Customer Reviews

Family Guy - The Freakin' Sweet Collection

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Pretty much produced as a promo for the long awaited return of Seth MacFarlane's Family Guy (and the premiere of his new adventure into animated lunacy, American Dad), Family Guy: The Freakin' Sweet Collection contains five of MacFarlane's favorite episodes (the unaired When You Wish Upon a Weinstein, the unedited Road to Rhode Island, To Love and Die in Dixie, I Am Peter Hear Me Roar, Lethal Weapons) which will no doubt leave the viewer in stitches. MacFarlane provides colorful commentaries on each episode (and even provides one as both Brian and Stewie on Road ro Rhode Island which is worth the price of admission alone), and there are other assorted extras as well, including previews of the new Family Guy and American Dad. In the end, whether this is worth purchasing is up to the viewer. If you don't already own the best-selling season sets and are just a casual fan, this is worth picking up, but if you do own each season, there is no point in picking this up.

In my opinion, these first three seasons are better and much funnier than the resurrection season, simply because the gags are much more solid and give the episodes a LOT more replay value than the new season itself.

These five episodes are hand-picked favorites by none other than creator Seth MacFarlane. They are:

When You Wish Upon a Weinstein: Peter wishes upon a star for a Jew for better account protection and later becomes convinced that Chris will become better at school by becoming a Jew himself. Not one of the greatest, but still pretty funny. And it's easy to see why this episode was banned from airwaves. 7/10

Road to Rhode Island: A classic. Plain and simple. In order to forget his abandonment from his mother, Brian tries to bring Stewie home after Stewie's trip to see Lois's parents' property. Unfortunately, Brian and Stewie end up losing their plane tickets and goes on a journey back to Rhode Island on foot. A blend of heart and humor from beginning to end. Even the cut Osama Bin Laden scene was a hoot. 9/10

To Love and Die in Dixie: One of my all-time favorites! The Griffins are sent to the deep south after the criminal Chris placed the finger on for a grocery robbery escaped from jail. Rippingly hilarious! 10/10

I Am Peter, Hear Me Roar: Probably one of the edgiest, yet funniest episodes ever written! Peter is sent to women's retreat to find his "feminine" side after being sued by a local employee for sexual harassment. 8/10

Lethal Weapons: The highlight of this DVD! Lois joins Bonnie for Tae-Jitsu classes and everybody follows her example. The family brawl towards the end of the episode is just plain hysterical. 10/10

Now on to the extras: Three commentaries on Lethal Weapons, To Love and Die in Dixie, and I Am Peter, Hear me Roar which, although very suggestive, are still interesting to listen to. Next, a commentary on Road to Rhode Island by Brian and Stewie is a real hoot. A clip of the first American Dad episode is included, somehow isn't funny while the animation is better than Family Guy. Finally, there are two separate interviews by Seth MacFarlane: One where Seth talks about American Dad, and the other for the return of Family Guy. 7/10

Overall: This is the best "best of" compilation I've bought so far! Just like Futurama, I don't feel like buying the season sets since the show is still rerunning on Adult Swim and TBS. 9/10

Some of it is really of no interest, some of it isn't. With "American Dad" out on TV with many episodes shown, the segment of the DVD that gives you insight into that show is really obsolete. I suppose some of the interviews might be interesing for looking for more insight on Seth MacFarlane, or for those who have never seen the man behind the show. The interview about Family Guy Season 4 is interesting in retrospect, I suppose.


The restored "Road To Rhode Island" doesn't really make it worth it. It's just the one deleted segment, and it really isn't funny. I notice the first review says "true fans have to have this scene," frankly, I think that's ridiculous and pedantic. If by "true" fans, you mean insanely obsessed, then I guess you'd be correct. It's not really offensive, but it doesn't add anything to the episode (which is a good one).
Now, it sounds like my review is completely negative. Why is this worth it?

