Lucybespro It is a performances centric movie

Breakinger A Brilliant Conflict

Stoutor It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

Cissy Évelyne It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

bkoganbing On the Maude series, the Findlays up there in Tuckahoe had a maid played by Esther Rolle named Florida Evans. I'm sure a lot of even the most liberal thinking people have no conception of the fact that the help which was what Florida was go home to a whole different world. When Norman Lear who just dominated television in the 70s decided to give Rolle her own series, he took her character and moved them to the south side of Chicago where they lived in the projects.This was the first black centered comedy series which had its characters in a poor environment. Still the Evans family faced life on the edge with grit. John Amos was the father who was a working stiff raising with Rolle three kids.Going in ascending order was Ralph Carter who was developing a social conscience and wanted to be lawyer to devote himself to betterment of his people and environment. Bernadette Stanis the middle child was a pretty, but also very intelligent young woman who was going to have a career and marry the man of her dreams. If he was rich or had prospects so much the better.The heart of the show was the oldest Jimmie Walker. He's a comedian and to him the laughs devolved. He was having a bit of trouble growing up and drove his parents a bit nuts. And he brought that one word catchphrase of his to the English language. When something was good it was Dy-No-Mite. The show lost something when Amos was killed off. It got even worse when Rolle took a hiatus. The kids were fending on their own with a look in from their neighbor Janet Dubois. Top show when it started. But as a family show they usually lose something when the family unit is disrupted. Good Times was no exception.

TRhett It's funny to me every time I read about a "modern" TV show/movie/etc. about racial/gender/class issues being "groundbreaking," because Norman Lear was doing some pretty brave "groundbreaking" as far back as the early 70's. "All in the Family" was arguably the greatest, most "realistic" (in TV terms) family sitcom EVER to grace TV (followed closely by "Roseanne"). As if AITF wasn't enough, "Maude" and her ahead- of-her-time politics spun out of that universe, as did "Good Times," which was the first sitcom to really show the gritty reality of lower- class American life since "The Honeymooners." Yes, there were stereotypes . . . yes, there was manipulative "button-pushing," yes, there was lots of "jive talking,'" but like Roseanne, at the heart of all that bravado was a family that REALLY loved and supported each other, and were trying desperately to reach that "American dream." Of course, it was usually futile, mainly because they wanted to keep the shows going, but ironically, it actually reflected the reality of the times . . . which is that unfortunately, that dream is just out of reach for many. But "Good Times" was so well-cast, well-acted, and well-staged (like a very good play), we could overlook its faults . . . because we cared about the characters. Esther Rolle and John Amos had great chemistry together, and the kids were also perfectly cast. I remember hearing things on this show that I had never heard before, like VD, teen pregnancy, the poor resorting to eating dog to survive, the constant struggle of the father figure to provide for his family . . . it just goes on and on. Things that we middle-class white Americans had NO idea of. And that opening - that HAS to be one of the greatest opening montages of images and theme music EVER (The Sopranos comes to mind as a contender). They just don't make 'em like that anymore. Although things began to slip once John Amos left (in one of those "I'm moving on to bigger and better things" mistakes that TV actors often make . . . assuming that a hit TV show is a sure road to super stardom, never to be heard from again except in minor, supporting bits), it was still one of the best of the 70's. So whenever you hear somebody talk about a "groundbreaking" TV show/movie, keep in mind that that ground was "broken" long ago . . .

