Veteran actor Danny DeVito here does a creditable job of directing what is a pretty clever skewering of the television industry. Vic De Salvo (DeVito) has had tremendous success in the trucking business, only now he's moved to L.A., and he has his heart set on attaining fame and fortune as a T.V. producer / star. His truly awful sitcom idea ends up becoming a huge hit after he's conspired with his girlfriend (played by DeVito's real-life significant other, Rhea Perlman) to manipulate the ratings system.
For this viewer, 'The Ratings Game' didn't necessarily generate any true belly laughs, but it's still an intelligent, amusing piece of work. DeVito displays his typical comic energy playing this shameless, unapologetic scoundrel, and milks the Jim Mulholland / Michael Barrie script for everything that it's worth. What's more, the romance between Vic and Francine is actually quite appealing, with the two stars unsurprisingly showing off real chemistry. (Francine is a notable contrast to Carla Tortelli, Ms. Perlmans' best-known TV character.). And Vic is the kind of guy whom you can't help but like, despite his shadiness. The phoney sitcoms he has devised are a hoot in their tackiness; to be fair, they probably wouldn't be much worse than some actual sitcoms that have made it to air in real life. DeVito's storytelling skills are solid, as well as his pacing. At no point do you feel that he's just marking time.
What's truly impressive is the cast that DeVito and casting director Marci Liroff assembled for this thing. There's a non-stop parade of familiar faces: established stars, stars-to-be, and many top character actors.
This landmark TV movie (one of the earliest made for cable TV) doesn't seem to be that well-remembered 36 years later, but discerning viewers will find it to be well worth their time.
Eight out of 10.