Well, let me be honest. I love the commentaries on Futurama. I think they're among the best commentaries I've ever heard, and they just add to the rewatch value of the episodes. But a lot of Family Guy commentaries have been... just... blah. Maybe it's because they choose mediocre episodes to do commentaries on "Ready, Willing, and Disabled," "Death Lives," "Holy Crap," etc. But the commentaries on here really make this DVD worth it, I think. The commentary for "Rhode To Road Island" - I like it, it's great, it's hilarious, you should hear it. It's already one of my favorite episodes, this just made it better. The "To Love and Die In Dixie" commentary was okay, nothing special. But two episodes I'd always wished they had done commentaries on but didn't - "I Am Peter, Hear Me Roar" and "Lethal Weapons" - they finally did here! Excellent! In particular I thought the "I Am Peter, Hear Me Roar" commentary was one of the best they've done. There's nothing new with the "When You Wish Upon A Weinstein" from the Season 3 DVD.

In conclusion, the new commentaries make it worth your while to check this DVD out. As for plunking down the money, I could see Family Guy fanatics doing that, easily, I'm not so sure the casual fan will think this is worth the investment. It's definitely worth a video store rental though, absolutely.

People should know what this DVD is before buying it. Unlike the "complete" Family Guy box sets, this DVD only contains 5 episodes. The Freakin Sweet Collection is marketed for casual fans, and those who don't want to shell out 30 bucks for a Family Guy DVD. If you are a diehard Family Guy fanatic, this collection is probably not worth it for you. But if you are a new-comer, and want to see what Family Guy is all about, I strongly recommend buying this DVD.

Family Guy is probably the funniest cartoon on TV right now, and one of the most over the top and original shows ever created. This DVD contains five episodes handpicked by the creator as the best the series has to offer. Of course, alot of fans will all disagree on certain choices, but I think the 5 included here are all top quality.

The episodes contain bonous commentary and uncensored scenes that are not included on the other DVDs. A preivew of American Dad (a new show by the same creators) is also included. The episodes on this video are as follows:

Road to Rhode Island- A classic Brian and Stewie episode. Probably the most popular in the series.

When You Wish Upon a Weinstein- The popular banned episode. Peter hires a Jewish accountant because he believe Jews are good with money. Filled with lovely offensive humor that made the network too edgy to air it.

To Love and Die in Dixie- Another great episode, this time featuring the Family Guy crew living in the deep South. Plenty of redneck and confederacy jokes. Very funny.

I Am Peter Hear Me Roar- This episode rips on feminism. Peter gets in touch with his inner self and begins to think he is a woman.

Lethal Weapons- Not my favorite episode of all time, but excellent none-the-less. The fight scene at the end of this episode makes it worth watching alone.

So there you have it. New comers to Family Guy, buy this DVD and test the waters. If you like what you see (and you will) go out and buy the box set and prepare to laugh for hours and hours.

Only 5 episodes. I guess this is what they put out for us fans to feast upon, while we wait for season 4 coming to TV in 2005. There have also been rumours of a Family Guy Movie. Although this is good it only contains 5 episodes. Just go buy the season sets instead unless your a diehard fan and need this and every other episode even if its different from the regular version, well and also you get a couple commentaries for the episodes here.

EPISODES:
1. When You Wish Upon a Weinstein
2. Road to Rhode Island(uncensored)
3. To Love and Die in Dixie
4. I Am Peter Hear Me Roar
5. Lethal Weapons

This DVD is Seth MacFarlane's five favorite episodes of the show, the first three seasons. Seth is the creator of the show, and the voice of three of the characters: Peter - the dad, Stewie - the baby, and Brian - the dog.

One of the episodes on these five is the un-edited version of "The Road to Rhode Island". The version that appears on the volume one DVD set, and on the reruns has one scene edited out. A scene edited out after 9/11 because it includes Osama Bin Laden. The episode originally aired about a year and a half before that day, but it was edited out. Enough people have complained on the internet to force the makers of this particular DVD to release the original version.

The scene I speak of takes place at an airport. Stewie distracts the baggage checkers with the x-ray machines from seeing what's inside his bag by singing a show-tune. Osama Bin Laden, impressed that it worked for Stewie, sings himself to distract others from seeing what he's carrying in his bags.

