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TV Show reviews: Two and a Half Men

The Emmy and Golden Globe winning sitcom on CBS is a comedic look at a dysfunctional family that tends to be like families many of us know in real life. Charlie and Alan Harper are adults still coming to grips with events which occurred in their childhoods that may have been traumatic then but are now examined with the assistance of humor and their love for each other.

Charlie (Charlie Sheen) plays the older brother, a free-wheeling womanizing commitment phobic adult who dates many women but cannot sustain a long term relationship. A bachelor who owns a beach house at Malibu, he finances his life style by composing jingles for advertising and appears to be good at it, since he owns the home and a Mercedes and places bets through his bookie on a regular basis.

When his younger brother Alan (Jon Cryor) was "requested to leave" as he puts it, by his wife of twelve years, he moved in with Charlie. Alan is an uptight do-gooder who works as a chiropractor, and always has something to say about Charlie's hedonistic lifestyle. Alan is the father of Jake (Angus T. Jones) who lives with Uncle Charlie and his father on the weekends and adds subtle naivete to the humor presented on the show. He is growing up, so it will be interesting to see how the writers handle this, if Jake will take on more of his father's or his uncle's characteristics, or become his own person.

Holland Taylor plays Evelyn Harper, the mother of the two brothers, who has been married several times, is very self-absorbed and probably always has been, from the information we learn on the show. It is evident that she loves her sons and grandson dearly, but her own needs come first, and how she involves the boys in that is always hilarious. Guilt often figures into the equation when she needs or wants something from the boys.

My favorite character is Berta (Conchata Ferrell), Charlie's housekeeper and often the one to make the connection when something is going on in the household. She chides Charlie about his lifestyle and drinking habits, calls Alan "Zippy" and knows Jake is just like most boys his age: eating all the time, making messes and making rude noises. She calls him on it, but in a way that is funny and endearing at the same time.

Melania Lynskey plays Rose, Charlie's neighbor who pops in and out whenever and always exits by jumping over the deck railing rather than using the stairs (just something they put in that works, I guess). Rose has a crush on Charlie but

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