The cast of Grosse Pointe
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PopMatters TV Review
This article by Tracy McLoone is from PopMatters.com and is Copyright © 1999-2001 PopMatters.com
Sabrina is now followed by the totally new series Grosse Pointe, Darren Star's parody of his own long-running, often self-parodic Fox series, Beverly Hills 90210. The opening credits of Grosse Pointe feature Tom Jones singing "Sex Bomb (The Peppermint Jam Disco Mix)," which is somewhere between scary and laughable, and also quite catchy. To a funky disco beat, he sings, "You're my sex bomb, and baby, you can turn me on / Now don't get me wrong, ain't gonna do you no harm / No, this bomb's for loving and you can shoot it far..." This sets the mood for the rest of the show � it all seems so familiar, just slightly off, maybe a little disconcerting. But it's only the beginning. Grosse Pointe is a mean, mean show � and nobody escapes the knife. For me, mean is good, especially by the time I get to Friday night, after a week's worth of humanity heaped upon me in my daily life, and especially after the saccharine sweetness of Sabrina. Watching Grosse Pointe is a way to vent aggression without having to go to the racquetball court (it's no surprise that associate producer Todd London also worked on Action, which moved from Fox to Fox's cable affiliate F/X, because it was just too mean for regular TV).
Grosse Pointe is a half-hour comedy about a teen-oriented drama, also called Grosse Pointe, on network TV (not ABC, NBC, or CBS). The latter show is about a group of teens attending high school in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, a wealthy suburb of Detroit. The former is about the vain and whiny Los Angeles cast and crew of the latter. There are reports that Aaron Spelling insisted that changes be made to one character: Marcy Sternfeld (Lindsay Sloane) is the daughter of the show-within-the-show's producer and has a plum role on it; she is also neurotic and squirrelly (Spelling's daughter Tori starred on 90210 and was/is famously neurotic and squirrelly). But these reports have only provided additional publicity for the Grosse Pointe, giving any 90210 fans who were skeptical of Grosse Pointe a reason to tune in.
The actors all look way older than high school students, but this time they are supposed to, in order to make fun of the convention that most actors playing high school students on TV or in movies are in their 20s, at least. By drawing attention to this device, Grosse Pointe suggests that it "knows that we know that it knows that we know..." As beautiful as they are, however, no one on Grosse Pointe � the framing show or the show-within-the-show � is trying to appear likeable. As is often the case with shows with an attitude, the most compelling character is perhaps the meanest. Hunter Fallow (Irene Molloy) is a mean, shoplifting bitch, who schemes to sow discord to maintain her stardom, especially against her chief nemesis, Courtney Bennet (Bonnie Somerville). Other cast members are Quentin King (Kohl Sudduth), a hairpiece-wearing tough guy probably born sometime in the '60s, and pretty boy Johnny Lane (Alfredo Santos). Johnny is frequently accompanied by his best friend, fellow surfer dude and Grosse Pointe stand-in Dave (Kyle Howard), and is the recipient of romantic overtures from the man who plays his father on the show. These characters seem standard � the nasty girl, the insecure girl, the earnest girl, the aging teen idol � but maybe that's because they're so ingrained in my consciousness from ten years of watching 90210.
The scenes between the fictional production team of Hope Lustig (Joely Fisher) and Rob Fields (William Ragsdale) are the most fun to watch. Their deep fear of unseen network executives, combined with their excessive self-congratulation, is cute and campy, even if their performances � like most of the acting in Grosse Pointe (both versions) � is a bit hammy. But wait � it's supposed to be hammy. Hope and Rob's interactions may be so enjoyable because they offer a glimpse into parts of 90210 I had only heard about before, but did not get to see. Again, I feel as though I am being let in on a secret joke, and best of all, I get it. I like being congratulated and included as much as the next person. I will keep watching Grosse Pointe in my quest for the totally satisfying television experience, hoping to find my own TV "sex bomb" to turn me on.. I'll probably be disappointed, but I will be entertained.
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