jtighe-6

Looked forward to seeing this movie, and thought the casting was a good opportunity to make a good Knievel movie. George Eads seemed he could put in a good performance as Evel, and you can't take your eyes off Jamie Pressley in every scene she's in. Add Beau Bridges and Lance Henriksen, and it sounds like the makings of a good biography that has never been properly made. Not sure what went wrong here, but there were so many odd mistakes in the shooting, and what seem to be unnecessary changes to historical details that create distractions in watching the movie, and make the overall product seen cheap and "hammy". I tried to stay entertained, but the movie does not have factual credibility and lacks any production polish, it makes it hard to watch. The story flows in a choppy manner, including scenes that detail odd perspectives of his life that go nowhere, and then skips chunks of events and even ends abruptly. The product lacks a theme or specific point. Not an offensive movie, nor painful to watch, but I am more convinced after this movie that a quality movie about the legendary figure of Evel Knievel has yet to be made. Upon discovering this movie (it was 5 or 6 years old by the time I saw it) was a made-for-TV movie on TNT or some other station, the production limitations are obvious, and I am impressed the movie was even as good as it was.

Pamela Anderson hits a home run with this show. She is very comfortable as this character, and this ensemble works perfectly together along with consistent writing. A very simple set-up, using almost exclusively one setting, dialog is fresh and funny without being busy or repetitive. All characters are well-played by confident staff. This is a quintessential example of a situation-comedy: not preachy, not pushy, not offensive, and not boring. Unusually fresh and relaxed, it is a pleasure and true enjoyment to watch. Too bad people will remember Anderson for 2nd rate products like "VIP", and a shining performance like this goes largely unknown.