Darryl Knable is a nerdy kid in the suburbs. He likes to modify the TV and do his own broadcast. His dad Roy (John Ritter) however is obsessed with watching TV nonstop while struggling as a salesman. His successful wife Helen (Pam Dawber) breaks the TV in frustration. A mysterious stranger named Spike (Jeffrey Jones) offers Roy a magic remote and a giant TV to access a massive new TV package. Helen tries to leave Roy and both are sucked into Hellvision by the satellite dish. Darryl suspects foul play but his sister Diane just wants to party. Spike with his minion Crowley (Eugene Levy) have 24 hours to send Roy and Helen down to the devil.I'm a couch potato and this takes a good jab at people like me. I would probably like it more if Roy didn't start off so pathetically. Ritter is doing a lot of his bumbling pratfalls. This becomes a series of TV spoofs. Some of it works great in terms of danger in the scheme of the story. It's especially great when Roy uses his TV knowledge to good use. Sometimes the spoof is nothing but a spoof. The endless spoofs become repetitive tired puns. Obviously, there's the Three's Company scene. That's fun but there's no Mork & Mindy. The cartoon is the only truly fun section while the others are functional. It's not anything spectacular.

We all watch TV, whether that's really a good or bad thing only time will tell. But all the same it has because a big part of everyone's lives, from childhood to adulthood and throughout the decades we all have shows that we remember, became a part of history, as well as those new shows we all get excited for.This film I feel is another under the radar gem, it's also a childhood relic since I saw it when I was about 10 and is both one of my favorite parody films in the subgenere and one of my favorite films in general. This was a parody movie that I feel was just made for me because it's pretty much parodies on top of parodies which to me is just a dream come true and something that I don't feel has been done again since. It would be awesome to see a parody (a good one) on a comic book or anime franchise where a single hero or a group of heroes go into one segment out of the norm into another.This film is pretty much a live action Mad Magazine, as each of the show/situations both characters jump into are practically a Mad Magazine cartoon you would flip to, pretty much taking things were familiar with and turning them upside down. But mainly I love the premise which is part of why I love it, it's sort of that dream we all kinda have in the back of our minds of being part of a TV show and in the action. If there is a few TV shows I'd want to be a part of it would be "Doctor Who", "Sailor Moon", and well you get it, I'm sure you have your lists as well (admit it). This film takes that concept and has fun with it. I even like that there is a bit of a horror fantasy element which makes it both bizarre and funny, but it makes sense since most humans watch TV so why wouldn't Satan think of using this opportunity to take souls. But in a way it sort of also makes the film kinda a Christian movie, since there is this element let alone a theme of redemption and family values throughout the film.The characters are solid, from the late great John Ritter as Roy Knable and Pam Daber as Helen Knable which is ironically funny since both of them are of course TV sitcom vets. Also their last name is kinda funny since it's a play on words for able or could be a slight reference to the biblical character Abel.Roy is funny and he's not a bad person, the problem with him is his head's in the wrong place which of course is TV. This guy is clearly trying to tune out of reality because to him reality sucks. I can sort of sympathize and empathize with that feeling, we can see in little segments that left and right he is getting crap canned almost every day from working in a job he hates, let alone a butt head neighbor's dog attacks him every time he goes to work and comes back home. The only high point to him is TV, even though really it should be his family and his fencing talent; but like in any morality tale he's about to learn that the hard way.Helen is also funny and she's sympathetic because their marriage is crumbling and part of that is obviously from Roy's chronic TV viewing. It's obvious their marriage needs a jump start and well fate or should I say the Devil is about to give them that.I really like the back and forth between both Roy and Helen, you could say in a way this film is a bit of a romance comedy but done right, because the couple are not teen or young adults which I personally feel have been done to death. But actual grown adults that are married and do what any couple should do, interact and help one another.I even like the two kids, the sister I'll admit I had a bit of a crush on. But I really like the little brother, he's not a stereotypical nerd this kid I think is actually cool, smart, really knows his way around communication technology which becomes useful in the film, but most importantly takes a active approach in things.I really love the pacing and the adventure aspect of it, you could say in a way it's like a video game, as the couple are constantly going from one new situation after another much like levels and have to survive each of them.I don't want to give too much away, one segment if the noir show which is just fantastic for me since I'm a fan of the genre. And I simply love the blend of both visual and verbal humor, all the clichés in that genre are there. I really like the narration of Roy in the segment which cracks me up.And of course that cartoon segment, which was animated by late animator Chuck Jones whom is known for doing the "The Looney Tunes" cartoons. It was just funny also because it has some of the clichés as well. I really thought it was funny how Roy applied cartoon logic to get both him and Helen out. But also a visual joke seeing Helen open her wallet to see a photo of her kids and we see the cartoon mouse versions of them.And the film surprisingly has a good message which is simply to not watch too much TV and most importantly to simply tune into life, it can be better if you decide to tune in.This is a parody worth tuning into.Rating: 4 stars

the movie is supposed to be set in the US, BUT in the scene where John Ritter is on the highway and he drops a suitcase, in the background you can see HarborPlace in Vancouver BC. PLUS the fencing studio at the end of the movie is GasTown in Vancouver. The part where the train is going to hit Pam Dawber (Helen Knable) was filmed at Old Tucson Movie Studios (before it burned down) Some US movies say that they are in Portland, Seattle, NYC but it is really Vancouver. Check out Rumble in the Bronx with Jackie Chan. The mountains in the background are Whistler,BC and the 3 Lions (site for the 2010 Winter Olympics) The first couple of years of XFiles were filmed in Vancouver, as was 21 JumpStreet.

It's a given that Ritter will be funny at an insurance convention and so will Eugene Levy. The only real highlight I can see is Heather McComb. Thanks to the director for putting her in tight jeans and sweaters, especially when her cheerleader friends come to their house to practice. She very was hot in this movie, especially because she was only 14 while filming it. Too bad they didn't take that remote and put in into a porn movie for just 1 scene, the deflowering scene. Now that would have made this movie a really good one. The scenes where Pam Dawber was tied up waiting to be saved were also hot. The director did another nice job of busting some good cleavage out on Pam. You didn't see that in Mork & Mindy. As it is it barley keeps you interested.