This movie is totally lacking zests and punches.

The bigggest problem is the script which is lame beyond belief. The script gives the actors little or nothing else to do.

It is great to see these wonderful actors to reunite on screen but the story line totally undermines their effort. Often they are left with nothing to do but a smile.

Rae looks feeble and basically shows up from time to time to do nothing but cameos here and there in plots which does not make any sense.

I think McKeon is smart to skip this reunion.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but I think this reunion was the best reunion movie any show has ever had. It explained just about everything that happened after the series ended. I will treasure my tapes of it forever.

I didn't think the reunion movie was so great, and I also think Nancy was smart not to do it. The series was WAY better.

Yes, I would also have to agree, the reunion wasn't the greatest. I'm not saying it was terrible, but it was just missing something, Jo.

The series focused a great deal on the Jo/Blair relationship and the Tootie/Natalie relationship and if you take one of them away, it just isn't the same.

It was nice to see how they all turned out, though, but I do think the script and plot was a little weak.

[This message has been edited by boechsner (edited 11-19-2001).]

I was disappointed as well, I couldn't get into it. Since I live in MA I got to see it at noon time and I didn't watch it at 7. The series is a million times better, the movie didn't make me laugh at all. http://www.sitcomsonline.com/ubb/frown.gif

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~~~ Mandie ~~~
"You're born, you move on, you die that's life!"- Jo Polniaczek
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"If You Pinch My A$$ One More Time I'm Gonna Kick Yours!"- Jinny Exstead

Kate: "Didn't you ever have a dog Jinny?"
Jinny: "I had a plant once... it didn't make it"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVE NANCY McKEON AN EMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Check out my Nancy McKeon fan page:
http://hometown.aol.com/mandier1980/NancyM.html

Originally posted by MandieR1980:
I was disappointed as well, I couldn't get into it. Since I live in MA I got to see it at noon time and I didn't watch it at 7. The series is a million times better, the movie didn't make me laugh at all. http://www.sitcomsonline.com/ubb/frown.gif



How could you now laugh when the chef was looking at Mrs. Garrett when she was shakin her butt cooking. That was hilarious! And when Mrs. Garrett asked Tisha who the BackStairs Boys were? There was a lot of funny moments in the movie.

As for me, I was kind of disappointed for pretty much the same reasons as everyone else, although some of it was worth watching. But we must realize that reunion movies never measure up to the original sitcoms.


[This message has been edited by FOL & DS fan 4ever (edited 11-19-2001).]

I agree that is wasn't as good as the series, but did you really expect it to be? I mean there were different people working on it so of course it couldn't be the same as the TV show. I thought it was pretty good compared to other reunion shows, but it wasn't great.

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"Once upon a time life was simple."-The Wonder Years.

Well i loved it!!!!!!!!! I thought it was really funny at some parts and I loved seeing them all together again! (except nancy)

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--Dana
Actressgrl7@aol.com

Blair: I just had another one of my brilliant ideas!!!!!

Reunions are tough to do, especially when you try to take a 30-minute sitcom and stretch it out to be a two-hour movie. My thoughts:

1. Jo was sorely missed. The Blair/Jo rivalry/friendship was one of the most important parts of the show, and without Jo, a big part of what made the series so appealing was missing.

2. The story about Natalie's two loves was a little overdone. Good idea, but it got way too much screen time. The subplot with her trying to keep her suitors from finding out about each other was straight out of "Three's Company". And the contest, especially where the two boyfriends were in their underwear flexing in front of everyone, was beyond embarrassing. No self-respecting person would have done that in that situation.

3. Tootie's and Jo's daughters (as well as "Rick") were superfluous. At least the actress playing Tootie's daughter could act. And Tootie and Jo must have had these children within a year of the series ending, since the kids looked around 12 or 13.

4. Mrs. Garrett was no longer the lead character, but really a supporting one. Somehow, with the girls now grown, this made sense.

5. I really liked the scene with the girls riding to Eastland in a limo with the theme song playing. It was the one of the few times the movie felt really nostalgic.

If I had been writing the movie, I would have downplayed the Natalie story a bit, retained the Tootie and Blair subplots, and centered the whole thing around an Eastland alumni or homecoming reunion weekend. This would have allowed for more scenes at the school, and possible cameos by the first-season girls, Mr. Parker, Alex, Roy, etc.

I'm just glad that they didn't do like so many reunion shows do by making it controversial. Watching this reunion show hasn't changed my opinion about the Facts of Life. I can still watch all the old episodes and enjoy it as much as before. That's what's most important.

