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02/12/00
Rating : 
Network and Time : Fox, Sundays (check local listings).
Cast : Jane Kaczmarek as Lois, Bryan Cranston as Hal, Christopher Masterson as Francis, Justin Berfield as Reese, Erik Per Sullivan as Dewey and Frankie Muniz as Malcolm.
I didn't want to like this show. I mean, Fox's promos stated, "It's like a live action Simpsons!". With this kind
of hype, I was braced for the worst. What I saw was a funny, quirky comedy that's only slightly irreverent.
 Malcolm is a the third child in an almost fully dysfunctional family. With a father who
is somewhat oblivious to things around him, a mother who while being loving is almost as eccentric as R. Crumb it's no wonder that their oldest son is in
military school, the second oldest is somewhat thug like and the youngest is a whiny, annoying sap. Malcolm on the other hand is discovered to be a genius and put into
special classes where he fears he'll be thought of as a nerd.
Expect the usual school problems only with odd outcomes and even odder (is that a word?) solutions to
problems. My highlight for the show has been when the mother thinks one of the children is responsible for burning her dress, she tortures them in different ways to get them to rat on the culprit.
 The one thing that makes
this show works for me is Frankie Muniz' portrayal of Malcolm. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm not a big fan of child actors but Muniz is so likable in this role. He's
smart without being nerdy and he's clever without being a smartass. With the contrast of his military school brother and his simpleton brother he is the perfect
protagonist for this show. If you like your comedy light and quirky, watch this show.
The Fox TV Website
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