Customer Reviews

Ally McBeal: The Official Guide

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There seem to be a lot of rather negative reviews about this official guide, but I have to admit that I rather enjoyed it. In fact, for those of you out there who like the show but are not obsessed with it to the point of taping and scrutinising every episode, I would recommend it. Just by flipping through the pages, a lot of smiles and good memories from favourite episodes are brought back to the reader by all the text and pictures. My personal favourites out of the special features included in the guide, are: Ally's Passionometer, the ISMS, the interview with David E. Kelley and Elaine's Inventions. Of course this guide is not perfect. I have many of the same complaints as the other reviewers have already pointed out (especially the lack of a list of guest stars/cameo appearances), but all this aside, I recommend 'Ally McBeal: The Official Guide' because of all the pleasure you will receive when reading it. And I guarantee that you will find yourself returning to it over and over again.

Yes, we love Ally. And yes we have as much right as the Trekkies, to have our Ally books... but this being the official guide, you'd expect something else, something beyond the average.

I think the summaries made by fans are much better than those presented in this book, for starters; they are spare and those of the end of the second season seem rushed, as if they couldn't wait to finish the book properly.

High points? the interviews with Gil Bellows, Jane Krakowski, Courtney Thorne-Smith, Lisa Nicole Carson, Portia DeRossi, Lucy Liu, Vonda Shepard, et al. It's an insight, if not overtly deep on the talented players that weekly pull off the magic trick from their respective hats. Just one complaint on this area: where's Calista?

On the other hand, the interview with David E. Kelley seems more like a rehash of everything that has been said about how the shiow came to be and there is no novelty there, to be appreciated.

The color pictures are actually video captures, and sometimes they suffer the strain of being translated to print.

All in all, a very, but very, very nice book to have, but so bland and superficial altogether that one gets the feeling of something amiss... and this probes that most "official" things (either be books or websites) are not exactly the best sources of information for fans.

I expected more from an "official" guide. The episode summaries (2 pages each) don't even include a listing of guest actors and the characters they played.

As a die-hard fan of all things McBeal, I enjoyed this book a great deal but thought that it did fall short in some places. It was a handy reference for the music heard on the show, but I have to agree with one of my fellow reviewers - where was a listing of guest stars? Overall, not bad (it is worth the money), but could have been a little better.

I did enjoy this book, but as someone who loves the show for it's magical moments and the things that tug at your heart, it falls short. Some examples are that it does nothing to highlight Ally and John's special friendship. (How could they leave out the "Weirdest Person in the Room" comment in the guide for episode 202 "They eat horses, don't they?") Like-minded fans will know what I mean. Also, in the big episode after Billy and Ally kiss, when Billy says "I can't go another day without making love to you", the book ONLY says they plan to meet at her apartment, and then goes on to Ally's guilt hallucinations. It says NOTHING of the emotional scene at Ally's place where she tells Billy how she has imagined this moment a hundred times, and then "starts to cry." AND, the recap of my very favorite episode, "Angels and Blimps" (where Haley Joel Osment guests as the little boy with leukemia) was also fairly shallow. The book has a lot of great features, but it just didn't get me emotionally like watching the show did.

This book offers an excellent guide to every lover of "Ally McBeal"; for those who adore this heartwarmingly, funny show-you're sure to love to curl up and remember all those great McBealistic moments!

Not much of a book -- if this is the official book, how come it feels so insubstantial? Slightly out of focus, like the photo on the book cover.

I think that it is a great book, but it only covers the 2 first seasons. And I have been looking after a second edition, with updatet a season guide. But without any luck.

I only give it 3 stars because, it if a good book, with good design, characters, and all the other things a good book needs. But then 3th and now the 4th season is in the air, is the book worthless.

But I hope that there is coming a new edition. Because without that is the book just like a history book without the second world war, and all what's coming after that.

Hi, This is Kim Lin. I live in Taiwan. Because of some reasons, I missed some volume of Ally MacBeal (Season 1). I've tryed so many ways to get the copies, but failed. So I get on the internet to ask for help. Do you have all the copies of the season 1of Ally MacBeal? Would you sell me some? I'll pay you...please. I'm just simply addicted to watching this series... Please mail me back as soon as possible.

i think callista is an excellent actress and all of her movies / books and tv programmes are of great entertainment . Please email and tell me what u think , also make sure that u include a/s/l .