Freaktana
A Major Disappointment
Micah Lloyd
Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.
Tayyab Torres
Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.
SnoopyStyle
R.J. Berger (Paul Iacono) is a teenage loser who is picked on. When a jock pulls down his pants, a big surprise is revealed. Miles Jenner (Jareb Dauplaise) is RJ's best friend. He's pretty good as the big fat friend. Lily Miran (Kara Taitz) has a longterm crush on RJ. She does a funny creepy aggressive friend. Jenny Swanson (Amber Lancaster) is the cheerleader crush of RJ. She's kinda stiff.This is an MTV show. While Paul has the geeky look, he looks much older than 15. There are a lot of sexually inappropriate story lines. Some of which are hilarious, while others are cringe worthy.... really really creepy. It lasted 2 seasons or 24 episodes. There was a noticeable drop in the 2nd season, and I really wouldn't want a 3rd season.
Andrew Pelechaty
While on the surface, season one of 'The Hard Times of RJ Berger' looks like another teen sex comedy, what lies beneath is an enjoyable comedy with some heart.RJ Berger is an unpopular teenage boy trying to survive Pinkterton high school. By his side is the equally unpopular Miles - an overweight loudmouth, sex-obsessed kid- and Lily, a dorky girl obsessed by RJ since kindergarten. RJ, on the other hand, only has eyes for Jenny, the hot, popular cheerleader who in a relationship with basketball jock Max.While it may seem like a stereotypical set-up, RJ has an anatomical "gift" most of his male classmates would kill for. Fortunately, 'Hard Times' avoids becoming a constant stream of dick jokes, instead developing into a coming-of-age comedy with a bit of substance – like a cross between 'The Wonder Years' and 'Superbad'. RJ is a sweet kid who's constantly torn between his urges for Jenny and the desire to the do the right thing, Miles's outgoing personality is a cover for his traumatic childhood – including a dead mother, a crazy, war-affected brother and a suicidal cat. The biggest surprise is Jenny.While it would have been easy to characterise her as the stereotypical bimbo (her boyfriend is given the stereotypical treatment as the jealous, loud, arrogant douchebag), instead she's a kind-hearted girl who genuinely appreciates RJ, perhaps even more than Lily, who's constantly lusting after RJ, despite him spurning her advances. Structually, the show has self-contained episodes (usually involving Miles trying to get both himself and RJ laid) leading up to the season climax – the Pinkerton Winter Formal.Though it would be easy to write off 'Hard Times' as a stereotypical high school comedy, look past the initial set-up and its an enjoyable show which moves past its gimmicky hook into something substantial.
zovilak
At first I did not expect much of this show, but it surprised me. Paul Lacono is funny and believable as RJ Berger. Amber Lancaster is very beautiful and sweet, even though she plays a 16 year old while she is 30 (Looks young enough though!) But the person who steals the show is Jareb Dauplaise as sidekick Miles Jenner! This guy is hilarious and has a very nice energy on screen. It makes me wanna watch more of his work! I've seen about 8 episodes and it's still funny. I surely hope they will keep up this level of entertainment. I'm very curious where the storyline will take us. Sure, it will probably not win an Emmy, but it's more then worth watching the adventures of this nerd. The only shame is that all the curse words are bleeped out. That's a bit childish, but maybe that's because I'm European and they can swear on TV here. Go and watch this, it will make you laugh or you will enjoy every second Amber Lancaster is on the screen.
ssimon55
Very funny show, clever writing for the most part. Although the mother is a little over the top. The side-kick/best friend Miles is perfect for the role. I have only seen one episode so far. The episode where he has to earn money to buy a gift for a Jenny Swanson (whom he has a crush on) for her sweet 16 birthday party. How he gets the money is hilarious & original. Even though the nerd in high school bit has been done to death, this is different and refreshing. Maybe it's because we can all relate to high school and those awkward times. Hopefully since it's on MYV and not one of the major networks it'll stay on for more than one season.
