missy_baxter

When I read many of the vituperative user comments, I wonder if I saw the same movie. This was totally true to the spirit of the original series with a bit of a sharper edge. Most of the latter was supplied by Gary Oldman in a much more formidable portrayal of Dr. Smith than offered by the effete Jonathan Harris. Jack Johnson was a spectacular Will. I thought Matt LeBlanc totally broke out of his mold and was terrific as Major Don West. All of the cameos supplied by the original cast were excellent, although I wanted older Will Robinson to be played by Billy Mumy. Sure many of the plot angles were screwy, but so was the original series. As for all the boring comments, I just don't understand... I thought the pacing was tight.

In fact, one of the worst and most boring movies ever made from a science-fiction TV series was Star Trek I -- and it's a blessing for all of us that the studios didn't abandon the concept after the original turkey directed by Robert Wise.

The one thing I will agree with is that William Hurt played the same boring and egocentric character he always seems to play these days and bore no resemblance to the soul of Guy William's John Robinson. But, Hurt's was a minor imperfection that didn't ruin a pretty good update of the series for me.

This is satire at its funniest. When I first saw this movie in 1994, I was really depressed and it cheered me right up. So, the following year, I was feeling blue again and saw this for sale for $10 and bought it, and it cheered me again.

There is no rocket science here (except of course, for Jethro), just enough flat-out absurdist satire to make me laugh and laugh and laugh. Extremely true to the spirit of the original, this is very well-performed and totally irreverent. Cloris Leachman, Lily Tomlin, and Elena Ereniak are standouts as Granny, Miss Jane, and Elly Mae, actually improving slightly on the originals which I didn't think possible. Buddy Ebsen is marvelous in a cameo as Barnaby Jones, and Linda Carlson makes a terrific Cousin Pearl. Junior Drysdale is also enjoyable. {Penny Fuller was very bad as Mrs. Drysdale, but it's a minor role.} Dietrich Bader is a great Jethrine, and a fair-to-middling Jethro.

But, the real revelation is the late Jim Varney (incredible to think that he is dead for five years while Buddy Ebsen is still with us).

I HATE the Ernest movies, and was expecting the worst. But Varney, actually captured the soul and spirit of Jed Clampett even better than Ebsen if possible. He is magnificent in the role. What a pity he died so young!

But, every time I watch this gem of unreality-TV (to steal Nick at Nite's brilliant catch-phrase), which I have done 10 times so far, Varney's best performance ever lives on in my heart.

What fun this movie is! Naive tenderfoot writer Jeff Bridges goes off to Hollywood to write B Westerns. And, every note is enjoyable. Andy Griffith is magnificent as bigger-than-life Howard Pike. Alan Arkin has all-kinds-of-fun as the egomaniacal director and Blythe Danner lights up the screen in her role. This is a great piece of Americana.