Sunday, May 21, 2017

'The Outcasts' DVD: Eden Sher of 'The Middle' Unites Geeks to Lead 'The Revolt of Mindy'

Monarch Home Entertainment gives both kids who are not cool enough to attend prom and fans of the ABC familycom "The Middle" a Prom Night treat in the form of the May 16, 2017 DVD release of the 2017 teencom "The Outcasts." Eden Sher of  "Middle" stars as M.I.T.-hopeful science geek senior Mindy, who rallies the numerous factions of titular square pegs to seize control of Richard Nixon High School. 

The following YouTube clip of the "Outcasts" trailer includes narration that concisely outlines the aforementioned premise. You additionally get glimpses of the ensuing mayhem.


This tale as old as the '50s begins with Mindy convincing band geek bestie Jodi to make an overture to cool kids leader Whitney and her hive of Heathers and pretty boys. This leads to Whitney inviting the girls to a party, which leads to devastating humiliation.

In the grand tradition of "slobs v. snobs" teencoms, Mindy consults a peer expert about the best means to unite the aforementioned subgroups of losers to overthrow the aforementioned adolescent powerbrokers. A hilarious scene regarding this aspect of "Outcasts" centers around an exhaustive list of the subgroups that comprise the uncool majority.

The unofficial governing council of this group of misfits are Mindy, Jodi, the stereotypical angry black girl, and the equally true-to-form mousy girl scout. The standout secondary outcast is David W. Thompson as "Debate Nerd." This skinny, pale, bespectacled ginger is a scenestealer even aside from his dance skills.

Cute long-haired ethnic type Dave plays the Ciscolicious nice kid/convert/Jodi love interest in the film. Humor and angst related (pun intended) to Dadi stems from their parents beginning to date.

An apt message for fans of '80s sitcoms comes in the form of casting an unrecognized Ted McGinley (of series such as "Happy Days" and "The Love Boat") as the principal who is physically unattractive and fills the role of villain in "Outcasts." Truly without intending any offense to the formerly gorgeous blonde McGinley, seeing this proof that pretty fades is a guilty pleasure for those of us not blessed with matinee idol good looks.

The morale of this fable is that power corrupts regardless of who is in charge. One high schooler aptly (and aptly cooly) observes "new boss, same as the old boss." It remains to be seen whether the student populace will be fooled again.

On a larger level, "Outcasts" meets its obvious objective to be a "Sue-centric" extended episode of "The Middle." Both Mindy and Sue are optimistic freaks who actively try to achieve the impossible dream of giving those whom the cool kids brand as losers prestige. 

The lessons of "Outcasts" are that stereotypes about high school cliques always are amusing, that you cannot judge a pimple-faced book by its cover, and that there really is no fighting city hall when it comes to locker-lined corridors of power.

Anyone with questions or comments regarding "Outcasts" is encouraged either to email me or to connect on Twitter via @tvdvdguy.





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