Customer Reviews

Bill Maher - New Rules

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

 

 

I already own the NEW RULES audiobook, which was recorded by Bill Maher in a studio without an audience. With roughly three hours of material, the audiobook is the most comprehensive persentation of Bill's numerous new rules (not to mention I'd rather hear the material in Maher's own voice than read the printed version). The new rules on this DVD -- totaling 45 minutes not including extras -- frequently overlaps what's in the book, which itself at times reprised the material from the original HBO broadcasts which comprise this DVD. Either way, the point is that most of the rules will be familiar to anyone who has read or heard the book (and it goes without saying to those who've watched the broadcasts on HBO).

I agree with other reviewers who have criticized the relatively high list price and/or the incomplete presentation of what was originally broadcasted in the "new rules" segment of the first three seasons of his HBO show. Yet when I get to the bottom line -- is this DVD funny? -- in my opinion the answer is consistently yes. The edits from gag to gag are as smooth as can be, and there's several bits of other material from his show to offer comic relief -- so to speak -- from the "new rules" segments. Even if you know the "punch line" of the rules, the inspired rapport that Bill has with his studio audience carries over to the DVD, making it an entertaining option for those of us who enjoy Bill's not-PC humor (which is not surprisingly rated TV-MA). Although I'd recommend his live performance DVDs first, NEW RULES is a welcome addition to what is available by Bill Maher on video.

The book, "New Rules" was absolutely hilarious. This DVD was amazingly short (45 minutes) and 15 of those minutes are wasted on non-"rules" routines and sketches from Maher's tv show. The rules sections are brief and sometimes cut from the full commentary. A few good laughs but this is not worth what is being charged here.

The three star rating that I am giving this DVD is no way indicative of the material that this DVD presents. The strong political humor that is brought to the table by Bill Maher is top notch. No, the reason this DVD gets three stars is because of the price in relation to the length of the DVD. Buying this DVD is like buying a lesser version of an SNL Best Of... The clips on this DVD are from Bill Maher's HBO television show, and on this show is a segment called New Rules, hence the name. The DVD presents New Rules (not all of them, but rather a selection of the best of the best) from seasons 1-3, as well as a few fake commercials and skits thrown in now and then. The jokes contained in this segment are raunchy, offensive, and aimed towards right-wing conservatives, mostly the president. During a skit in which Maher is being tortured for making fun of the president, he makes promises to marry Ann Coulter, at which point a black bag is placed over his head and a butchy-looking female soldier steps into the picture, indicative of Abu Ghraib. This DVD is not for the easily offended, or the Republican. The DVD is only 45 minutes long, which is why I caution you to only purchase this if you are a strong fan of Maher and his show. Otherwise, rental stores are receiving limited amounts of the DVD, and it might be worth a rent.

Bill Maher is one of my favorite comedians at the moment. His stand-up releases are all very funny and intelligent, and his HBO show as a whole is very funny and intelligent. The only thing that he does that isn't always great is the new rules segments he does. And just like he did with his opening monologues of his old show, Maher squeezes more money out of his fans by selling things we've already heard him say. While the book gets away with it, this DVD really does not.

It's true that the actual DVD is only 45 minutes, though there is bonus material that pretty much doubles the length. But they are all edited-down less-funny versions, they are interrupted by the occasional non-new rule sketch, and they are completely overshadowed by frequent cut-aways to a fake audience laughing (these are clips from different seasons, but it's the same audience with some way over-acting extras) which was completely unnecessary.

When I picked it up I was super excited, and less than half way into it, I felt sick. What a waste. Get the book instead.

It would have been nice of Amazon.com to tell us this BEFORE we purchased it. I can't help thinking the running time was deliberately left out of the product details.

Not what I was expecting. This DVD is simply short clips from his shows over the years. I expected at least a little something more.

Although I have watched most of Bill Maher "New Rules" on HBO, I still wanted to get the DVD to watch it again! Regardless of your political leanings, Bill Maher can still give a good laugh and something to think about. The DVD is a distilled portions of his HBO series, so you will find at least a good hour of intensely funny material. Well worth the time and money!

You don't have to be a "left-wing liberal loon" to enjoy good Maher humor. But... it probably helps to at least have a good sense of humor. You may not agree with all of Maher's beliefs (I certainly don't,) but New Rules was good Maher fun. Quite frankly, this was Maher (and the good HBO writers!) at his best.

If you're familiar with Maher's cable show, Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO, then I'm sure you've probably seen all of this material. This is because it is literally the New Rules segments that come from his show. However, I don't have HBO (and don't intend to get it) so it was a really refreshing alternative. I found New Rules to be an extremely funny DVD. I laughed through-out the entire DVD. It was totally worth the price.

I'm a big fan of Bill Maher, and I loved Politicaly Incorrect. New Rules I found to be a bit of a dissapointment; the DVD is merely a compilation of (some) hilarious scenes of Maher's talk show, but I did't like it to be fair. He's trying to score too fast and in a too easy way with this DVD, I think. Still, if you're a hardcore Maher-fan, I guess this DVD belongs in your collection. But where I watched PI and the others over 5 or 6 times each, this one was a one-off affair.

I think this release lacked a bit of substance, to many "one-liners". My first meeting with Bill Maher was the show "Victory begins at home", and I think that the other material published on DVD is not as nearly as good as that show. A bit disappointed....