Product Details

• Actors: David Duchovny, Natascha McElhone, Evan Handler, Madeleine Martin, Madeline Zima
• Directors: John Dahl, Stephen Hopkins, Ken Whittingham, Scott Winant, Bart Freundlich
• Writers: Tom Kapinos
• Producers: Tom Kapinos
• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, NTSC, DVD
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: PARAMOUNT HOME VIDEO
• DVD Release Date: June 17, 2008
• Run Time: 340 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (90 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0013ZGN9I
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,555 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

  #16 in	Movies & TV > Television > Showtime > All Showtime Titles
  #2 in	Movies & TV > Television > Showtime > Californication

• For more information about "Californication - The First Season" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

"You can’t always get what you want." The Rolling Stones may have said it best, and it seems to be writer Hank Moody’s theme song. David Duchovny (X Files) was born to play this sly, sarcastic, self-loathing, and--despite all the meaningless sex, booze, and fist fights--kind character. Writer Moody hates the Los Angeles world he lives in; a world that turned his sharp best-seller into a cheesy date movie, where his young daughter and should-have-been wife (Natascha McElhone) are slipping away into the hands of a rich play-it-safe guy, and where everything he truly wants seems just out of his reach. But the man hasn’t lost all hope. "Happy endings may get a bad rap, but they do happen," he assures his daughter. "And when they do, they’re just as true as the unhappy ones." One can’t help but hope Hank finds his happy ending, because it's with his family that his soft side surfaces. Hank takes no shame in trying to woo back his "wife" Karen, even if it is in front of her new fiancé. He knows he’s meant to be with her--plain and simple--and there’s a glint in her eye that always makes you wonder if she’s really thinking the same thing. And his daughter Becca? Well, any guy would melt against this guitar-wielding cutie (played by the adorable Madeleine Martin), but Hank really captures the "I’ll kick a lot of ass for my daughter" mentality that so many dads harbor. He’s also fully prepared to drop a gorgeous woman at a moment’s notice to heed his daughter’s call.

The rest of the cast, including Evan Handler (Sex and the City) and Pamela Adlon (Lucky Louie), provide some surprisingly interesting and hilarious side stories. Just when it seems situations in this show can’t get any more ludicrous or disgusting, they most certainly do. That’s the beauty of it. Californication is a dark, coarse, edgy adult comedy. It’s also very real, and quite intelligent. --Jordan Thompson

Product Description

Sophisticated and unique, this comedy centers on novelist Hank Moody (David Duchovny) who struggles to raise his 13-year-old daughter, while still carrying a torch for his ex-girlfriend. His obsession with truth-telling and self destructive behavior -- drinks drugs and relationships -- are both destroying and enriching to his career.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

92 of 107 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the funniest shows on television, April 9, 2008

By	Melissa Niksic (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Californication - The First Season (DVD)

It took me a few episodes to warm up to "Californication." At first I wasn't quite sure what the show was trying to be...maybe "Sex and the City" for men? But it's actually much more than that. The show revolves around Hank Moody (David Duchovny), an author who's been in a bit of a writer's slump ever since his last novel was published seven years ago. Hank longs to return to his hometown of New York City, but remains in California because his former lover, Karen (Natascha McElhone), lives there, along with their teenage daughter, Becca (Madeleine Martin). Hank is still very much in love with Karen, and it's pretty obvious that she still loves him, too. Unfortunately, Karen's engaged to stuffy Bill (Damian Young), and Hank unwittingly has sex with Bill's 16-year-old daughter, Mia (Madeline Zima), who eventually ends up blackmailing Hank and trying to take credit for his latest manuscript. What a mess!

"Californication" also boasts a strong supporting cast. Evan Handler plays Hank's best friend and agent, Charlie. Poor Charlie and his wife, Marcy (Pamela Adlon), experience some problems in the bedroom that lead to both of them cheating on each other with Charlie's hot young assistant, Danni (Rachel Miner). Handler and Adlon are amazingly funny on screen, and they play off each other very well: They're the funniest television couple since Lucy and Ricky Ricardo!

