I knew nothing about "The Moodys" before catching it on television this week, but as a Denis Leary fan and someone who will watch anything related to Christmas, this was a welcome surprise. More dry comedy than a typical network family sitcom, "The Moodys" has a pretty standard premise of a family of five---two well-intentioned parents (Denis Leary and Elizabeth Perkins) and three adult siblings (Jay Baruchel, François Arnaud, and Chelsea Frei, all perfectly cast) who must come together at Christmas amongst various personal struggles. While this is the story of many past holiday productions, what "The Moodys" does differently is a get the tone just right. Usually Christmas comedies run either too broad with far too much over-the-top characters and humor, or they become too overly sentimental. The characters here, despite occasionally feeling like archetypes, are relatable and likable even when they do morally questionable things. Denis Leary is actually the most restrained of all the actors, with pretty much everyone else getting the best lines but Leary remains a delightful screen presence with fantastic comic timing. Those anticipating a typical Denis Leary vehicle may be disappointed, as the story mainly focuses on his grown up children and their inability to truly grow up, though thankfully this material is more amusing and better written than it sounds, Ultimately, "The Moodys" is likely to be quickly forgotten as it is being dumped over three weeks with little in the way of advertising or hype, but for those who like their holiday humor a little dark, it's worth checking out.
Review of The Moodys
