Arrested Development: Not Just For TV
The Underrated Fox TV Show Remains The Best Comedy Ever To Reach DVD
Sep 17, 2009
Mitchell Hurwitz didn't just create a TV show, he created the Bluths. This unapologetically dysfunctional, family is ears deep in enough corruption and shady business practices in their development company to make Enron jealous. Heading up the family is George Bluth Sr., Jeffrey Tambor, who is captured by the SEC in episode 1 and lands himself in prison on a myriad of charges. His wife Lucille, Jessica Walter, has essentially no redeeming characteristics as she is a monster of a mother and a raging alcoholic.
Michael, Jason Bateman, is the only responsible member of the Bluth family. He ends up in charge of the sinking family business, all the while trying to get his father out of the prison he loves and keep his family together. His son George Michael, Michael Cera, works in the Bluth Banana Stand and is in love with his cousin Maeby. Maeby Funke, Alia Shawkat, is clueless and desperate to rebel against her mother who she off and on loathes. Maeby's mother, Lindsay Bluth Funke, Portia de Rossi, is Michael's twin, a self proclaimed activist, and possibly the most conceited, greedy one of the bunch. She rebelled in her youth by marrying Tobias Funke, David Cross, who is a psychiatrist turned bad actor, and presumed to be in the closet.
Gob Bluth (pronounced Job), Will Arnett, is a magician who was blackballed by the Magicians' Alliance he created and wants nothing more than to impress his parents and feel loved, however, he is numerously stated to be the most disliked Bluth. Lastly, Buster Bluth, Tony Hale, is the baby Bluth who has been coddled since birth and now in his adulthood still has the emotional maturity of a boy and a possible mental handicap.
The Narrator
Ron Howard advances the plot so perfectly it's hard to imagine the show without him. He is funny, never dull, and adds a level of honesty to a show based on such a ridiculous family. The narrator of this show doesn't just deal with plot progression, he also is a character in and of himself with his own agenda, sometimes speaking directly to the audience. It's a wonderful television trick. Howard is also a producer on the show and openly on the DVDs tells the watcher that he hopes they enjoy it just as much as he selfishly does. Ahhh, Opie.
The Guest Stars: The Law
Henry Winkler plays the farthest thing from the Fonz as the family attorney Barry Zuckerkorn, possibly the worst attorney ever to practice law. Barry gives the wrong law advice, doesn't read George's charges, is incorrect on every legal assumption there is, and has strong gay tendencies.
Julia Louis- Dreyfus for a couple of episodes was Maggie Lizer, a blind attorney prosecuting George Sr. who dated Michael. Scott Baio even made a couple appearances as Bob Loblaw, a lawyer that Lindsay had some serious hots for.
The Guest Stars: Adoptees
As Lucille tries to make their family look like better people to the outside world, they adopt a Korean boy, Justin Lee, named Annyong. However, the boy's actual name is a mystery as "annyong" is the Korean word for hello. This definitely adds very funny scenes when there are subtitles under what Annyong is saying, and every time someone says his name he says "annyong" back.
The Guest Stars: Love Interests
First, Buster's long time girlfriend Lucille Ostero (Lucille 2) played by Liza Minelli. If anyone doubted the fact that Liza was just a great performer in general, they should take a look at her comedy performance in this show. She is fantastic as an older woman with vertigo courting a younger man with crippling panic attacks.
George Michael's nearly invisible girlfriend Ann Veal, whose unattractiveness is constantly remarked upon, is played by Mae Whitman who is great as the girl the family calls, "Her?".
Michael's girlfriends include Rita, Charlize Theron, the mentally handicapped British girl Michael almost marries, and Sally Sitwell, Christine Taylor, the daughter of a competitor that Michael has had a crush on since adolescence.
Lastly, is Amy Poehler as Gob's bride of no name. They get drunk one night, make some dares, and then get married. She thinks Gob's name is Gob (like goblin) and he thinks her name is Usarmy, since she is wearing a US Army shirt when they meet sober.
The Guest Stars: Known Business Associates
Ed Begly Jr. is Stan Sitwell, the main competitor of the Bluths that is plagued with alopecia, which makes all his hair fall out.
Judy Greer is George Sr.'s assistant Kitty of many years that he has been having an affair with for as many. She holds many Bluth secrets and threatens to expose all of them.
On Gob's magic side, is Ben Stiller, Tony Wonder who's major trick is popping out of a loaf of bread.
The hope for fans
As many hopes were dashed and tears were shed when Arrested Development was canceled, news has emerged that an Arrested Development movie is in production due out in 2010. The whole cast is returning, and it is rumored that Martin Short will reprise his role as Uncle Jack, "The Bullet", a once muscleman who crushed his legs holding too much weight and now has no use in them. The massive following of the Emmy award winning show will be more than overjoyed at their new opportunity to see their favorite bad family on the screen once again.
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