Originally posted by BlairPolniaczek:
I agree that is wasn't as good as the series, but did you really expect it to be?


Nope, actually that's my point- you can't expect too much from a reunion movie. But the disappointing part was that some of us were hoping that Nancy McKeon would surprise us by doing a cameo appearance. Well, just as well- she made it very clear that she would NOT appear in the reunion movie.

Originally posted by FOL & DS fan 4ever:
Nope, actually that's my point- you can't expect too much from a reunion movie. But the disappointing part was that some of us were hoping that Nancy McKeon would surprise us by doing a cameo appearance. Well, just as well- she made it very clear that she would NOT appear in the reunion movie.


yeah I wasn't writing that to you though. Some people said that the reunion wasn't as good as the series.



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"Once upon a time life was simple."-The Wonder Years.

Even though I already voiced my opinion
about the reunion in other posts, I gotta
say this, I thought the FOL Reunion was
alot better then the Growing Pains Reunion.

I loved the movie!! Although I think that Natalie having t boyfriends, I think they focsed too much on that. Other than that, it was really good and worth watching.

it was def. better then "the growing pains reunion" and brady bunch...those were just **Y... The only thing i had a problem wit was Lisa's acting(needed some help,no offense to anyone who likes her) and Jamie...i dont no why they played her out to b Jos mini- me. it would of been more creative to have her been the complete opposite as Jo was made out to be..u no more like blair, it seemed like a sad attempt to bring Jo to life....otherwise it was good
I GOTTA GO WATCH THE REST OF IT NOW-------bye

I thought that it was really great how they all came back together anyway, but the reunion could have been better if they had Jo there. I thought that it was really cute at the end when Tootie's daughter uttered her mother's famous line, "oooh, Someone's in troubleeee". I liked how they designed the cafeteria set at Eastland to make it look like the original series. We should have seen the house where they used to saty in, whcih also housed the old store that they used to work in.

And also, Where's Beverly Ann and Andy and all of them? The movie, i think, felt incomplete without them there. But then again, Beverly Ann does get on people's nerves so it was great that she didn't show up.

It seemed as though History repeated itself when The younger kids stole Blair's car to go out riding in town. It was just like they did when they stole the school van in 1980 to go to a bar. That was touching, in a way.

All in all, it was a good movie, but it could have had more to it.

History repeated itself when Jo's daughter arrived on the reunion movie.
She entered almost the exact same way as
Jo did but I don't "think" her daughter
had a motorcycle.

Originally posted by timmy087:
it was def. better then "the growing pains reunion" and brady bunch...those were just **Y... The only thing i had a problem wit was Lisa's acting(needed some help,no offense to anyone who likes her) and Jamie...i dont no why they played her out to b Jos mini- me. it would of been more creative to have her been the complete opposite as Jo was made out to be..u no more like blair, it seemed like a sad attempt to bring Jo to life....otherwise it was good
I GOTTA GO WATCH THE REST OF IT NOW-------bye

Ditto on everything you just said- EXCEPT the Lisa's acting part. I thought she did fine. Well, even if she didn't, I would still say she did LOL. But yall gotta remember, she hasn't acted since 1991 I believe. In the meantime, at least Kim had Living Single, and Charlotte and Mindy had guest staring roles on shows. Maybe she has... has... has lost her touch?
*shudders*


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°·.*¤*-Karli Cauble-the Lisa Cult-*¤*.·°
aka Karli Chica Bungalow, aka Vanilla Martinez, aka Ivy Hutchins, aka Goddess #2, aka Kiwi Coco Puff

Check out my site about the bestest most awesomeness person in the world:
The Beautiful, Wonderful, Talented, Exquisite... Lisa Whelchel (http://www.angelfire.com/celeb2/lisawhelchel)

Hmmm- Well, I watched the reunion and I thought it would be much better than what it was.

When Jamie arrived, I thought they were going to model her just like they did Jo in the series. Jo was punkish, while Jamie was climbing on the wall of punk. I think she kept slipping on the wall of punk.

The story wasn't that great, but atleast we got to see Kim, Lisa, and Mindy together again.

I think it would've been a lot better if Nancy was in it, or maybe just a little surprise appearance....

