Beanbioca As Good As It Gets

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

John Horvath This one might be a little too frightening for young children, perhaps under about age 8. There seems to be an "urban legend" about this movie, in fact, where a small child who saw this on some B-movie TV show develops an intense fear of household appliances and electricity after being slightly injured by the family's TV set when he/she tries to "protect the family" by opening up the set and pulling out some tubes. The trouble is, tubes get pretty hot while operating and TV sets of the conventional (direct-view CRT) type can store enough of a charge in certain parts for hours or days after being turned off and/or unplugged to deliver a nasty jolt. Although the residual charge is rarely enough to cause permanent injury or death, it can give a painful and frightening shock (Been shocked enough times myself, I ought to know.). In the old days, hot tubes burned many tiny fingers (I've had THAT experience myself, too.). There can be "hot spots" inside transistorized TV sets, too, especially in the Power Supply area. Obviously, I wasn't traumatized too badly from minor mishaps in my youth with electricity. Minor mishaps sparked scientific curiosity for me. I now restore Vintage TV sets professionally for Collectors and/or Museums and have worked as a TV Repairman for many years. The urban legend I heard, while not necessarily true, is certainly quite plausible. If showing this one to a child under age 8, make sure to hide Dad's toolbox well out of Junior's reach for a few days afterward.

John Wayne Peel Hans Conreid is one of my favorite character actors of all time, and here he is put to the test as a man whose wife has bought him a television to entertain him while she is away So many people don't get the point of this movie, and it really is quite simple considering the history of the time. This is in the infancy of television and the motion picture industry was suffering at the time because people found it was cheaper to stay at home for their entertainment. So what does the industry do? They hire Arch Oboler of radio fame to write a screenplay about an almost despotic TV set. It's pretty basic, and makes for a surreal and entertaining time. Think of "The Twilight Zone" with a sense of humor and you get "The Twonky Zone" basically. Just sit back and enjoy, and if smoke 'em if you got 'em. The Twonky will light it for you.

Richard Claiborne Like many of the other reviewers I saw this film as a teenager. I am mystified at how some folks describe being scared by the film, but I have actually met several who were. I won't go into the plot again as others have done, but I'll just say that it's weird and very ahead of it's time. I thought Conried was excellent and perfect for the role of Cary, but the supporting cast was a bit weak. I found a great copy of the film on DVD several years ago and I continue to enjoy it. I have seen it listed several times on EBAY. I found the film to be funny and quite offbeat and would recommend it to those who like odd films. If you have a chance to see it, go for it!

moonspinner55 Oddball fantasy without the proper budget to expand on its theme. "The Twonky", though certainly a bizarre curiosity item from the 1950s, is a slimly-plotted and exceptionally silly quasi-comedy which could certainly use a few gimmicks à la William Castle. Hans Conried plays your typical everyday milquetoast whose humdrum life is suddenly taken over...by his television set? No, he didn't trade in his cable-box for a satellite dish, it turns out the TV set has a mind of its own. Filmed very cheaply in black-and-white, the movie holds absolutely no resonance today, despite its theme (television vs. 'real life'). It may be good for a peek, but there aren't many intentional laughs, and character-actor Conried is fussy and annoying. *1/2 from ****