AllMovie

As Boogie Nights rip-offs go, this dramatized tale of the back-stabbing, double-dealing, and lowest-common-denominator-pandering on and off the set of Three's Company makes for a pretty decent evening of boob-tube navel gazing. Director Jason Ensler is careful not to overestimate the importance of the critically derided late-'70s slapstick sitcom -- even if the film's executive producer and Company co-star Joyce DeWitt shows up for some documentary interviews to tearfully remind us of the power of laughter. For the most part, Ensler keeps the proceedings buoyant and light, pushing along the tale with snappy editing, a well-selected soundtrack, and spot-on period detail. His performers manage to mimic their real-life counterparts to a tee as they add an extra layer of down-to-earth humanity, particularly the John Ritter stand-in, Bret Anthony. Though the bulk of the movie is devoted to Suzanne Somers-bashing -- and rightfully so -- Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Three's Company manages to hint at an even greater theme, one uncommon to TV movies-of-the-week: the ephemeral nature of TV stardom.