By far, the best thing about this show is its sense of humor. There are some incredibly funny scenes in "Californication" that definitely are among the most hilarious moments in TV history, and that's saying a lot. From Hank throwing up on Bill's priceless painting to the office dominatrix scenes to the three-way/orgy culmination, there are plenty of great scenes to go around. I don't remember the last time a TV show made me laugh so hard.

The first four or five episodes of the show were a little bumpy, but then "Californication" evolved into a great program about love, relationships, and self-discovery. The entire cast is brilliant, and most of the episodes are incredibly touching. I especially loved the last scene of the final episode, which came as a complete surprise and resulted in a very happy ending, at least for now.

Overall, "Californication" is a surprising success. I can't wait for the second season.

33 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, an adult comedy with brains, May 24, 2008

By	frisky2000 "frisky2000" (smallville) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)

This review is from: Californication - The First Season (DVD)

Not since MILLENNIUM and HOUSE, MD has a new television series caught my attention and held on each and every week. This show is smart, sassy, sexy, serious, funny, sometimes sad, and above all REALISTIC! The characters work perfectly off one another. I never watched David Duchovny in X-Files so I wasn't sure what to expect. He is TOP NOTCH fantastic in this show. He has the character of Hank Moody down to a "T" from voice inflections, sarcasm and facial expression, you always know where his character is coming from. The entire show orbits Hank's daily life. Begin with his love and affection for his ex, Karen, and their young pre-teen daughter, Becca, and end with his utter loathing of the literary world of which he is a part, and you will find a man who is struggling daily to look himself in the mirror and try liking what he sees. He drinks too much, parties too hard, and has sex with women whose names he doesn't even care to know. We all have known people like Hank, therefore, he is very real to nearly every adult watching this show. I especially get a kick out of the way his agent, played with precision by Sex and the City's Evan Handler, is fumbling through a kinky fling with his twenty something secretary while his ever suffering, sex-starved wife is begging for "nooners". The show is definitely for an adult audience, and though it can offend some and be quite irreverant most of the time, it is so well written and such fun that it almost doesn't matter. Add to all this some edgy musical tracks from greats like The Rolling Stones and The Foo Fighters, and you have a divine adult drama/comedy series. I'm thrilled with this release of Season One on DVD and keep my fingers crossed that Californication returns for Season Two, Three, and so on. Watch it once, you'll be hooked.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Warning: Californication has Sex, Drugs, and Intelligence., August 17, 2008

By	G. Merritt (Boulder, CO) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Californication - The First Season (DVD)

"A morning of awkwardness is far better than a night of loneliness."--Hank Moody

The fact that Family First has called for a boycott of this Showtime series for its depiction of sex, drugs, alcohol, and "innuendo" is reason enough to experience it. Created by Tom Kapinos (Dawson's Creek) and produced by Scott Winant (My So-Called Life; thirtysomething), Californication stars David Duchovny (The X-Files) as 30-something novelist, Hank Moody, whose move to LA and writer's slump complicate his relationships with his ex-girlfriend, Karen van der Beek (Natascha McElhone), and their 12-year-old daughter, Rebecca "Becca" Moody (Madeleine Martin). Hank has written three best-selling novels, South of Heaven, Seasons in the Abyss, and God Hates Us All (all Slayer album titles), but now suffers from a case of writer's block. Although he is also a sex-addicted, self-destructive cad, who has a thing for hookers, surfer girls, and hot nuns alike, Hank is always a likeable character. "Happy endings may get a bad rap, but they do happen," he lovingly advises his daughter. "And when they do, they're just as true as the unhappy ones." There are several things that make Californication such a great show: its dark comedy, clever dialogue, strong performances, edgy storylines, and great music. The series soundtrack features music by the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Joe Strummer, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Foo Fighters, The Doors, Steve Earle, Death Cab For Cutie, and Warren Zevon. Season One consists of twelve episodes:

1. Pilot
2. Hell-A Woman
3. The Whore of Babylon
4. Fear And Loathing At The Fundraiser
5. LOL
6. Absinthe Makes The Heart Grow Fonder
7. Girls, Interrupted
8. California Son
9. Filthy Lucre
10. The Devil's Threesome
11. Turn The Page
12. The Last Waltz

12/12/08 Update: Californication received a Golden Globe nomination this week.

G. Merritt