Movie Info:
Writer: Doug Berman, Ray Magliozzi, Tom Magliozzi, Doug Mayer, Tom Minton
Director: Tom Sito
Cast: Ray Magliozzi, Tom Magliozzi, Cornell Womack, Paul Christie, Juan Hernandez, Manu Narayan, Kelli O’Hara
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment

Release Info:
DVD Release Date: September 30, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $19.99

Having an animated comedy on PBS may seem a bit like an oxymoron to some. By and large PBS is not really a funny station. If I want a laugh it’s generally not the place that I go to when I am in need of a laugh. In fact, this is not really a show that I am familiar with. When I received Click and Clack: As the Wrench Turns in the mail I had absolutely no idea what it was. I had never heard of it.

After watching it I have to say that the potential is there, but this show is far from what it could be, which will make a lot of people toss it to the side without a second glance. If this was all the show ever had to offer I have to say that I wouldn’t blame them either.

Click and Clack: As the Wrench Turns is based on NPR’s Car Talk with the Tappet Brothers. I have never heard this show, but I do know that it is an advice-based show that is filled with humor. If you want the humor from this show you should continue to enjoy Car Talk and not venture over to PBS and Click and Clack: As the Wrench Turns . The humor should be here, but it isn’t. The jokes are weak and the timing is bad. At best this will be a better option for kids. For adults, it feels like it has been dumbed down and that’s always a harder pill to swallow when you’re watching something that isn’t that good to begin with.

This isn’t going to be a show that adults embrace. They may like the fact that kids like it or that it’s otherwise harmless in the scheme of things. They won’t want to watch it though unless the issues are worked out to make it worth watching. In its current state the animation is crude, which doesn’t bother me in the least. What does bother me is that the writing is subpar and while the potential is so close you can taste it, there are no results appearing at all. Click and Clack: As the Wrench Turns is the show that could be good, but isn’t.

Click and Clack: As the Wrench Turns is offered for $20 at Amazon. Most people will pass the show by because they probably have never heard of it. If they are aware of the NPR show they might seek this out, but will be sadly disappointed. I am not sure if they rushed to get this out, but the plots are thin and the voiceover delivery lacks comic pizzazz. It’s just a really depressing effort overall when you consider how good this could be.

The Click and Clack: As the Wrench Turns Plot
Click and Clack: As the Wrench Turns airs on PBS in thirty minute increments. Season One offers ten episodes of this show based on NPR’s hit show, Car Talk. The show is based on Click and Clack Tappet (Tom and Ray Magliozzi). I don’t know what these guys are like in real life or on the show, but in this show they appear as a couple of lazy, unmotivated car mechanics from Boston that also run a talk radio show.

The characters here offer promise, but at the end of the day they don’t offer enough promise for you to go out of your way to watch this. Along with Click and Clack there are several other characters that are involved in the Tappet brothers’ lives. Crusty (Cornell Womack) is the older voice of wisdom (or something like that) and Stash (Manu Narayan) is the no nonsense type that will always cut to the chase. Also around for the not-so-interesting antics are Fidel (Juan Hernandez) and Beth (Kelli O’Hara), the producer that is less than thrilled with these lazy, no good radio hosts.

The entire show seems to revolve around the Clack brothers getting out of work. In fact, in just the first episode, the brothers manage to avoid fundraising for PBS. The network then requires them to raise $5 million or they will lose their show. They realize the only thing they can do is run for president to get the money, so they do. These themes seem funny, but they don’t play out the way they should. Another should have been funny episode is “Outsourcing.” In this episode, the brothers outsource their work to India and end up with a raise when the show gets higher ratings.

The episodes included in this set are:

Campaign
Outsourcing
Boston Blackout
Pasta Wars
Gigantic Motors
Fidel Vs. Zuzu
Abercrombie & Wrench
A Pocketful of Motor Oil
Gotcha!
Casino

It is sad to see the amount of potential that many of these episodes have. Hopefully what that means is that in future seasons (if there are any) the kinks will be worked out and the show will be better than ever.

Storyline/Plot:
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:

Audio/Visual:
Click and Clack comes in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio that has not been enhanced for widescreen viewers. I was surprised by the decision of aspect ratio without making the show anamorphic. What this ends up meaning is that you are offered a clean picture that has more grain and compression errors than it should have. The colors are good and the blacks are rich, which is nice. Unfortunately there are many errors here that could have been avoided.

The audio is available in Dolby Digital 2.0. Most 2.0 tracks work fine and this is no exception. I have certainly heard better representations of 2.0, but this one works just fine. The sound is kept pretty firmly at the center channel and playing with the volume is usually not necessary.

Visual:
Audio:

Bonus Features:
Click and Clack: As the Wrench Turns is void of any bonus features. I have to say this is one of the best things about this 2-disc set. I couldn’t be happier that no bonus features are here because so often, bad shows are filled with them. That being said, if you are a fan you may not share my zeal for the lack of features.

Bonus Features:

Bottom Line:
Click and Clack: As the Wrench Turns is filled with promise, but currently has nothing to offer. You might want to keep an eye on this in future seasons but for now, I highly recommend either skipping it altogether or trying to catch it on television before renting or buying it.

Overall Rating:

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