DVD review: Perfect Strangers, the Complete First and Second Seasons
A recently relocated Wisconsinite is joined by his Mediterranean-reared cousin in “Perfect Strangers,” a slapstick 1980s comedy that recalled comedy teams from Abbott and Costello to television’s “Odd Couple.”
Co-creator Dale McRaven, who created “Mork and Mindy,” returns to the pairing of a straight man and a well-meaning nonconformist in “Perfect Strangers,” which debuted in 1986 on ABC.
Mark Linn-Baker, known for his role in 1982’s “My Favorite Year,” played a young man living on his own for the first time in Chicago. As the series began, Linn-Baker’s Larry Appleton held down a retail job at an antique store. He’s joined by Bronson Pinchot, in a breakout role as Balki Bartokomous, from the tiny island nation of Mypos.
The recently released DVD follows Larry and Balki through all six episodes of the first season, and the full 22-episode second season. Some of Balki’s catchphrases wear quickly — “Don’t be ridiculous” seems to be thrown out, on average, two or three times an episode. But the goofy slapstick holds up pretty well, as in Season Two’s “Hunks Like Us,” in which Larry and Balki overdo their workouts while trying to impress women at a health club. The set is nearly devoid of extras, and some jokes and fashion choices are dated — but “Perfect Strangers” has enough nostalgic charm and genuinely funny moments to make it worthwhile, if frothy, viewing.
— Matthew Price
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