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<i>The Goldbergs</i> – “A Kick-Ass Risky Business Party” Review. Tom Cruising

Season 3, Episode 1

Air Date: Wednesday, September 23, 2015, 8:30/7:30c on ABC

Rating: ★★★★★

“What did I tell you about Tom Cruising the floor?” – Beverly

No Tom Cruising!

When Lainey’s (AJ Michalka) father Bill (David Koechner) heads out of town for business, Barry (Troy Gentile) and Erica (Hayley Orrantia) know it can only mean one thing—party at Lainey’s house. With Bill’s absence, Beverly (Wendi McLendon-Covey) decides what Lainey needs in her life is a “smother” to help her make better choices, and who better to provide that service than her?

Those who know me know I’m not a fan of homage episodes. That’s mostly because the audience needs knowledge of the source material for the episode to work. So when The Goldbergs announced the season three premiere would be inspired by the 1983 comedy Risky Business starring Tom Cruise, I had some concerns. Sure, The Goldbergs has done other themed episodes, like The Goonies and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, but being a fan of those movies made it easy to appreciate the inside jokes. Unfortunately, my knowledge of Risky Business amounts to the sock sliding scene set to the music of “Old Time Rock and Roll” by Bob Seger. Thankfully, viewers don’t need to know much about the movie as the opening to “A Kick-Ass Risky Business Party” provides a montage of key events from the film.

Beverly doing what she does best.

The writers do a wonderful job creating a twist to the usual mother/daughter story line when Beverly offers to take Lainey in temporarily. I couldn’t help laughing when Lainey starts to wonder if Beverly isn’t as bad a mom as Barry and Erica make her out to be. The banter as Barry and Erica try to compete with their mom for Lainey’s attention is hilarious, especially as Lainey starts taking on some of Beverly’s traits. It’s only a matter of time before Lainey comes to her senses and realizes the mess she has gotten herself into.

Puberty, it was bound to happen—that moment when Goldnerds come to terms that precious little Adam (Sean Giambrone) is becoming a man. I admit, it took a while to get used to hearing the change in Giambrone’s voice. I appreciate how well the writers acknowledge the difference by  giving Adam a coming of age episode that seems perfectly timed.

Lil’ Yum Yum

It’s hard not to feel for Adam as he struggles with his long distance romance with Dana (Natalie Alyn Lind). In this day and age, it’s easy to forget there was a time before text messages, Skype, and free long distance. I couldn’t stop laughing as Barry’s Big Tasty persona introduces us to his musical guest Lil’ Yum Yum, aka Adam, as they film a rap music video for Dana. Hopefully this isn’t the last we see of Lil’ Yum Yum.

I particularly enjoyed the banter between Adam and Murray (Jeff Garlin) about Adam driving up the phone bill by calling Dana. The two sides are unable to see eye to eye until Pops (George Segal) reminds Murray about his own struggles with love.

Murray: “That was different, I was an adult.” 

Pops: “Just cuz he’s a kid doesn’t mean his feelings aren’t real.”

I’m constantly impressed by the writers’ ability to take what starts off as a silly episode and turn it into a heartwarming message by the end. Such is the case with “A Kick-Ass Risky Business Party.” Garlin doesn’t get enough credit for the heart he brings to his character. There is something about his portrayal of Murray that is more in tune with my own father than any other TV dad, which makes me appreciate him even more.

Once again, show creator Adam Goldberg shows he has no shame as the ending of “A Kick-Ass Risky Business Party” features an old home movie of him singing “Toy Soldiers” by Martika, which was recreated in the episode by   Giambrone. While many shows are based on real life experiences of writers and show creators, it’s Goldberg’s use of home movies from his childhood that adds a level of authenticity to the show.

“A Kick-Ass Risky Business Party” is an episode that almost never made it to air. Recently, Goldberg told me, “We ran into some clearance problems. There was a lot of scrambling and panic to even get something to air at all.” Thankfully, everything worked out, allowing fans to enjoy another entertaining episode of The Goldbergs. Never has a show triggered so many memories from my own childhood, and with the return of The Goldbergs, I have a feeling my thoughts will be going back to 1980 something often.

 

Tune in to The Goldbergs Wednesdays at 8:30/7:30c, only on ABC.

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All photos © 2015 American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Greg Staffa

I provide testosterone to the site. You won’t be reading about how nice a actress looks in a dress or how much of a hunk Matt Bomer is in my reviews. I describe colors using words like brown, not taupe. My twitter name is @staffaroadtrip because I love road trips and have done two different 48-state road trips since 2008. My favorite show is White Collar.

Greg Staffa

I provide testosterone to the site. You won’t be reading about how nice a actress looks in a dress or how much of a hunk Matt Bomer is in my reviews. I describe colors using words like brown, not taupe. My twitter name is @staffaroadtrip because I love road trips and have done two different 48-state road trips since 2008. My favorite show is White Collar.