The Critic

Plot synopsis:
Simple, abstract, geometric shapes move and morph on the screen to harpsichord music, from a French Suite (BWV 816) by J. S. Bach. The voice of an audience member, who claims to be 71, complains throughout the film despite being told repeatedly by other audience members to keep quiet.
The onscreen images feature geometric patterns. The "cranky and clueless" old man is trying to make sense of them, and describes what he sees at various points, including a squiggle, a fence, a cockroach. The old man finds that certain images remind him of the biology classes of his Russian boyhood. When two abstract shapes approach each other and unite, the old man sees it as a mating sequence. "...They like each other. Sure. Lookit da sparks. Two things in love!... Could dis be the sex life of two things?" 
When the scene shifts from the "mating" to other abstract images, the old man gets bored. He proclaims the images must be symbolism, then adds that they are symbolism of junk.
He eventually concludes that some of the images, depicting lips, are "dirty", obscene. He admits at some point that he was looking for "a hot French picture", which he hoped would involve nudity. The implication is that the old man is in the wrong movie theater, probably one screening art films.
He also wonders why the creator of the film wasted his time with this. He points that this creator could instead do something meaningful, like driving a truck, or do something constructive, like working in shoemaking.

Tags: absurd, satire

Review:
Like most Simpsons watching fanatics that are also latched tightly to the Family Guy, I couldn't help but walk (never run) to buy this series when it came out.
He is a God among Gods in my book!Created by the same team that did The Simpsons, Sherman great to life through not only the witty banter that leapt from his mouth, but also his surrounding characters.
I also liked the shows send up on the entertainment industry and films and actors in general I think Al Jean and Mike Reiss did an excellent job with this series.
The basic premise of the show is that a middle aged film critic by the name of Jay Sherman leads an miserable existence.
I feel the Critic was cancelled at the height of its potential when its comedic timing was dead on and the most of the jokes made me at least chuckle (well, other than the final episode .
which was disappointing because it was a reprise of all the faux film clips and little original material.)As for the Webisodes, I really didn't care much for them due to their lack of the rest of the cast - Alice, Dorris, Duke, Vlada, Jeremy, Martin, Penny, and Jay's family.
Even though I like Jay Sherman, the Critic was never a solo act, and the webisodes brings to light how important the supporting cast are  who is Jay supposed to bounce jokes off of, and who's going to make fun of the poor guy?
I think that's why the Webisodes lack the edge its full episode brethren have.The funniest aspect of the Critic, which is also noted on one of the DVD commentaries, is that not only does Jay wind up criticizing movie-parodies on Coming Attractions, but Jay's life is a series of movie parodies.
And of course, a show about a movie critic would eventually involve a plot around Siskel & Ebert, which is perhaps one of the more entertaining episodes.So, as a fan of films, I found the Critic to be pretty sharp and a pretty fun ride.
Though it never really becomes more than the sum of its parts (hindered by quite a few rather generic plot lines and unimaginative film parodies) `The Critic' does contain more than its share of memorable laugh-out-loud moments, generally due to the brilliant voice acting of Maurice LaMarche, who performs most of the celebrity voice impersonations.
WAtching this show in reruns,I was able to enjoy this offering from many of the creators of the Simpsons,but since the movie reviews were stuck in the period that spanned 1994-95 and before,the series will always retain a sense of being stuck in time and that never fails to make me a bit sad whenever I'd watch it.Otherwise,this series,based around the eponymous Jay Sherman(voiced brilliantly by rumpled comic actor Jon Lovitz,whose talents endure) is a great nose-thumbing at Hollywood culture and the movies that sometimes get cranked out from it.
The movie spoofs were funny, Jay Sherman and the other characters were hysterical, and the stories were great.
The comedy was somewhat remniscent of "Sienfeld", the only differences being that "The Critic" is not painfully boring and actually has a plot to it.The entire cast is given good lines, much kudos to the writers.
Of course, it would be nice if you could rate TV series like you could rate movies on imdb, unfortunately that is not the case, you will just have to read reviews like mine to see whether or not you want to watch it.
