Parker Lewis Can’t Lose – The Complete First Season
(1990/Shout Factory DVD)
Picture:
C+ Sound: B- Extras: B Episodes: C+
Some
things just aren’t as great as you remember them.
For years
now fans have been clamoring for Parker
Lewis Can’t Lose to come out on DVD; in fact it was ranked right up there
with The Wonder Years as the top
demanded. Well the day has finally come
and Parker Lewis Can’t Lose: Season One is
now available for all to enjoy on DVD…for the most part.
This was
one of those series that I remembered on vaguely in terms of specifics. The faces flashed in my brain, the theme
music kind of hummed here and there, and I could almost remember the exact
premise. Where as the series was right
on the tip of my tongue (or brain), I could still not make heads or tails of
the series and only could sense it in pieces.
Needless to say I was very excited to sit down and take in all 26
episodes.
The
series stars Corin Nemec as Parker Lewis who (a lot like John Hugh’s Ferris
Bueller) is a smooth talker who can walk the walk and talk the talk; always
squeezing by and avoiding disaster.
Parker’s gang consisted of badass Mickey and Jerry the geeky, yet
lovable freshman. The series bobs and
weaves through high school as Parker Lewis gets himself into and out of some of
the most interesting situations. The
cast works very well off each other; while Parker and his gang go one way they
always seem to have some antagonist (mainly Musso and Frank) on their coattails
that will ruin the day or just add on one more layer of complexity. The series is very bouncy (cartoony even) and
is quite fun. The series was rather
goofy, but it also had its awkward and cringe worthy moments as well where it
had gotten too serious for its own good.
As long as it stuck to Parker getting into and out of trouble, it was
all gravy.
The
technical features on this 4-Disc, 26 Episode set are not the best and look a
bit dated. The picture is presented in
its original full screen image, but looks horribly worn as if were not taken
care of at all. Throughout the
presentation the viewer will notice a considerable amount of damage, debris,
and all kinds of inconsistencies. The
colors are a bit bland and video noise in the darker sequences; but in all
honesty after several episodes I stopped noticing and just got caught up in the
show. The sound quality is not as bad as
the picture, but in its Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo there is not much that is
impressive either. For the most part
everything is very clean with the music, sound effects, and dialogue projecting
nicely; but it is certainly nothing to show off.
Surprisingly,
whereas most older series have junky or thrown together extras, Parker Lewis Can’t Lose: Season One
actually showcases a fair bit that is worth looking at. First there are seven audio commentaries to
listen to that feature many different people who could contribute to the series
including but not limited to most of the main cast, music composer Denis
McCarthy, director Bryan Spicer, and some of the producers. The crew gives a very interesting account of
what making the series was like including a variety of factoids and special
moments with the cast you won’t find anywhere else. The other extra on the set is a 30 minute featurette
entitled The History of Coolness: A Look
Back at Parker Lewis Can’t Lose; which plays like a short documentary on
the series as it features a plethora of interviews from all those who took part
in the series. I found this featurette
extremely interesting; when most older series won’t even give fans one good
extra, Parker Lewis Can’t Lose is
set apart by this awesome extra that gives fans exactly what they want.
In the
end, it is not that the series is bad, but rather that it just has not aged
well. The jokes are hit or miss as many
of the pop-culture references fly over your head and the combination of bad
clothing, hair, and technology just make your head swim as you laugh at the
thought that this was ever ‘cool.’ I am
glad the series is on DVD and I hope there are more seasons to come (as we have
2 seasons left), because even with its downfalls the series is still extremely
memorable and fun to watch.
- Michael P. Dougherty II