Movie Queue Monday: "American Pickers"

 

American Pickers Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz

I know what you are thinking: What? A show about antiques? What could be more boring? That's what I thought until I watched "American Pickers". This entertaining reality tv show is definitely more "Indiana Jones" and less  "Antique Roadshow". I don't normally watch a lot of reality television and am not that interested in antiques, but I love this show because "this isn't your grandma's antiquing", to quote their mantra.  Less stuffy that "Antique Roadshow", this History Channel show feels more like an American treasure hunt. "Pickers"  Mike and Frank scour the back roads of the American countryside for "hidden treasures" ripe for the "picking" for their antique business based in Iowa.

Crawling into junk piles, tunnels, attics, barns, basements, and other often unsavory places, Mike and Frank have an eye for valuable items and a knack for bartering with the owners.  Oftentimes they just show up at people's houses and asked to look around, and, surprisingly, most people let them. Many of the people they buy from are elderly and live far off the beaten path in rural, remote areas. It is kind of sad to see the conditions some of them live in—literally crammed in with a ton of junk—but Mike and Frank seem to treat them with the utmost respect and listen to their fascinating stories about the different items they have collected over the years.

The two "pickers" have great rapport and banter back and forth like brothers, which makes the show that much more entertaining. I also feel like I am learning something about antiques and popular history by watching the shows, which helps me to feel a little less guilty about watching the entire series in one week.  :) Recommended- four out of five stars. (Some adult language and occasional sexual innuendo might make it inappropriate for children)