Have I confused anybody yet with my way of thinking http://www.sitcomsonline.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

I think Nancy did not do the reuion becasue she probally thought it would bite. I agree that it did. The best was when they were ridng back in the lemo. But I was flipping my channel from ABC to TVLand. I just wtached the marathon. It was not the same without JO and her funny wise cracks I love. By the way, I think Jo's daughter shoud not have been in it. I mean Jo is working in LA and her daughter is shipped to her high school reuion? Does anyone think this makes since?

I had a big long reply about the reunion last night, and decided not to post it. I will just say that I thought it was crap. I think that there were too many inconsistencies with the original characters, the tone of the script played out like a farse, in addition to the story line being sort of lame. I too held a tiny glimmer of hope that NMK would make a surprise appearance. I understand and respect her reasoning for not, but I don't think I could sit by and watch something that I was a driving force of from the sidelines.

I was hoping that this would be a little better because it would've reminded the viewers who were my age of how much they enjoyed growing up with the show. I no longer have positive hopes that this show will be picked up by anyone in the near future.

I really liked it, although I was a bit dissappointed. It had its mpments, though. It just wasn't the same without Nancy, that's for sure. But it was nice to see them cak together again. Makes me get all sentimental...
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"You're old, you're ugly, you live with it!" - Jo
*************************
"Why would you want to be popular? You have to smile and talk to peple and all that stuff!" - Jo
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Rose: So, Jerry, ever dressed up like a horse?
Jerry: No, but thank you for asking!
*************************
"Get back here, you deceitful little Sicilian gecko!" - Dorothy Zbornak
*************************
"I've got PMS and I've got a gun - any questions?" - Jinny Extead
**************************
May God be with the friends and family of those whose lives were lost in this terrible tragedy.

[This message has been edited by JMPolniaczek15 (edited 11-19-2001).]

Originally posted by coily2:
I will just say that I thought it was crap

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/ubb/lol.gif Ok, ok. I don't know why I am laughing. I find these sort of things funny.

Overall, I enjoyed watching the reunion, even though I was a little disappointed. It was really great to see Nat, Tootie, and Blair together again. I had lots of fun watching those three. However, I definitely missed Jo. I would have loved to see her having fun with the rest of the gang too.

Originally posted by timmy087:
Jamie...i dont no why they played her out to b Jos mini- me.

I agree, they tried too hard to make Jamie be just like Jo. I didn't like that.

I loved it Blair was hilarious

I was happy to see the actors come together again, but the storyline left much to be desired. I also felt that the characters brought in to support the original cast were given too much focus. It's not nice to upstage the bride at a wedding. I also agree with the person who brought up Nat's boyfriends in their undies. Very ridiculous indeed.

I wasn't too disappointed in the reunion cuz I didn't really have high expectations,,,kinda thought of it as a nostalgic reunion and wanted to just catch a glimpse of the girlz..

With that said,,I will say that I was a little disappointed in the character of Blair. I knew she wouldn't be as much fun without Jo,,but I didn't like the cheezy,,snobby act...didn't she outgrow that during the 9 year fol run..I mean why did we watch her grow up and then have her back to her snobby teenage ways in the reunion....also I don't understand why she said she wasn't good around kidz,,didn't she run Eastland..she seemed very good around kids in the last 2 fol eps when she was the headmistress.

Anywayz,,,overall I enjoyed seeing everyone,,,Mrs G was funny with all of her technology gadgets, palm pilot, laptop, etc http://www.sitcomsonline.com/ubb/smile.gif

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Tootie: Muffy? Her name is Muffy? What kind of person is named Muffy?

Jo: Beats me, Tootie.

Originally posted by Michele35:
With that said,,I will say that I was a little disappointed in the character of Blair. I knew she wouldn't be as much fun without Jo,,but I didn't like the cheezy,,snobby act...didn't she outgrow that during the 9 year fol run..I mean why did we watch her grow up and then have her back to her snobby teenage ways in the reunion....also I don't understand why she said she wasn't good around kidz,,didn't she run Eastland..she seemed very good around kids in the last 2 fol eps when she was the headmistress.


You know, I thought the exact same thing. She seemed like a flighty socialite rather than a lawyer/businesswoman. I think a little of the snobbishness is OK, but they went a little overboard.

Originally posted by Michele35:
I wasn't too disappointed in the reunion cuz I didn't really have high expectations,,,kinda thought of it as a nostalgic reunion and wanted to just catch a glimpse of the girlz..

