sjbradford

One of the other reviewers was wondering why this episode isn't available to stream. It's almost certainly due to the use of an instrumental version of the popular song "Moon River" in the scene where Mike is teaching Marcia to waltz. My guess is that our friends at Paramount aren't willing to shell out for the streaming rights to that song, so the episode is excluded. They could just cut the scene, or put some generic waltz in, but I guess it's not worth the trouble for a 50-year-old episode. You can still catch this episode on MeTV, though - Paramount must have locked up the song for broadcast.

This episode is a little silly, the way Molly goes from mouseburger to popular girl to total B in about a week. I wish they had done a sequel episode where Marcia turned Molly back into a nerd. But the Brady Bunch was never big on returning guest stars. Or retribution, for that matter.

This is an enjoyable docudrama about how Nike and Michael Jordan partnered in the 1980s to offer the most successful sneaker line of all time. Matt Damon does a fine job as the Nike executive who spearheads the seemingly impossible task of signing Jordan, who greatly prefers competitor Adidas. And Viola Davis is terrific as Jordan's mother, who is the decision maker in their family.

The weak points? Ben Affleck's acting and directing. Affleck chews the scenery as Nike's CEO. You never forget for a second that you're watching Affleck trying mightily to turn in a showy performance. Every time he shows up, it takes you out of the movie. Affleck's directing is also heavy-handed, as he squeezes in every 1980s cliche imaginable.

All in all, the writer did an excellent job of turning what could have been boring subject matter into an entertaining two hours. It just could have been better with a more subtle director. And make sure to steel yourself for when Affleck shows up.

The plot, in a nutshell: Keith doesn't have enough money to take his girlfriend to the prom. I find it amazing that the Partridge kids work as performers and stingy mom won't give them a reasonable allowance from their own earnings. The excuse is that they need to save it all for college. But come on.

The worst is when Shirley smugly tells Keith that he should get a job. This from the son who is the lead singer of their group and writes a majority - if not all - of their songs. He already has a job, Shirley. And he's helping to support your unlikeable behind.

And at the end Shirley praises Keith for showing "a twinge of responsibility." Yep, because working as a performer shows no responsibility at all.