"I'm in love. His name is Jordan Catalano. He was left back...twice. Once, I almost touched his shoulder in the middle of a pop quiz. He's always closing his eyes, like it hurts to look at things." - Claire Danes as Angela Chase, just before Jordan Catalano applies drops to his perceptive eyes.
My So-Called Life: The Complete Series (Shout! Factory, 2007) DVD Review
By Jonathan Boudreaux
Sometimes, life takes patience. When executive producers Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz (Once And Again), and writer/creator Winnie Holzman (Broadway's Wicked) premiered their new drama, My So-Called Life on ABC's fall 1993 schedule, they patiently waited for their finely crafted drama to attract an audience. They had good reason to expect a positive response, too. Separately and together they were responsible for several genre-defining films and series, including thirtysomething, Glory, and Family.
Claire Danes stars as Angela Chase, a 15-year-old high school sophomore. Angela has recently abandoned her good-girl friend Sharon (Devon Odessa) in favor of rebellious Rayanne (A.J. Langer) and sexually ambigious Rickie (Wilson Cruz), all the while nursing a crush on Jordan (Jared Leto), a dreamy but dense slacker who only stops brooding long enough to use Visine. Angela blithely ignores neighbor Brian's (Devon Gummersall) crush on her, but she is not above taking advantage of his devotion in order to get herself out of jams.
Watching from the sidelines are Angela's parents, Patty (Bess Armstrong) and Graham (Tom Irwin). Patty is especially thrown by the fact that she is now an outsider in her daughter's new life. She is torn between forcing her way back in and the terrifying realization that in many ways she had become the controlling, humorless parent she herself resented as a teen. Graham, realizing that his job at Patty's family printing business has moved beyond what he once considered temporary, but has instead ossified into steady, joyless permanence, embarks on a journey to find his true calling. Competing for their attention-often unsuccessfully-is younger daughter Danielle (Lisa Wilhoit), who resents Angela while simultaneously emulating her.
My So-Called Life effectively deals with issues of concern to both teens and parents. Drug and alcohol abuse, independence, unrequited love, feelings of inadequacy, the pressure of being gay in a straight world, feeling like an outsider in your own life-all are presented deftly, with little preaching or fanfare. It also features one of the strongest ensemble casts on television. Claire Danes perfectly captures the goofy gravitas of Angela. Bess Armstrong shines as a woman who realizes that she is turning into her mother, but also realizes that she is in many ways helpless to prevent it.
Perhaps the most underrated performance is that of A.J. Langer as party girl Rayanne. Over the course of the series, Rayanne's drug and alcohol problems lead to a near fatal overdose, and an extended struggle with sobriety. In the episode "On the Wagon," her battle comes to a head. Feeling left behind by her old friends, Rayanne attempts to reenter her party doll life, but without alcohol. Her friends worry that she will not be strong enough, but she proves them wrong, staying sober even after a nearly debilitating public humiliation. Langer's portrayal of Rayanne's fragile toughness builds throughout the episode, and we are relieved when she avoids temptation. In the final scene, however, a jubilant Rayanne thoughtlessly, automatically reaches for a bottle of beer and takes a long swig. The scene is like a punch to the stomach to what had been such a carefree scene. It is to Langer's credit that this sequence packs such a wallop.
The series also presents one of the earliest, most sensitive portrayals of teenage homosexuality with Cruz's Rickie. His crush on a new student in the episode "Life of Brian" leads to a heartbreaking ending. After dancing around his attraction for the new guy for the entire episode, he suddenly discovers that not only does the object of his affection not like him in that way, he does not even want to be around Rickie.
Critics loved the series, but audiences seemed to be playing hooky. The show was cancelled by the network, but found a new life-and a large cult following-when MTV bought the rerun rights. In November 2002, BMG released the entire series on DVD. There were no extras, but an online retailer promised fans a specially produced bonus disc and other extras as an exclusive to people who bought their sets at a premium price from the site. BMG released the series, but disappointed purchasers of the "premium" edition soon realized that their premium price did not contain the promised bonus materials.
Ah, but good things come to those who wait: specialty DVD company SHOUT! Factory has finally put together a package of all nineteen episodes with a wealth of extras in a six disc set.
