Better With Age - Round 1

Once in awhile, a teen t.v. or movie star comes along who allows a younger sibling to ride his or her coattails. And really, why shouldn't the sibling take advantage? It's a little trick called exposure, and it's best to strike while the iron is hot. How does one explain the casting of Candace Cameron in the once wildly popular "Full House?" Kirk Cameron, of course. He was the cover boy of 16 Magazine for a solid six months, after all. And Andrew Shue? Are you kidding me? Stunt casting on Melrose, clearly following in the footsteps of "Adventures in Babysitting" extraordinaire, Elisabeth Shue.


And once upon a time, there was a little show called “Family Ties,” a show so awesome that I taped every episode, whether it was a brand spanking new story on NBC or a rerun on Channel 11 in St. Louis. (As my fast forwarding skills left something to be desired, I still remember the jingle, “Channel 11, the one to watch … the one to WATCH!”) Anyway, my point is that arguably the second most popular character (next to Alex P. Keaton, of course) was Mallory Keaton, played by Justine Bateman. And Justine had a brother breaking into the biz, one Jason Bateman.

Does anyone remember Jason Bateman in “Valerie/Valerie’s Family/The Hogan Family?” I even watched all of the iterations of that show, and I honestly can’t recall a single thing about Jason Bateman’s character except for the fact that he had twin younger brothers, and I thought the brainy one, Mark, was dreamy. It was just your standard laugh track sitcom. A few funny moments, but nothing – NOTHING even approaching the genius of “Family Ties” in its heyday. Even less remarkable was Jason’s turn in the ridiculous sequel to “Teen Wolf,” which his sister’s t.v. brother Michael J. Fox evidently deemed too beneath him to fall for again. Actually, I can’t really speak to Jason’s performance in that film because even at my pre-pubescent age, I could smell a Razzie-award caliber film a mile away.

But what has happened to Jason Bateman since then? While his sister, after a brief stint on the ill-fated “Men Behaving Badly,” seems to appear only in “Family Ties” reunions and “Where are they now?” shows, Jason is en fuego. I am not exaggerating when I say I LOVE him. I will go see a movie solely because Jason is in it. His performance in “The Sweetest Thing” was probably the funniest I saw in the past decade. As great as Ellen Page was, he is half of the reason I watch “Juno” over and over again on HBO. Heck, he was even a subtle great comedic break in a bit role in “The Break-Up.” All while looking mostly the same as he did back in the eighties, with just a little age to round him out.

So here’s to you, Jason Bateman. Unquestionably better with age.