Levitz is as funny as any cartoon voice over there is.Any time I can find the Critc, I'll watch, without even (GASP) changing the channel during commercials.A shame that Will and Grace is still on, and the Critic is relagated to the cable crawl space..
In fact, very much like Sports Night, the critics love it, the people hate it.
Cartoons don't last very long, except for the Simpsons - which by the way, The Critic comes from the same Producers - so thus lasted the show.
The entire series is out on DVD now, and it was worth every penny ($41.99) If you like the Simpsons, you will love THE CRITIC.Pudgy and balding Jay is not a well-liked man.
Fortunately for Jay, he has his 11-year-old son Marty and one very unlikely friend, Jeremy Hawke, the Australian film hunk.Jon Lovitz provides Jay's distinctive voice as a single father who searches for happiness while satirizing life and the movies in this irreverent comedy....
I find it hard to believe that ANYTHING could dethrone the great Simpsons, but I think had this show survived in either of its stints (ABC or FOX) it might very well have done just that.
This is an updated version of The Critic where after a long absence Jay Sherman has his show come back on the internet after having his show being on ABC and then FOX, Comedy Central, then becoming Regis Philbin's sidekick and then being on the Discovery Channel and then he came back to his show Coming Attractions!
In this series we also miss the absence of Jay's family, Marty Sherman, Duke Phillips and Jeremy Hawk.
Unfortunately, "The Critic" faced the same problems that its hero Jay Sherman did in "Coming Attractions": humor that is funny but too obscure for its own good (Jay: "Let's watch the 15-hour version of 'Berlin Alexanderplatz'!" Marty: "Again?"), an uncaring public and an ugly star.
Jon Lovitz was perfectly cast as Jay Sherman, the scathing, yet sensitive critic.
I think Jay sherman was one of the funniest cartoon characters.why did this show get cancelled?!
I love the Critic, and was extremely saddened to know that this gem had been passed around by three different networks, and canceled.
I was watching a rerun on Comedy Central last night, and it was the episode where Jay is hired to write "Ghosthunters 3".
It spoofed musicals well, and had me rolling.So, to make a long story short, I am a HUGE fan of The Critic, and I urge people to watch it in reruns or to go to shockwave.com and watch new episodes.
Seeing as how the new Simpsons episodes are, this is the best thing to watch to get real humor."Achem!".
Undoubtably, one of the greatest animated comedy series to hit the American airwaves, The Critic always delivered laughs, from the simple slapstick comedy antics of the characters, right down to the parodies of movies that actually at times require half a brain to figure out.
When Jon Lovitz appears on screen or in cartoon character form (with good writing), the results are hilarity.
Certainly those in the "Tribe" religion will also get some more of the jokes--like when Lovitz's Jay Sherman sings in Yiddish, but nevertheless The Critic was an unfortunate victim of ABC and FOX's quick dismissal of this very funny and underrated show.I will note one thing about The Critic's DVD (there were so few episodes made, the DVDs are all in one purchase): why wouldn't Lovitz be in the commentary?
Whether it was that 'subtle' New York sarcasm or the insulting of actors and actresses and everybody in showbiz, it seems that this one remains one of the cult classics of a few real comedy fans.Thanks goodness it's out on DVD, all 23 episodes, watching them could actually teach you a few little known facts about Hollywood's elite and not-so-elite, all in all this cartoon is right up there with the Simpsons (crossover producers and voices) and the Family Guy, another great animation cut short in its prime..
When The Critic first appeared on the ABC network I naturally believed that the show's producers (who also produce The Simpsons) had hit another home run.
After the FOX network picked up the show and put it on right after The Simpsons it seemed The Critic's troubles would soon be over, but again it didn't catch on and after it's second funny season it was cancelled again!
The show's movie parodies, social humor, obscure referrences, and numerous in-jokes along with some great voice acting from Jon Lovitz and company should have been enough to put The Critic over as America's new favorite animated show...
This show is great, and if you like The Simpsons then you'll love The Critic!
