Product Description: Based around the stand-up routines of comedienne Margaret Cho this series looked at the culture clashes that occured between a traditional Korean mother and her fully Americanized daughter. Mom just wants Margaret to marry 'respectable' men: doctors lawyers scientists (and always Korean) while her daughter is more interested in Caucasian bikers musicians and any other type that her mother is bound to hate. Through all of this Dad knows better than to interfere and just keeps out of the fray.All-American Girl: The Complete Series Disc 1 - 155:50All-American Girl: The Complete Series Disc 2 - 155:50All-American Girl: The Complete Series Disc 3 - 155:50All-American Girl: The Complete Series Disc 4 - 155:50System Requirements:Running Time: 450 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 826663976694 Manufacturer No: D4D97669
Amazon.com: A dimly remembered 1994 series that lasted a scant 19 episodes may not seem like a good candidate for DVD release, but All-American Girl deserves a second look. For Margaret Cho fans, this was the series that helped the diva of the disenfranchised find her comedic voice. For sitcom buffs, this series' tumultuous history is a textbook cautionary tale. And for actual fans of the show, it will be fun to be reunited with the wisecracking, TV-addicted Grandma (Amy Hill), the series' breakout character. All-American Girl was created as a showcase for stand-up comedian Cho, and was the first primetime series to feature a Korean family. But network interference took its toll on Cho's health (she recalls in one of the episode commentaries that she was compelled to crash-diet after being informed by execs that "I was too fat to play myself") and the show's creative direction, dulling Cho's cutting edge.
Set in San Francisco, All-American Girl is a culture clash/generation gap comedy. Cho's free-spirited Valley Girlish Margaret works at a department store and lives with her tradition-bound bookseller parents (Clyde Kusatsu, Jodi Long); her Grandma; brother Stuart (B.D. Wong), a successful doctor; and her younger, assimilated brother, Eric (J.B. Quon). Margaret's relationship with her imperious mother is particularly adversarial. The show seemed to be finding its footing when it was canceled, and some episodes offer a tantalizing glimpse of what might have been had the show's creators been left alone. "Pulp Sitcom" is a clever homage to Pulp Fiction, complete with a guest-star appearance by Quentin Tarantino as a purveyor of bootleg videos. "The Apartment" spoofs MTV's The Real World as Margaret shares an apartment with her two co-workers, one of whom (comedian Judy Gold) has a penchant for walking around nude. The show took a fleeting Seinfeld-ian turn with "Take My Family, Please," in which Margaret performs a stand-up routine about her family, who are in the audience and are not amused. In solo episode commentaries and in an on-camera conversation with Amy Hill, Cho thoughtfully reflects on where All-American Girl succeeded and why it ultimately failed. But her through-the-Hollywood-looking-glass experience inspired her breakout performance piece, the highly recommended I'm the One That I Want, in which she chronicles the series' demise much more candidly and graphically. This is the unexpurgated Margaret we know and love. --Donald Liebenson
Good Show, but not because of Margaret Cho I have always been a big fan of Margaret Cho. This DVD set is difficult to find. When I found out, I bought it sight unseen.
Unfortunately, Margaret Cho was not funny at all in this show. But then again it is difficult to imagine Margaret Cho's brand of comedy in a G rated television show. But Richard Pryor managed to do it with his show.
I gave this DVD set a four star rating because of Grandma. Grandma does indeed steal the show. I found myself looking forward to each episode to see what Grandma would do next. Grandma made me laugh a LOT. They should have made a series called: "All American Grandma." That would have been a great, long running series. I would have bought every season on DVD.
Except for Grandma, the show was not funny. It is easy to see why the show failed. If Grandma were not on the show, the show would have been cancelled much sooner.
There are three notable episodes in the series. One episode consists of Grandma, Mom and Margaret going to the Oprah Winfrey show. Yes, Oprah is in the episode. Very good episode. Another episode, "Pulp Sitcom" features Quentin Tarantino in which he pokes a bit of fun at "Pulp Fiction." Good episode. Another episode, the last episode of the series, is also the worst episode of the series. It was so bad and inane that it made Three's Company look like Shakespeare. Margaret finally has her own place with three male roommates. Those three roommates could not make an intelligent decision if their lives depended on it. Was painful to watch.
Bottom line, buy this to watch Grandma. You will not be disappointed.
what was I thinking? I dont know,,, I remember loving this show when it was on TV. Margaret Cho is one of my favorite comedians. I was so excited when I found the complete series. Well, man oh man what a disappointment.BORING!!!!!! poor story lines, silly jokes,,,bad acting, except for amy hill who is brilliant (compared to the rest of the cast) I mean Its got its moments but honestly its pretty bad. Maybe in the 80s it was funnier, but now........no.
my kids love it.....and they don't even understand all the jokes! My kids are asian and I'm not, so I'm always trying to find things to help bolster their identities. I never even knew about this show when it came out, since I rarely watch tv, and accidentally found out about it. It is a big hit at our house. The kids LOVE the grandma and think that Margaret is really funny. I think that some of the appeal is universal, because I'm laughing, too!
fun...fun...fun! I've seen this series for years and still have lots of fun memory with it (especially GRANMA!). Once I've heard that it's available in DVD format....there is no need to think twice!
If you are her fan...you shouldn't miss it!
I got into Margaret Cho because of this... When All American Girl first came on TV, I was so excited because - FINALLY - a TV show about how insane Asian families can be!
While many Asian Americans protested this show, due to the cast not being completely Korean, and that the show played up certain Asian stereotypes, it also showed how tough it is, growing up between two cultures.
While Margaret Cho's comedy routine is vastly superior to this show (her impressions of her mom are hysterical! She sounds just like my mom!), this series was great, and I was very distraught when it was cancelled.
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