Libramedi Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

Breakinger A Brilliant Conflict

Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Taraparain Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

gkeith_1 Boy the way Glenn Miller played. Songs that made the hit parade. Guys like us we had it made. Those were the days.You meathead. You dingbat. Little girl. Archie tolerated Edith, and loved Gloria.Archie was old school. All the things in the opening song represented the old days, that would never come back. All the yearnings for an earlier time of big bands and LaSalle automobiles.Archie was blue collar, uneducated, sexist, bigoted, racist, etc. Lots of other characters tried to set him wise to the realities of modern life in the early nineteen seventies.The show was written by a liberal person. The right wing Archie was bombarded by enlightened women and forward thinking African Americans. Archie was so backward that in real life his favorite chair on the show was put into the Smithsonian Institution. This is not bad for the real meathead of All in the Family.Edith was the brilliant one. She had the last laugh. Archie would continue to run his mouth, trying to be the world's best authority on everything.8/10

Realrockerhalloween Spoilers belowWhat a great idea for show that transcends reality and becomes the first of it's kind to mix jokes with politics. It went through many changes throughout the years from a crass raw political show to a warm loving family that support one another. So many classic episodes were produced that it would be hard to name them all like the attempted rape of Edith, the ep where Archie accidentally joins the kkk.Edith was the heart of the family, always supportive of Archie, advice and encouragement to her daughter and son in law. You get to see how a house wife would react to the turbulent times they all were going through. You could say she was the anchor that held everyone together.Michael always butting heads with Archie and lead to banters that has never been topped by another sitcom.Gloria was the definition of the strong women's lib that gripped America on college campuses during the 70s. She was often the banter between her father and husband.We're the bunkers perfect? No. What family is? They were the poster child for disfuction and love.Ten stars for nine amazing years of television.

hnt_dnl The BEST. That is what ALL IN THE FAMILY (premiering in 1971) is. Accept no substitutes! I think there is this myth that the first of anything by definition can't be the best, because anything can be improved upon. This may apply in some arenas, like technology, but not art. And AITF is art! In the same way that I feel that "The Maltese Falcon" is the first great example of film noir (and still to this day, best) and "Psycho" is the first great example of the slasher film (and still to this day, best), I feel that AITF is the first great example of the modern television show, and still to this day...BEST! 21st century TV viewers can have their "Sopranos" and their "The Wire" and their "Breaking Bad". I take AITF over all of them! Modern TV in the 21st century is close being a "one-trick pony". A show can be a drama OR a comedy, but not both. Just because a show has "realistic" elements like violence, profanity, and sex, doesn't make it groundbreaking. AITF ushered in the modern age of television. What AITF does that many modern shows fail to do is to both have realism AND entertainment value! For a show that premiered over 40 years ago, one can still watch AITF today and be flooded by varying emotions: laughter, sadness, contemplation, thought. I proclaim the TV show "Cheers" as the greatest COMEDY of all time, not the greatest SHOW of all time. I'm calling AITF the greatest SHOW of all time. Huge distinction, because AITF was not just a comedy, it was an EXPERIENCE, much like my best film of all time, "2001:A SPACE ODYSSEY" was an experience. AITF did not fit into just one genre. Not just a comedy. Not just drama. You can't pigeonhole this show into just one thing. That's the beauty of it.Even though I had been born when AITF premiered in the early 70s, I was a bit too young to appreciate it. It took repeated viewing and the absorption of all TV that I've seen over the last couple of decades to come to the conclusion that it really all started with this show.AITF starred what I consider to be the GREATEST TV character of all time, Archie Bunker (played to perfection by the late, great Carroll O'Connor). Archie was an amazing protagonist-antagonist that I still don't think has ever been equaled. He was a proclaimed Christian, a bigot, and of the old school. He didn't like change or the way the world was going in the early 70s, equal rights for women and affirmative action. He was essentially a sounding board for conservatism. The ultimate irony is that, in real life, O'Connor was a forward-thinking liberal, the antithesis of Archie. It had to be somewhat difficult for him to portray a person who was the opposite of him in many ways. O'Connor was awarded FOUR Emmys for this role. Not enough if you ask me! But to counter Archie's conservativism, he was also a military veteran, and a hard-working family man who loved his wife and daughter and tolerated his opposing son-in-law. These other 3 vital characters were his sweet, daffy wife Edith Baines Bunker (awesomely played by the late Emmy-winning Jean Stapleton), his beautiful, effervescent daughter Gloria Bunker Stivic (wonderfully played by Sally Struthers), and his smart, liberal, Atheist son-in-law Michael Stivic (superbly performed by Emmy-nominee Rob Reiner, who we all know now for his directorial efforts).The group dynamic of these main 4 characters is sublime, all of them being in perfect synergy in their scenes. Many times other recurring or guest characters would share scenes with the main 4 and the entire ensemble would nail dialogue-heavy, drawn out scenes, and keep the viewer fully engaged. Ensemble shows now don't even enjoy this kind of interaction, with ensemble scenes being saved for big reveals or moments, with quick editing and snarky dialogue in the guise of real interaction. AITF scenes seemed real.AITF, of course, would pair off, and for me, the best pair was Archie-Mike. The constant back-and-forth bickering between these 2 men is awe-inspiring. Every important topic was pretty much covered in their arguments: religion, politics, war, sex, the economy. And a few not-so-important ones, too! I think Archie and Mike actually learned a lot from each other over the years, as in the later seasons, you could see Archie begrudgingly beginning to accept change and Mike seeing a few things from Archie's POV as he had to start raising a family in a tough economy. Archie-Edith had a great dynamic, too. Initially Archie's figurative punching bag, Edith came into her own, as she proved to be more free-thinking and open-minded than her husband. To counter Archie's close-minded views, Edith would constantly rail into these long-winded anecdotes that always would get under his skin. I think she sneakily did this to shut him up most of the time! Although not as forefront as the Bunkers' marital woes, Mike-Gloria had their share of great interactions over the years, mainly a battle of the sexes, but also arguing about Archie. AITF, through incredible writing and brilliant acting, had this ability to relay to the viewer extended character interactions that would be the set up ONE huge laugh at the end, but also to yield various laughs on the way to the big one! Mike and Gloria left after the 7th season, but the show still survived and was very good in it's 8th season with the introduction of a new character, Edith's niece Stephanie (well-played by Danielle Brisebois) and still had thought-provoking, wonderful stories. The show made it to a 9th and final season being called "Archie Bunker's Place". But, for me, as long as Archie Bunker is involved, it's ALL IN THE FAMILY!

rreeyore This television show changed everything on TV after it. It broke so many grounds. It was one of the first sitcoms to deal with prejudice, politics, war, and was the first television show to feature the sound of a flushing toilet. The main character, Archie Bunker, is an old-fashioned bigot who represents the working man in America. His wife, Edith Bunker, represents the old-fashioned house wife in the 1950's. Archie an Edith's daughter Gloria and her husband Micheal live with the Bunkers in a suburb of New York City. The Show took on so many controversial topics of the time such as the Vietnam War and Watergate. It could always find humor in everyday suburban life. It was mostly dealing with the old-fashioned way of life (Archie), being confronted by the easy-going hippie lifestyle (Micheal) during the 1970's. All the humor is in Archie and Micheal's feuds and bickering due to the twos different beliefs. This sitcom is one of the best.