses of our time has left us as well. (Now *that hurts.....)
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...not that that's a bad thing, particularly if the quality is there. I'll give it a shot anyway.
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but will give it a go.
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Are due to it being a great show.
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could be employable and hate Mad Men. I'm going to watch this show, I hope it is close to as good as AMC's first original. It seems like Cranston never got the recognition he deserved on Malcolm. I've been wanting to see this show since the commercials aired when Mad Men was still running new episodes.
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lost interest after the second half of # 2, sure it was OK, but come on!
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I mean, I know they can sell the DVDs and maybe syndication to other cable channels? I dunno. Is someone who doesn't have AMC (it's basic cable, right?) going to pick up for 2 shows (this and "Mad Men")?
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Besides the simple fact that it will build the channel's reputation and will likely make decent money after first-run, Mad Men shows commercials that incorporate historical advertising info in a way that actually gets me to watch the commercials, when I don't watch it on-demand. I would guess that they will at some point be able to prove that the average Mad Men viewer is significantly more likely to watch the advertising that on other shows.
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This sucks.
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This show has me interested, think I'll scope it out.
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Remember when AMC actually used to be an awesome channel. You know, one that actually showed CLASSIC movies. sigh
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i've never watched mad men, but this looks pretty inspired. it looks worth AMC putting some money behind, i'll check it out and give it a chance.
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Watch AMC for tv. Made Man started just a little before I got my first office job and I was like MAN! I wish I worked back then. Seriously, when I am at work I am like???? What the fuck did people do before the internet?
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Pretty good first episode. A lot faster then Made Man. It'll be interesting how they spin this into a series. Can't wait to see Cranston try meth.
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It kind of strikes me as similar in tone to "Desperate Housewives" in it how it tries to be classy and soapy and a bit absurd. But still good (I like both shows, suck it Herc).
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Jan 21, 2008 12:50:40 AM CST
Gungan, I agree that the criteria for a movie to get onto AMC...
by jackislost
these days is a bit too lax. "Troy"? All the "Planet of the Apes" movies? Come on...
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Not quite up to the standard of 'Mad Men' but its the first show I've seen in a long time that isn't entirely predictable and the shaky cam etc. makes for a quality cinematic feel.
Bryan Cranston is great as well, I always thought he was funny. -
yes, thank god we still have to turn to
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I'll keep tuning in to see where it goes. I hope the Dentite finds some new work duds, though.
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better be picking an Emmy next year, just for the mustache alone. He deserved at least 1 for Malcolm, instead of Brad "one note" Garrett. Heck, I remember the X-Files episode he did about 10 years ago, and he was great there also.
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Thats so sad..I remember her going back to The Birds and those James Garner "Support Your Local Sheriff" comedies. Well now she is reunited with Tom Poston....
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I remember when it showed lots of old movies all edited and cut up with commercials. Now it shows kick ass original programs.
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I'd be willing to bet Cranston gets a nomination. He will probably get lots of "make up" or "familiar face" votes for all the work he has done that hasn't been recognized. He'll probably be competing against other AMC shows.
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and I have to say...it's pretty freakin cool. The only thing I had seen the dude was as the dad in Malcolm in the middle and he, my friends is a bad arse actor. When you see him going from Meek to not settling for a compromised existence, man ...it was cool
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by backing off on the audio editing. You're going to feature a two minute undercover jack off scene, but edit "god" from "goddamn"? I can understand omitting fuck, but goddamn? South Park broke that barrier years ago.
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I agree with the NY Times review. Could cover the same ground in 1/2 hour.
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With the language that couldn't get by AMC + the blurred nudity, was this always intended for AMC or for premium cable? Is their(AMC) next strategy to push for unedited DVD as an extra to sell more DVDs?
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bryan cranston has evolved into a totally original leading man. and, i highly enjoy the story so far. some of those critics are so square...
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I love the twisted "not gonna take it from the man anymore" angle...although meth is a despicable drug...perhaps our resident chemist will delve into other drugs later in the season...ecstasy seems less harmful to me. Still harmful, don't get me wrong. Just not as brain rotting...
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just saying...
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You are such a douche. A guy with his life spiraling down the drain decides to make some real money to help out his family after he's gone. That's called ingenuity. If the premise of the show offends your conservative principles then don't watch it. Go watch your Touched By An Angel DVD's instead. Dick.
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while you are actually dying at your humiliating 2nd job because you don't have good insurance isn't a life spiraling down the drain?
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I found the edited profanity kinda' odd too, especially in this age of The Shield, Nip Tuck, and Rescue Me, not to mention South Park. Even odder, in the original airing of the premiere, the Neighbor in the window was clearly topless, although blurred, but in the next (later) repeat airing, the scene had her wearing a dark brown bra. what the hell? why shoot it topless if you're going o blur it out, and why shoot it with the bra if you're going to air it topless and blurry?
