Stay Tuned (1992)

Fresh and Exciting

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

The first time I saw this movie, I'd tuned in after it had been playing for a half hour. This meant that one of the first things I saw was a brilliant animated sequence (directed by animation genius Chuck Jones). Because of this, I had a more favorable view of the movie than I would have if I'd watched from the beginning.This time I watched from the beginning, and realized that it wasn't as good as I recalled. The first 20 minutes or so is rather dull set up. The movie picks up with clips from fictional, disturbing TV shows, but the actual journey the movie is centered on is very hit and miss, with a lot of rather toothless pop parody pretending to be satire.It's a watchable movie, but I found my attention often flagged. The best reason to watch is for the animated sequence, which you can find on youtube, if you don't want to bother with the movie.

The Knables are a very dysfunctional family. Roy Knable (John Ritter) is a very unhappy person, who cares more about his T.V shows, than his wife Helen (Pam Dawber) his wife is fed up of it. They have two children who bicker constantly. Things are in complete and utter disarray. Roy gets an offer from a mysterious salesman named Spike. He offers up a satellite dish with over 600 channels for Roy's choosing. Being the T.V addict Roy is, he is very much enticed. He turns Spike down, so Spike gives Roy a free trial. His wife flips and is about to move out, but they get sucked into a hellish world, filled with sadistic T.V shows. Roy and Helen are forced to try and survive the gauntlet, and get back homeNot only is this movie clever, but I enjoyed it very much. This movie is made for film buffs. It's filled with spoofs of T.V titles, which cracked me up. This is definitely one of those misunderstood films, and it's almost cultish in a way. It's not going to be for everyone. Casual movie goers may not get into all the inside jokes, and stuff like that. But for people that watch a lot of movies and T.V shows on a yearly basis, will howl. There is even a bizarre cartoon sequence, where Roy and Helen play mouses, and try to evade a mechanical cat of sorts. Strangely enough, it was very funny. My favorite one is near the end of the movie, where Roy gets transported onto the Three's Company set. I won't spoil it all, but it's absolutely hilarious. Those that don't know, John Ritter was propelled into stardom due to Three's Company. I do have a minor carp. It did seem to me that Roy & Helen accepted their predicament a bit too easy. Maybe it was just me, which could be the case. The film also leaves their kids to be the heroes, and I especially found the sister annoying. John Ritter & Pam Dawber ace their parts with charisma and likability. Jeffrey Jones hams it up like no tomorrow, and is clearly having a blast. Eugene Levy is amusing as wellStay Tuned for extra title jokes at the end credits!Final Thoughts: This is a highly underrated film. I think many people didn't grasp what this movie was going for. I watch a ton of movies on a yearly basis. I managed to get most of the jokes. This is highly recommended for big movie fans, not so much for people that watch movies on a casual basis. I personally dug it7.5/10

I haven't seen the movie in years but do remember liking it. Both Ritter,Dawber and Jones are perfectly cast in this comedy. A married couple,one of which is totally obsessed with TV like many of us all..kidding...anyway both husband and wife are sucked into the TV through the Satel light dish and thus the real fun begins.I won't spoil the movie for anyone but there's a very amusing sequence where both are animated mice. If you happen to see it in the video store rent it. Even though it didn't fair well at Box Office it still is a pretty good flick. One of Ritter's best movies in my opinion. I bought it at a yard sale shortly after Ritter died in memory as well as I knew it was a good movie having first seen after it was first released on VHS. Everyone in the movie was awesome. Sure there's spots where it could of been better but for the most was pretty good flick.

My friend Kenn Harris recommended this movie to me and I was against it from the start weeks ago because it always looked stupid to me and I hate John Ritter with a passion. But I called him and apologized for doubting him - this film is a hidden treasure.While it is true that John Ritter is a one-dimensional actor, this film does not rely heavily on his acting or even his speaking. The bulk of this film is visual gags and pop culture references. If you grew up watching TV, you should catch most of these and they're hilarious. "Different Strokes" was great, and so was "Fresh Prince of Darkness"... and who can forget "Frankensteinfeld"? If that's not enough, two great actors round out the cast - Jeffrey Jones and Eugene Levy. Jones is often a minor actor, but he is given top spot in this film, and rightfully so. As we later saw in "Ravenous", this man has a full potential for evil and his screen presence is terrific. Levy is classic, his character is the real hero of this film. Best of all, this is a younger Levy, years before he became known as the father from "American Pie"... this is pure Levy, untainted. This film highly recommended.