Some feedback from the web about Ashton Kutcher’s performance on Two and a Half Men and some comparison to Charlie Sheen.
The Character
“Kutcher’s new character, Walden Schmidt, seems like a carefully drawn alternate universe caricature of Charlie Harper. Foremost that beard — something Charlie would never have had. The klutzy gentle persona. The utter cluelessness, about women or other people’s motives. He stumbles into good fortune without even knowing — his billion; the women at the bar who were charmed by his destitution and loyalty to his ex. Mostly, he appears loyal to one woman — the woman who ditched him (played a bit later by Judy Greer.)” — Verne Day, Newsday
The Comparison
“Kutcher’s performance was good, nearly as poker-faced fine as Sheen’s was. (Beware of the impending revisionism that Kutcher is superior to Sheen as a comic actor — Sheen really had a knack for this gig, and was a generous reactor to Cryer. Kutcher will probably prove just as skilled.)” — Ken Tucker, Entertainment Weekly
The Long-Term
“Is there as much humor to be mined from a goofy, well-endowed billionaire as there was from a not-as-wealthy jingle writer who seemed to satisfy women just as easily? Early indicators suggest no, seeing as the sitcom already and quickly played the ‘Look, He Accidentally Bedded Two Hotties At Once While Alan Lay Weeping and [BLEEP]ing’ card.” — Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine.com
The Final Word
“Kutcher showed for years on ‘That ’70s Show’ that the multi-camera sitcom format is an arena he can thrive in, and he seemed fine in his half of the episode. He’s not going to transform ‘Men’ into a show I want to watch, but he fit in very well.” — Alan Sepinwall, HitFix.com