With that said,,I will say that I was a little disappointed in the character of Blair. I knew she wouldn't be as much fun without Jo,,but I didn't like the cheezy,,snobby act...didn't she outgrow that during the 9 year fol run..I mean why did we watch her grow up and then have her back to her snobby teenage ways in the reunion....also I don't understand why she said she wasn't good around kidz,,didn't she run Eastland..she seemed very good around kids in the last 2 fol eps when she was the headmistress.

Anywayz,,,overall I enjoyed seeing everyone,,,Mrs G was funny with all of her technology gadgets, palm pilot, laptop, etc http://www.sitcomsonline.com/ubb/smile.gif




Michele!!! Were have you been, hun? Glad to see you are still *lurking*, LOL!

I was actually surprised at the LACK of snobbiness from Blair... All of the interviews Lisa has given have led us to believe that she was fighting for a self-centered, shallow, stuck in high school blair, so I was expecting Blair at her finest. Maybe without Jo there, it was hard to play it up, but I am still shocked we made it through the reunion without a "green and gold flecks" comment in regards to her eyes.

I never got the whole not good with kids thing either. Didn't she tell Casey in season 9 that she couldn't imagine a life without children? I was pretty sure I remember her being set on becoming a mother...

You guys actually excpected it to be as good as the series? Reunions are never as good as the series, as was proven from the Brady Bunch Reunions and the Growing Pains Reunion Movie.

It was shown the director didn't always know the facts about the series, like the 1982 Arrest incident and Natalie's middle name. But overall, the reunion was not that bad. It was funny, but not as good as the series even though the reunion did make me laugh real hard sometimes.

So, I liked the reunion. I dont know about you, but I did.



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LoVe Always -N- 4EvEr..
*PrInCeSs AnGeL CaSsIe*
* * * * * * * * * * * *
IM: DJeter7124
Email: Nautica7192@home.com

Oh my Gawd was I disappointed! This movie was more TACKY than nostalgic, i.e., the visual effect of Blair's diamond twinkling, the dumb dance sequence at the end, and the unnecessary additions of the girl's offspring. The only time the movie was anywhere near nostalgic was when the girls traveled back to Eastland and saw it for the first time, in it's decrepit condition, after all those years. I actually felt like I was seeing it WITH THEM after FOL ended. And what was with the cell phone fetish?

Well, to begin- it sounds like half of you were expecting it to be on the same level as Kramer V. Kramer or some other big drama. It WAS just like the show - it was a nice little show and a nice little reunion. The series itself never tried to be more than it was and they stuck to that with the movie and just had fun. No, it won't win an emmy or maybe even the ratings race, but it was enjoyable. So far as Blair is concerned she's been away from the 'common' element a while so naturally she fell back in especially without Jo to put her knock her down. She came around at the end just like the series. Yes, there were a few mistakes (the 1982 thing) but it's been 20 years give 'em a break. Give the reunion a break it was cute, harmless, and alot of fun.

Originally posted by Zoomie:
the unnecessary additions of the girl's offspring

eh. That would mean their kids right



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°·.*¤*-Blair Warner-*¤*.·°

Check out my site about the bestest most awesomeness person in the world:
The Beautiful, Wonderful, Talented, Exquisite... Lisa Whelchel (http://www.angelfire.com/celeb2/lisawhelchel)

Blanche: I just want you to know- Tootie will always be my favorite on the Facts of Life!

Originally posted by Lisa Whelchel Forever


eh. That would mean their kids right



------------------
°·.*¤*-Blair Warner-*¤*.·°

Check out my site about the bestest most awesomeness person in the world:
The Beautiful, Wonderful, Talented, Exquisite... Lisa Whelchel (http://www.angelfire.com/celeb2/lisawhelchel)

Blanche: I just want you to know- Tootie will always be my favorite on the Facts of Life!

:lol: I know this is a really old post Karli, but I just couldn't help laughing a little. Yea, offspring means their kids. Girl, you crack me up somethimes!

I missed it!! i was so disappointed :( Do you guys know when it will air again???

Originally posted by TurnBlue
I missed it!! i was so disappointed :( Do you guys know when it will air again???

Yeah....Lisa actually said last night that it will probably air in the summer again...

cool thanks Karli for letting me know :)

Originally posted by TurnBlue
cool thanks Karli for letting me know :)

Yup! Anytime :D

Think the cast will ever be seen together again?:(

Originally posted by Lisa Whelchel Forever


Yeah....Lisa actually said last night that it will probably air in the summer again... Yes! Yes! yes! YYEESS! Now I'll have a chance to re-record the certain parts I missed. :D :happyface :D :happyface