American Woman

I was really excited for this show when I first heard about it and saw the trailer. The premier was decent but I feel like it has fallen flat on its face, even after only two episodes. The premise is unique enough, and I usually always enjoy shows or films that tackle women's liberation, especially from an era before our own. But sadly, American Woman is just that- sad. The acting leaves much to be desired, the pace is too slow and despite its handful of semi charming moments, it quite frankly doesn't hold my interest. I will probably keep watching to see if it improves as it goes along but I am not optimistic. Perhaps if they gave Mena Suvari (whom I adore) more screen time I might feel differently, although she alone probably could not redeem the credibility of this hot mess. If the production team were a little league baseball team, I'd present them with a lame participation trophy and then call it a night.

It has such a great name and Blast from the Past actors (pun intended). I was hoping for witty humor or even to be slightly entertained, but this dud left me hanging and the actors from way back when left their acting abilities back in the 90s. They should time travel and go back and fetch them. That it I was too young and dumb to realize how awful they were at the time.

Just binged watched first 6 episodes and love it. Good characters with room to explore and a great reminder of how we used to live.

I was curious to see this because I am a huge fan of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and so I saw several scenes with Kyle Richards connected to this project. She said it was inspired by her life as a child actress so of course, it made me want to check it out.

I think that the 1970's sets, props, costumes and attitudes were all very well rendered and this is by far the best aspect of this production. The story didn't grab me instantly but I kept watching and it eventually grew on me and I started to enjoy it a lot more as the season progressed.

The most interesting character to me is definitely Kathleen Callahan played by Mena Suvari who shines in the subplot with Cheyenne Jackson as her lover Greg Parker. The other best friend part played by Jennifer Bartels as Diana Vaughan is also interesting which brings me to the leads who are I'm afraid are the weakest part of the equation.

Alicia Silverstone is the main protagonist here as Bonnie Nolan and for some reason, I had a hard connecting with her portrayal. She felt annoying and whiny to me which might be the point but even though Silverstone is a fair actress, her choices in this part might not be my cup of tea.

As for the 2 kids, Makenna James as Becca and Lia McHugh as Jessica are competent but nothing great and I kept thinking that different actresses might have been better choice but I'm not in charge of casting so this is what we are dealt with and I can still enjoy the show.

This said, I was saddened to hear Kyle declare in Real House of Beverly Hills (episode 9.6) that the show was not picked up for a second season which is a shame because I felt like it was getting better but now we will never have a chance to find out if it had the making of a great show.

I can still recommend it and I gave it 7 stars mostly for the feel of going back to the wonderful 1970's and I must say, every detail was perfectly in place to let us wallow in a gone era when everyone smoked, use drugs as casually as drinking coffee and had spontaneous sex whenever they felt like it. I applaud the production side because they did their homework and even though the show is now done, it still represents a nice depiction of a world now gone by that we can revisit with great pleasure.

I love shows set in that decade. I wished so badly it would be good. It's not. The acting seems fake, storyline and dialog are boring but there is one redeeming quality: Diane's character. If only the show would have her at the centre of it and develop her character and an enticing storyline around her. The actress does portray her very well,and you can actually see nuance as opposed to the flatness of the other 2 female leads. Regardless, I won't be watching anymore, which is a shame. The 5 stars are for the costumes, setting, and Diane.