This was one of THE greatest animated series on all time.It keeps you laughing from start to finish,and the parodies of various stars are absolutely hilarious(And SO true!).Unfortunately it got cancelled before it could find an audience.It's a good thing Comedy Central reruns this show!If I had to choose between this and The Simpsons(Speaking of which,some of the people that worked on The Simpsons did work on this series as well.),well,just read the title of this review!P.S.-I have found four episodes of an online version of The Critic at Shockwave.com.Unfortunately Shockwave cut it after four episodes.It's as good as ever,though!.
While 'The Simpsons' broke a lot of ground with its far-out humor, 'The Critic' sits just above it in my list of favorite animated series.
The Critic is funny series done by the same producers who also produced our favorite family from Springfield, The Simpsons!
The Critic is about this guy named Jay Sherman (voiced by Jon Lovitz) who is a New York movie critic for this news station who is forced to review these pathetic films and he always says "It Stinks!" for his reviews.
But still I wish FOX could have kept it longer and I think this show should have gone and have the same amount of seasons and episodes as The Simpsons!
It was a highly intelligent and very funny show that made fun of movies, Hollywood, TV stations at the same time as giving us a sympathetic hero and the whacky world he lives in.Jay Sherman is short, fat, bald and dresses like dweeb, his ex-wife hates him, his boss is always on his back, women run from him in terror and his make-up lady humiliates him at every given opportunity.
This little trick is what made The Critic so good, that it didn't depend on characterisation or weirdness, or weird characterisation (astronaut Homer, Peter Griffin versus a giant chicken, Roger the alien in the attic), though these aspects are of course not entirely absent – Jay has a son he worries about, a younger sister, weird WASP parents incapable of showing they love him, and so on.
It follows the life & times of Jay Sherman (voice of Jon Lovitz), a New York-based film critic who is forced to review films he doesn't like.
The show pretty much deals with his attempts at finding love in the Big Apple and trying to deal with his crazy life, crazy parents, and crazy job."The Critic" is one of the great shows from my early years as a young boy growing up during the early 1990s.
Six years ago, I managed to purchase the complete series of "The Critic" on DVD from Best Buy and I'm glad that I did, since I don't think that the DVD set is in print anymore.It was a truly one-of-a-kind show that was canceled way before its time.
(Why are the really good shows always the ones getting canceled?) Lovitz, a greatly under-appreciated comedic talent, was great as Jay Sherman, who did a cross-over on "The Simpsons" once.
"The Critic" was hilarious in the way that it parodied famous movies at the time.
That was really one of the reasons why I loved it and why it worked so great as a comedy show that made fun of real life."The Critic" - 10/10.
I am a Canadian and I try to watch Canadian TV but a few shows have come along like The Critic and The Simpsons that I thought were very good and just had to watch.
Plus a lot of Canadian TV stinks so if there's nothing to watch (which happens sometimes, seems to be happening more often the last few years but that's how it goes) I'll try the U.S. stations.Jon Lovitz was great as The Critic, a fat balding slobby guy who is trying to raise his likewise fat slobby son in New York City.
The tagline for this show is one that most certainly does not apply the content.The Critic, an animated show for the older crowd, was an original and entertaining series that was shut down before it's time.
It follows the story of Jay Sherman, a short pudgy, balding film critic who's job is to review bad movies for a living.
This show is full of great Hollywood references, guest voices, and very funny film parodies such as "Apocalype Wow: The Musical", "A Few More Good Men" and "Forrest Gump 2: Gump Harder" just to name a few.
A Satirical Work of Art. Created by ex-partners Al Jean and Mike Reiss (of Simpsons Fame), The Critic is a short-lived, satirical sitcom about a highly intelligent yet obese cable TV film critic named Jay Sherman, voiced to perfection by Jon Lovitz.
Overall, The Critic is great satirical series that was ahead of it's time.
While The Simpsons is still my all-time favorite show, I'd rank The Critic pretty high..