Anyways, I'm not sure what the other four episodes in the set are, but you can be sure that they're good ones. For those that haven't heard yet, this show will air some new episodes starting next summer! I tell ya, I can't wait.

they made this for those who just started watching family guy for the die-hard there arent real new things exept bonuses.if you are a big fan you probably saw these epidodes many times or even have them on dvd.there is an american dad peak and a look at the 4th season like what will hapen and stuff.if you are starting maybe get thisbefore a full season set unless you are sure of your choice.they have a good selection of episodes but if you have vol 1-2 dont bother buing this unless its for a collection.hight points;great for beggeners and it got the season 3 unaired episode,lowlight;not that good for die-hards.it really is for startes in the family of family guy so it mostly is basics so i cant give it more than 3 stars.

New commentaries, 5 episodes, original version of Road To Rhode Island restored, preview for American Dad, and Seth Macfarlane talks about American Dad and Family Guy Season 4. I can't wait for this DVD to be released.

Upon first glance, "The Freakin' Sweet Collection" could be seen as a waste of money for a Family Guy fan who already owns the first three seasons on DVD. Truth be told, it was a hard sell for me. But when I finally broke down and bought it, I realized that it was more than worth it.
This isn't for a casual Family Guy fan. It's for those of us who scoured the internet for that cut scene from "Road to Rhode Island", those of us who listened to all of the commentary on the season sets, and watched the Special Features more than once.
The "Road to Rhode Island" commentary by Brian and Stewie makes this DVD a worthy addition to anyone's DVD collection, though only the real collectors out there will appreciate this DVD in the long run.

The only real problem I had with "The Freakin' Sweet" collection was the inclusion of "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein". Although this is an episode that never aired on television, it seems redundant to include it here, since it is already available on the other DVD's. There isn't even any commentary provided, since it was already done on the Family Guy Vol. 2 [Season Three] DVD set. "The Freakin' Sweet Collection" would be a much better buy if a different episode, with commentary, had been added, but overall, this DVD is a must-own for hardcore Family Guy fans and collectors.

Family Guy is one of those unique cult series that gained a giant fan base after its untimely cancellation in 2002 by FOX and later resurrected beautifully thanks to sales of the 2 DVD volumes of all three seasons of the show and its success as part of Cartoon Network's "Adult Swim" animation block. This little factor led FOX to reconsider its original cancellation and recommission the show's creator, Seth MacFarlane, to prepare a new 4th season to air sometime next year.

But to tide those that may have already bought the 2 DVD sets (or is still in the dark about what Family Guy is truly all about), MacFarlane chose 5 of his favorite episodes of FG over the first 3 seasons (including the one episode that FOX flat-out refused to air) and released it as the "Freakin' Sweet Collection".

The disc contains a few new additions that you won't find in the original DVD sets, including a new uncensored version of the episode "Road to Rhode Island" that contains a scene that FOX demanded that MacFarlane edit out since it contained an reference to Osama bin Laden, even though the episode aired 16 months before the 9/11 attacks. In an eerie strike of coincidence, a small incidental argument with FOX execs caused MacFarlane to miss a flight from Los Angeles to Boston, which would later be one of the planes that smashed into the WTC towers on 9/11. The episode also contains a new commentary done by both Brian and Stewie that will have you in stitches...

Also included is the controversial episode "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein" that FOX never aired due to the fact the network felt that the episode would offend the Jewish community by typecasting Jews to be tightwads and also containing a rather offensive musical number. The episode did air earlier this year on FOX but was edited, so the one on the DVD is the original unedited version of it.

In addition, there is new commentaries on all the episodes from MacFarlane and many of the crew of FG, a special sneak preview of what we can expect in Season 4 when it airs of FOX next year, and a sneak peek at MacFarlane's brand new series for FOX, American Dad.

If you still need to find out what makes this show so hilarious and controversial to say the least, this is a good start. If you already own the 3 volumes, then consider this Family Guy Volume 2.5: Special Creator's Cut Edition...