powermandan Good Times is a spin-off of a spin-off: this spun-off of Maude and Maude spun-off of All in the Family. This is one of the few shows that became just as big as its presider's. What makes Good Times so awesome is that it defined the decade. Everybody had afros, went rollerskating, danced around a disco, and had platform shoes. We all know that happened throughout the decade, but Good Times revolved around the 70's style. Good Times was about a poor black family living the ghettos of Chicago. This was one of the first shows to dive into the subject of racism and black America. Luckily, it is not one of those shows that only black people like and understand. I guess that is what made it so special, an all black show that everybody can relate to. Sometimes the laugh track and audio board seems broken and out of control, which may be the worst thing viewers need to worry about.The show starred Esther Rolle and John Amos as Florida and James Evans. Both dropped out of school at very young ages to help their families make ends meet, so both are qualified only for low-paying jobs. Florida is the loving, caring, generous and understanding mother that everybody wants. James is the tough, rugged, frustrated and persistent father who may use corporal punishment but everybody knows it is for a good cause. Ja'net Du'Bois plays their gossipping and neighbouring bachelorette, Willona Woods. Florida and James have three children: law-interested brainiac, Michael (Ralph Carter); beautiful performing artist, Thelma (Bernnadette Stantis); and the funny, big-lipped artist, JJ (Jimmie Walker). Although JJ was a minor character, he quickly rose and became a defining character of a generation. Ron Howard stated in an interview that JJ was a huge rival toward Fonzie in Happy Days in terms of popularity. Difference is, Fonzie was a smart superhuman that everybody wanted to be like and JJ was the dumb one that everybody acted like. With his enormous lips, funny hat, weird clothes, odd struts, and catchphrases (dy-no-mite!), JJ became the most popular African-American TV star and one of the best TV characters of all time.Because JJ was becoming so popular, more episodes became about him. Rolle and Amos hated how big the character was becoming because they thought he was a terrible influence to young viewers. Although he was just playing a character, Walker had heat with his on-screen parents. Amos was fired during an argument with the producers soon after the end of season 3. Amos didn't care because his career in film and other TV works were just taking off. Rather than getting somebody else to replace him, they decided to kill him off in the first episode of season 4. That was just the start of the mistakes that were being made. Part of living in the slums is having an authoritative figure that busts his ass to make ends meet. Without that element, the show lost a key component and its main serious character. The absence of James caused the other characters to become extra hard workers, but it was not the same. But it still had its heart and warmth and humour, so I still loved it. But not even by the end of the season, Florida falls in love with and marries Michael's boss, Carl. Rolle had had enough and quit for the same reason Amos did, but writing her out that way was bad. He super-religious woman marries another man not even a year after her long-time husband's death? I don't buy it. Carl was supposed to be a character like James. Difference is, James was awesome and Carl sucked. Season 5 was the worst season. There was no parental or authority figures, causing major anarchy among the Evans household. It introduced Janet Jackson in her first big TV role Penny Gordon, an abused girl who is adopted by Willona. I liked Willona adopting her because it made her become more mature than in the earlier seasons. Penny was a good addition and Jackson did a nice job playing her. But playing a girl that had been abused her whole life, I expected her to at least have outbursts like any other lifelong abused child. Either way, season 5 wasn't that good. With ratings slipping, producers begged Rolle to come back for the 6th and final season, which she did. She returns and Thelma marries soon-to-be NFL footballer, Keith Anderson (Ben Powers) Keith was a likable character, but it is Florida's return that made season 6 great. It may have gone through changes and wasn't as good as when James was on it, but it was Florida that made it great and JJ that made it awesome. Season 1-3: 10/10 4: 9/10 5: 6.5/10 6: 8/10 I have a strong personal connection with this and I pay most attention to the first four seasons.

Bilal Mohammed I absolutely love this show despite the fact that it was taped 30 years ago. It was about a black family of five living in the ghetto in Chicago. The show dealt with real life issues that can happen in any family, not only in the Evan's household. No matter what the Evans family went through, they always stuck together as a family and made it through the toughest times up until the very end of the show. And yes there were several times throughout the seasons that James and JJ had an opportunity to get the family out of the ghetto, but didn't because of Florida's strong religious beliefs and values. I understand why Florida would object at times to moving out of the ghetto because you have to have values and do it for the right reasons. I watch the show whenever it is on or I get a chance. I really liked it when John Amos was on the show because I found him to be a very humorous character and at the same time a strict but loving father. JJ and Willona were also funny, and all the characters were funny too. I wish that John Amos's character was never killed off because I thought that the show kind of fell apart and lost dignity to what the show was about. Had he not been killed off, the show would have lasted longer or maybe as long as Cheers or The Jeffersons. I would recommend this show because it is very funny and you will like it.