Fox’s “Ben and Kate” is based on the dynamics of a brother and sister and the crazy friends who join in on the adventures.
Ben Fox (Nat Faxon), is irresponsible, wacky and full of half-brain schemes. His sister Kate (Dakota Johnson) is the complete opposite, a single mom who seems to have her life together, working hard to provide for herself and her daughter. Ben visits his sister and niece unannounced, providing some comedic relief on the show.
Ben is a hilarious character because he is the epitome of brothers who never learn to grow up so you just laugh and shake your head at them. He tries to cuss in the car in one scene of the pilot but realizes his young niece is in the back seat. The random combination of words he screams were hilarious and had me having to catch my breath from laughing so hard.
His crazy scheme to crash his ex-girlfriend’s wedding fails when they arrive to the event more than an hour late.
Kate is the awkward girl that grew up too fast and is trying to recapture her youth. Sometimes throughout the show, the physical comedy is a little overdone. In one scene, her sweater and shirt get caught, exposing her bra. Kate starts to panic, which was funny at first, but the scene carried on too long and the joke lost its humor after a few seconds.
The type of humor used throughout the show reminded me of “Saturday Night Live” and that is perhaps why I enjoyed it. The comedy can be subtle or blatantly obvious, and either way I still found myself laughing and repeating the lines I had just heard.
Overall the show made me laugh and think of my relationship with my own brother. Sometimes we can’t stand to be in the same room together, and sometimes I can’t imagine my life without him.
“Ben and Kate” is scheduled to air 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays on Fox.
