The Growing Pains Movie

Although Alan Thicke is an even bigger ham than I remember - he seems to have forgotten his role, acts like a talkshow host playing in local theatre - the BIG surprise, in this otherwise VERY predictable "FeelGood" is Tracey Gold.

Her off-screen problems seem to have given her a depth as an actress that shines through even in a hackneyed plot show as this.

Because this event will hopefully be a springboard for Gold into real roles, I give it an 8. Everyone else in the cast did a good but not exceptional, job.

The "Growing Pains" show was always full of fun. But made into a movie was more like a drama then a comedy. I must say the acting was ten times better, and once you watch the whole thing, you begin to like the seaver family. Although, you do miss the old house, and it seems a little too big for the Seaver family. It grows on you. I must say that Kirk Cameron has become a perfect actor, and seems that he now really knows how to act and isn't that "corny little kid" anymore. In fact, Kirk was the highlight of the movie. The plot was a little weak and could have been better...but all and all it was pretty good. If anything, maybe they should take another shot at it with another plot, because there was something I liked about it. Good...nice...funny...movie. It was pretty good! I would not be surprised if Hollywood grabed Kirk Cameron back for a few new movies...he has what it takes.

Couldn't they get a better director and producer? This was by far a worse production than the original series episodes. The audio sounds like they are in a can all of the time with echos, they have to yell to be heard, there is so much background noise and music as compared to the original. It is good that the canned laughter is gone, though. Also, the camera angles are horrible, mostly low and pointing up. Hard to watch. I made it through, though, as I wanted to see how everything ended up and I love these characters.

I liked this film. It is not my favorite film, nor do I think it will be anyone else's. I would only recommend it for fans of the show. It is definitely on a more serious note than the sitcom, but who wants to watch two hours of a genre that is usually dead after thirty minutes? In this kind of movie, something more is required. The cast does well, though the plot is very sentimental. But who cares? I watched this film to feel good, and feel good I did. Alan Thicke (Jason Seaver) was my favorite character on the show, and he did not disappoint me. Ben's plot is weird, and I defy anyone to figure it out, but that is the only really serious mistake. This is not the sort of movie I would pay to see, but it makes for nice Saturday afternoon nostalgia. It also seems that the children grew up the way they looked like they would, which is comforting. It may not be Oscar-worthy, but hey, it's better than the "Leave it to Beaver" movie! Watch it when it's on and remember the 80s!

This is a fairly good movie. A good family film, but best if you already know the series. The continuing story of the Seaver family is worth watching, especially if you enjoyed the 80's series. I recommend it as a family movie, but there is a lot of things in it that may confuse a younger audience.