Family Ties Vacation

I haven't seen this for quite some time but I do recall that this TV movie (the Keatons travelling to London) - released at the height of the show's popularity - was considered a disappointment.

The film was not only frivolous but downright silly at times, especially with some nonsensical plot about the Keatons accidentally carrying some 'spy film' (located in a hair brush iirc) that had the London authorities chasing after them.

The real letdown was that it didn't accurately convey the strongest features about 'Family Ties'; not just the humour and memorable characters like Alex P Keaton, but the intelligence and sophistication that the show displayed in its best episodes.

That this effectively felt like a 'dumbed down' version of the show was a real waste, and not a worthy reflection of the TV series.

Okay, give it a chance. I have to admit, the music puts it on the cheesy 80s movies list, but it was cool to see the Keatons in a whole new plot. For one thing, they get involved in international espionage, Alex struggles with the people at Oxford, and nothing new but Mallory finds romance. However, I am going to warn anyone who wants to watch this movie. It is not available on digital as far as I know. I watched it on the bonus features of the SEASON FOUR DVD set. So if you want to watch it, might have to get season four on DVD. But, overall, great movie.

Imagine if you took a cartoon and put it in the "real world." You know how awkward that is?

That's what it felt like watching this thing. It's really bad. The hammy schtick and jokes, which work brilliant in three camera is a disaster here. Mostly because a lot of their jokes work in 2- shots. The cut to reaction seems so weird in a single camera. I see that it's trying to be some type of Cary Grant American in Europe comedy feel, but it just didn't fit. They could've named it "Monty Python Meets The Keatons."

What makes this movie a shame, isn't that the material is so blatantly ripped from their own sit- com, it's that you expect these things at the END of a series run, not at the beginning.

One last thing, if you're determined to watch it, ask yourself this "What the hell is Jennifer doing the entire time?" If you can find a purpose for her being their (story/plot wise) please tell me.

Everything in this movie was so out of character for the Keaton family. The most unrealistic part about Alex getting chased through the streets by a dog is that he never would have stopped to pet it in the first place. Mallory is not THAT stupid, and anyone who watches the show knows that she doesn't act like that when she likes a boy. Jennifer felt like a side character. And Elise and Steven would never have put their kids in danger like that, they would have asked them to stay back.

I read another review which I really agree with they said that this really didnt portray the key features of the show that made it so great. Not only did they disappoint in terms of humour and values, I felt like they had all the same names but were different characters, none of them really acted like themselves.

The spy plot was so incredibly ridiculous, it would have been so much better if they just did a fun episode where the kids run around london and cause trouble for Alex at Oxford.

To wrap it up, I love family ties (9/10 from me, and only because I never rate TV shows 10) but this special really let me down, it was clearly impossible to find for a reason.

Great movie but the one with Chevy chase was better.