Monday Report

This show is very boring. The entire show is just Rick Mercer which wouldn't be so bad if he was being funny at some point, but he never is. I also liked him on This Hour Has 22 Minutes but on this he is just boring and seems like he is getting really old. All that happens in the show is, Rick Mercer goes somewhere and talks to people. The episode I am watching now has Rick Mercer going to visit a guy who makes his own wine. For the last fifteen minutes I've been watching Rick Mercer help pick grapes, ask if they can drink wine while they pick the grapes (HILARIOUS!), take a shot of whiskey and say it's because two jobs are helped by drinking- grape pickers and newscasters (HILARIOUS!), arrive the next morning at eight thirty and say he's tired not because it's so early but because last night was so late (OMG HILARIOUS!), dump the grapes into a big vat (HILARIOUS!) then drive a forklift, pick up the vat and move it to the grape press (OMG! ARE YOU KIDDING ME! HILARIOUS!), pretend his fingers are stuck in the press but really it's just his glove (HAHAHAAHAHAHHAA! SO FRIKKIN FUNNY! HILARIOUS! I THOUGHT HIS FINGERS WERE IN THERE! I'M SO STUPID! LOL ROFL LMAO!), say that he doesn't even care what happens now because his day's already full because he drove a forklift (HILARIOUS!), ask if he can name the new wine and suggests "Chateau Regret" (OMG CAN YOU THINK OF A MORE HILARIOUS NAME? THAT IS SO FUNNY! SO HILARIOUS!), pretend that the noise of the wine dribbling out into a bucket is actually the sound of someone peeing (HAHAHA! PEE JOKE! HILARIOUS!), then I finally turned the channel because I could not take any more of this hilarity. This show sucks, the CBC is finally dragging Royal Canadian Air Farce off the air and I hope Mercer and 22 Minutes aren't far behind.

From the man show made Stockwell Day and Doris Day synonymous, "Monday Report", is one of those rare shows that seems to pass by in less time than advertised. In tandem with "This is Wonderland", made CBC's Monday-night line-up true must-see TV during their premiere season and are poised to repeat the feat this season. Rick Mercer zeros-in on current-affairs and skewers them with laser-like precision as well as poking fun at Canadian foibles. Darren Jones' segments are also a treat and his style is an interesting counterpoint to Mercer. No cow is too sacred or too elusive to escape. The show is coming back as of October 18th for another season and is definitely worth checking out if you haven't already.

After reading a bunch of negative reviews of this show, I felt I had to write one myself. Most of the reviews seem to be by canadians who know Rick Mercer from other shows, where he supposedly was "a lot funnier. What happened?" I am not from Canada and had never heard about mr Mercer before stumbling upon this show, and I love it.

The show's main premise is that Mercer travels around Canada and meets with people from different places and walks of life. It's a great mix of destinations, and you get to learn a lot about of canadian geography, and the people who live there. Sometimes, he goes to far away rural places, like Inuvik, NT, where he attends the Sunrise Festival. In another show, he goes to The University of Victoria, where he learns about neuroscience. Interspersed with the travel reports are short bits with satirical commentary on canadian political matters.

Mercer is a funny guy and he makes fun of the people he's talking to, and the places he's visiting in his travel reports. The jokes are never nasty, and he always makes himself the butt of the joke in the end. My only criticism is that the constant joking makes the interviews a bit shallow. Then again, the comedy is part of what makes this show great.

The political commentary bits are funny, but are not what makes the show stand out. They feel a bit generical to an outside observer, since it's difficult to identify with the issues when you don't live there. For canadians, they may be spot on, I have no idea. Mercer's outrage for what to me seems to be mild concerns about the canadian government (compared to the US), only makes me feel like Canada is a damn great place to live in.

Coming from northern Europe, I know a lot about US geography and the people there. That annoys me to no end, because I find the USA a lot less interesting than Canada. Unfortunately, I know almost nothing about Canada. For instance, I had never heard about a place called Nunavut. I actually had to google it to realize it was a territory, not a town! So this show is a godsend for a foreigner who wants to learn more about Canada and canadian life in a playful way.

I had big hopes for this show when it first came on and I was so disappointed. I've watched at least twenty episodes, probably thirty, and have tried watching every year hoping that it would get better but it's just getting worse.

What happened to Rick Mercer? Talking to Americans was brilliant and he was awesome on 22 Minutes but this show just stinks, I have to be honest. Where are the funny jokes and sketches? Why do I want to watch him go on the road and just talk to people who aren't even famous? I've seen him on different episodes go look at bears, get dipped in ice water for a hypothermia experiment, join the army, become a cheerleader, get put in a wind tunnel, talk to street hockey kids in Edmonton and do countless other pointless, boring things that I might enjoy doing myself but definitely don't want to watch him do it. Especially when so many of his witty lines are either not funny or way too rehearsed.

Even when he does do jokes they suck like the headlines bit or "Canada's Ugliest Shed". My friends and I could come up with better headlines than they do on this show. It's like Rick Mercer ran out of good comedy or just got tired or something, maybe he resting on what he already did because it was so awesome he's already done his part. If so who can blame him because he was great before.

This show is lame. I give it 2 out of 10 with the 2 points given to him for what he used to be.

If you look at all of the terrible shows CBC has produced, RMR is really a gem. Basically, the plot of every episode sees Rick Mercer going to some obscure place in Canada. He is guided by the staff of the facility, and makes a few jokes along the way. Mercer really has a wonderful comedic personality, and some of the jokes he comes up with are quite clever and entertaining.

What may possibly be funnier than Rick's journeys, are the skits the show puts on; sort of like Saturday Night Live. These are where Mercer's jokes really shine, and they are what make this show extremely entertaining.

This is really a success on the part of the CBC, and I really hope this show keeps airing.