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You're judging the meth angle from just the first episode. And at this point in the series, the meth has been made but not sold or distributed yet. Vince Gilligan said he wanted to travel the arc of turning a meek everyman to "Scarface". So, even though Cranston's character is sympathetic, and selling meth is beyond reprehensible, I'm willing to see where this story goes.
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Yeah, it's flawed...I did think the pacing was a bit excruciating especially when combined with the guy's downspiralling life. It made me and my wife a little uneasy because we have been dangerously close to being that desperate and it was painful to watch. It WOULD be humiliating for that college educated guy to wash cars. It WOULD be awful for him to have to worry about not having enough money to go to the hospital. I mean, people with medical insurance in this shitty day and age can go bankrupt. Especially with the special care his child evidentally needed.****It was darker than I expected, I think my wife is going to probably check out because of that, but what I really appreciate is that this show has a sensibility that you just don't see very often on TV and that will have me coming back. Plus there were a few times I really didn't know what was going to happen next. And I liked the fact that Cranston's character knew his shit. It was amusing when he was schooling Captain Cook on how to do it right. I guess I might be upset about the Meth angle, but I think most would agree this show does anything but glorify "the life". The New Mexico locations are a nice touch. Beats hell out of L&O and CSI type shows. I liked it better than Mad Men, too, although I appreciate the originality of that show, too.
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as being able to afford health care. My wife just had back surgery on my insurance, and it wasn't cheap. Just because we have insurance didn't make that trip free. Cranston's character bearly had enough money working two jobs to cover his own funeral, let alone a special needs young adult and care for a pregnant wife. I can easily see how his chracter would make that choice, especially considering how many times the outside world reminded him of how easy it would be. It was like getting signs from the universe to make drugs. Many people wouldn't choose to make and sell drugs, but if every character on TV was a pure hearted AICNer like you, every TV show would be an hour of watching a grown man polybag their comic books in grandma's basement. Next week, Johnny runs out of backing boards and has to choose between backing X-Men or Superman...oh the drama!
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Well, for example, the Canadian channel CTV just bought the rights to air the first season of Mad Men, and the second, when it's made. So wheels ARE in motion. I'll give this a shot, and hope it's somewhere near as good as Mad Men, with some awesome monologues. Here's to hoping that AMC becomes the next HBO/Showtime.
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"Bad," which stars Bryan Cranston, averaged 1.4 million viewers at 10 p.m. Sunday, according to Nielsen Media Research. That's in line with AMC's first scripted drama, "Mad Men," which debuted in July to 1.6 million viewers and got a second-season pickup in September.
The series -- which centers on a high school teacher who weathers his midlife crisis by turning to crime -- faced strong competition with the conclusion of the NFC championship game on Fox, which drew 54 million viewers.
In the key adult demos, "Bad" averaged 796,000 adults 25-54 and 785,000 adults 18-49. The show also grew in its second half-hour -- after the football game ended -- in the 18-49 demo by 48 percent and in men 18-34 by 90 percent.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080124/tv_nm/cable_dc;_ylt=AkrfWEnxMpBjnHfpk.okckRxFb8C
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I had to do a write-up for a freelance producer a couple years ago, and they are officially AMC, dropping the actual title. Theoretically, they can be thought of more as "American Movie Channel." Oh, and they had original programming during the 90s, but nobody seems to remember that anymore.
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although I get the feeling as he gets deeper and deeper into shit, this is going to be much more painful to watch.
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I'm hooked. W/ the 2nd episode, I'm really hoping to find out that his wife, the "writer", who's pregnant but barely showing actually has a fucking job and has been contributing somehow. In the first episode I didn't see her on any kind of level 3 bed-rest, so she it appears she could be bringing in a paycheck on top of his 2.
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Going out on a limb here, but this has a Hitchcock vibe to it. When the wife dialed Capn Cook and ended up at his house with the body in the driveway...very much felt like a moment from a Hitchcock film. Overall, it's not always that good, but it definitely has its moments. Also brings to mind the Michael Douglas film "Falling Down"; this guy is no longer smoking from the reality pipe. I read or heard this is only 7 episodes long. With the previews for next week showing the DEA brother-in-law, the drug distributor, and so on, this is going to get worse in a hurry. Horrifying and fascinating at the same time. So far, I'm impressed.
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I've always watched first run, but I could go for some better video quality. Anyone know if they make the same edits on the OnDemand version?
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I get the feeling she will sell her writing eventually and it will turn out he never needed to get involved in attempting to get rich quick. I just hope the show isn't actually her writing in some kind of "all a dream" cop-out.
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IFC is airing the first two episodes back-to-back Friday Feb 22nd, and they are advertising they will be uncut & unedited.
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There needs to be a talkback for this show. It is quickly becoming one of the best shows on television. Get into it, people!
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