The critic is a fairly old show which has started playing again on teletoon.I never saw it during its original run, but I am watching it now and realize its a very intelligent and funny show.It got cancelled after maybe 2 seasons like most good shows.The show is basically about a critic named Jay Sherman who is harsh(and ugly).He also dislikes most Hollywood films and likes movies normal people would consider over-long or boring.The show also involves his usually unlucky searches in finding true love while coping with his adoptive parents and his younger sister.The Critic also features plenty of funny pop-culture references.The Critic is a great show, it plays on teletoon Wednesday and Thursday nights at 10pm and if you don't have teletoon, you could find the show on DVD..
I loved how Jay Sherman would always say to a bad movie "It stinks!" This is an excellent show.
Jon Lovitz really put Jay Sherman to life when he voiced him.
The show was created by the producers of "The Simpsons"(another great show!) and even Jay Sherman was on "The Simpsons" a couple of times!
"The Critic" was such a well-rounded cartoon with funny characters who were slinging random, situational jokes long before "Family Guy" was a twinkle in Seth MacFarlane's eye.Sadly, "The Critic" is just one of many shows cut down in their prime.
There is a lot of heart inserted to the characters, the stories are far more interesting than most of the modern-era Simpsons episodes.If you feel like you miss the golden days of the Simpsons - seasons 3-5, then go watch these, and it'll be a nice, fresh fix of that kind of writing..
It took The Simpsons' humor style, threw out the sugar-coating, and added a touch of bitterness aimed at all things celebrity and New Yorkish, in the form of a cranky film critic named Jay Sherman.
The movie and celebrity parodies were top-notch (the made-up films were a lot funnier than what they did at atom films.com), the humor was biting as well as sometimes a bit warm, and Jay even a cameo on the aforementioned Simpsons...all in all it was one of the best cartoons I've seen.
Jay Sherman is one of the best cartoon characters ever.
You know, I first watched "The Critic" when it started out on ABC, I think after the show "Dinosaurs".
This was an outstanding and hilarious cartoon series from the producers of "The Simpsons", and indeed featured some of the voices from it too.
Like "The Simpsons" it features a lot of satire, both of modern movies and of life in general.
I have often criticized on the fact that when the general audience wants to see something different, and when it does air, nobody seems to watch them.
There could be shows that would be as clever as "The Critic," but then again, whoever said that the American viewing audience has the intelligence or the timespan to watch a good show.
Expect I'm not a famous and hated movie critic such as Jay Sherman.
Jon Lovitz was great with his voice work that he provided for the show.This wasn't a bad show, but it wasn't nearly as good as animated shows like Beavis and Butthead, The Simpsons, South Park, or Family guy.
This show was a spin off from THE SIMPSONS and featured the adventures of a lovable loser, movie reviewer Jay Sherman (voiced very ably by Jon Lovitz).
I'll always have a soft spot for chubby, pathetic protagonist Jay Sherman (Jon Lovitz), a film critic who is bombarded by dreadful Hollywood sequels or remakes, such as "Robo-Beverly Hills Cop and a Half 2" or "Apocolypse Wow!".
I'd kept it on the air if I were in charge of Networking programs.Anyways this is produced by the same people that made the Simpsons possible.It's about a Short, Bald, Fat Critic name Jay Sherman.
Jon Lovitz is perfect as Jay Sherman.
It had a short run with poor reviews, and fizzled out like a flare, only faster!Of course, The Simpsons is his masterpiece, and his best work, but I think this should have got the appreciation that Futurama gets, which I also love.
It is only on Comedy Central at 1:00 a.m. on Sunday's , or new episodes that are less than three minutes but still funny at Shockwave.com.
The only characters that were funny were Duke Phillips and Jay Shermans father.
That thing is milked for all of its worth by giving him a boss (brilliantly voiced by Charles Napier, you know the guy from Rambo II and a couple of Russ Meyer films) who thinks Jay Sherman (Lovitz' character) is gay.This show has not been shown in Denmark but I was so curious about it that I had to check it out because Al Jean and Mike Reiss of The Simpsons were involved.