Phil of the Future Review
I really enjoy Phil of the Future when I have a chance to watch it. However, that is few and far in between these days. That’s not to say that the show isn’t good, because it’s actually really good, it’s just that when kids like to eat and bills need to be paid, I find myself doing other things beside watching Phil of the Future.
Having said that, I will admit that my nine-year-old daughter Tia watches the show more regularly than myself and would probably be a little more qualified to speak about the show than myself, so, in her own words, Tia will speak about the show that tells the story of the Diffy family, a futuristic family from the year 2121.
When the eccentric dad, Lloyd, rents a time machine for their family vacation, everyone is excited. However, something goes wrong and the time machine malfunctions and the family is thrown out of the space/time continuim in the year 2004. The time machine has broken, and Lloyd is having trouble fixing it, so he, his part-robotic wife Barbara, and his kids: fifteen-year-old Phil Diffy (Ricky Ullman) and his thirteen-year-old daughter Pim, the little menace of the family, are forced to live in the past and pretend to be a normal family in the suburban town of Pickford.
The only person who knows their secret is Keely Teslow, Phil’s best friend. Together they deal with the things that every teenager in 2004 must deal with: school, bullies, significant others, crushes, homework…and then add the Diffys’ habit of getting into trouble by using their futuristic gadgets, such as the Wizrd, the Insta-Morph, Skyaks, the DNA Scramber, and much more.
Here are Tia’s comments followed by a quick breakdown of the show’s cast members.
“I think Phil of the Future is funny. I think that time travel is cool because you can visit all kinds of places and you can visit people from other times. My favorite character is Pim because she is always getting into trouble just like me. I also think that Phil’s mom is funny because on one episode she tried to make brownies and put them in the dishwasher. I watch other shows more than Phil of the Future but overall I like it a lot. I think that more kids should watch Phil of the Future because there are so many good actors and it is so funny it will have you on the floor cracking up!”
Characters
Phillip “Phil” Diffy (Ricky Ullman): Phil Diffy is a teenage boy from the year 2121 who is stuck in our time era. He seems to be the most “aware” with how things work in this century. He frequently has to make up excuses to hide the fact that he is from the future. He also has tons of futuristic gadgets which he uses at least once in each episode of Phil of the Future. Phil also spends most of his spare time with his best friend Keely Teslow.
Pim Diffy (Amy Bruckner): Pim Diffy is Phil’s younger sister who is a mischievous little girl who is constantly getting into trouble. Pim tries to make Phil miserable whenever she can and hangs out with a young boy named Lil’ Danny Dawkins. She also tries to avoid Debby Berwick by finding ways to torture her.
Keely Teslow (Alyson Michalka): Keely Teslow is Phil’s best friend. She is the only person who knows Phil and his family are from the future. Keely is an energetic and bubbly girl who aspires to be a reporter. She also seems to have a crush on Phil, which Phil seems to share, although neither will admit it until the Season 2 finale Back to the Future where they decide to be a couple and start a relationship. Keely also sometimes uses Phil’s gadgets as a shortcut for schoolwork. She is notable on the show for her numerous hairstyles and colorful clothes.
Lloyd Diffy (Craig Anton): Lloyd Diffy is Phil’s goofy dad, who is working on repairing the time machine. He was an engineer in 2121 and loves older music. He is paranoid about the government figuring out he and his family are from the future and currently works at the Mantis hardware store.
Barbara Diffy (Lise Simms): Barbara Diffy is Phil’s mom. She is very good at communicating with her kids, and they often consult her in situations in which they need advice. Unlike other mothers though, Barbara seems to let her kids figure things out on their own and she can’t cook food at all because in 2121 they spray food out of a can.
