Customer Reviews

Friends - The Series Finale (Limited Edition)

5 star:		(135)
4 star:		(40)
3 star:		(22)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(30)

 

 

I am a huge Friends fan. I pre-order all of the DVDs and I pretty much know all the episodes by heart (it's sad I know). I actually thought that the finale was perfect. Everything ended how it should, BUT I was EXTREMELY disappointed with the finale DVD. I thought that it would have the hour long segment that was aired on TV before the finale but it didn't, and that was very disappointing. I had also hoped that there would be way more special features, but to be honest with you there was absolutely nothing special about the features that were on the DVD. I was also very upset because I had hoped that they would show the cast coming out to take their final bow and they didn't. Which honestly just sucks. So all and all the Finale was great but the DVD really sucks.

I think there are two different reviews here, one for the show and one for this DVD. As far as the DVD is concerned, it is "good". It isn't great, but it is good.

The DVD does have:

1. A nice extended version.

The DVD does not have:

1. Interviews with each cast member.
2. Interviews with the writers.
3. Behind the Scenes footage.
4. Outtakes and Bloopers.
5. Alternate endings.

I think that if the DVD had these things then I would have given it a perfect 5-Star rating.

As far as the show is concerned, the ending is "okay". It is rushed. It is only 1 hour, instead of the expected (and deserved) two hours. You will not see Rachel and Ross get married, even though we deserved to see it after following the show for 10 years. There are a number of pieces missing from the ending. You literally get the sense that they put a major rush job on the ending just to get it out the door and over with. It is very sad to see the show end, but even sadder to not feel like you received the ending you deserved after 10 long years of faithful watching. I do think that, at the ever least, Rachel and Ross should have gotten married or even just a proposal in the finale but it didn't happen.

So, yes, you will want to buy the DVD if you are a fan of Friends, a collector, or just want to see what you missed. It is worth having. But you may be sad and disappointed if you expected a packed DVD with a lot of features and the ending you really wanted to see.

Cons:
Both episodes appear in season packages, and the main reason you would have to buy this DVD is because you want to watch the extended version of the finale. Besides, it's just a waste of time to watch the intro videos of the 10 seasons...like 7 minutes of the same, and the music video "I'll Be There For You" just sucks!.

Pros:
However, I own this DVD because the 10th season still hasn't been released in my country, and the extended edition of the finale has lots of really funny parts that don't appear in the broadcasted edition, and it's very funny. Plus, you can watch also the 1st Friends episode ever, which is so, so funny, I think it's one of my favorites so far (I already own 4 complete seasons).

Now, to end with this:
WHY SOULD I BUY THIS?: Because you want to see the ending and you don't own the 10th season. Because you want to watch the extended version of the finale, which has about 3 minutes with extra scenes (they're so funny). Because you want to watch the first episode, which is very good. Because you're just a collector who owns every single "Friends" item there is.

WHY SOULDN'T I BUY THIS: Because you own the 1st and 10th season. Because you don't care about the 3 extra minutes in the extended version of the finale. Because the 3 episodes it includes don't worth the money. Because it's boring to watch the intro videos and the music video.

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I really like this DVD and I gave it 4 stars because of the extended finale and the first episode. I didn't give it 5 stars because it doesn't include almost any interesting bonus features.

Now I just told you the pros and cons I could find, you make the decision. Bye.

So, after 10 years, it comes down to this. Chandler and Monica are at the hospital waiting for the birth of their baby on the day before they move to their new house. But they might just have a surprise waiting for them. Meanwhile, Joey has a housewarming present for them, Chick Jr. and Duck Jr. Phoebe wants to turn the day into a musical. But the finale wouldn't be complete without another chapter in the Ross/Rachel soap opera we've been following for 10 years. Rachel's leaving for Paris, and Ross needs to decide if he wants to try to stop her by telling her how he feels. And with this gang of six involved, you can be sure there will be plenty of laughs.

I've been a fan for a few years now, catching up on the show thanks to constant reruns. And while the show did loose something in the last couple of seasons, I kept watching. This finale was exactly what this Friends fan was hoping for - plenty of laughs as the gang of six faced some changes in their lives. It really did feel like starting a new chapter and not a harsh goodbye at all, even if the last couple of scenes were very bitter sweet. It was especially nice to see a few nods to classic moments from the show, with appearances by Gunther and Mike, Joey's present, and the infamous "We were on a break!" line.

With the quick release and low price of this DVD, I wasn't expecting much in the way of extras. Since my expectations were low, I wasn't disappointed. The DVD features the broadcast version and an extended version of the finale as well as an extended version of the pilot. Boy have styles changed in 10 years! Both episodes feature great sound and clear picture. It also features the music video for the classic theme and 10 of the opening credits. As any Friends fan knows, they usually changed them half way through the season, so we're only getting about half here. But we do get a couple special ones, like the London opening and the Arquette joke.

Since I'm sure it won't be long before season 10 hits selves in a complete set, it's really up to you to decide if you want to get this now or wait for the set later. I loved the finale so much I just had to go out and get it.

Now everyone sing with me. "So no one told you life was gonna be this way....."

I wouldn't call it bare bones, but almost, considering it was a Friends DVD. The real problem with this DVD is that the season sets of Friends have set the bar so high I was expecting more, such as the whole 2 hour broadcast including the look back over the years, the Katie Couric interview with cast, and their appearance on Jay Leno show. (Pssst, to Warner Brothers, and whoever else is in charge, can you do whatever you can to get those onto the 10th season DVD set, pretty please? Maybe even the cast's appearances, first and last year, on the Oprah Winfrey show.) Still, it's not a total waste of money, especially if you don't feel like waiting for the 10th season set to come out. I've spent more money on things I've enjoyed less, such as dinner.

As for the ending, I was actually expecting Ross & Rachel to go off to Paris together because of something Marta Kaufmann said. In response to a question about whether the writers would have to tailor Friends ending to keep it line with the "Joey" spinoff; she said "...if we send them [Joey & Rachel] off to Paris it's their problem to get him back." So when Rachel said she was offered the job in Paris, I said, hmmmmm, off to Paris for Ross & Rachel. Maybe they just didn't want everyone to say they were ripping off Sex and the City's ending. But I really wanted to hear Rachel say, "Hey forget the copy girl, we were on a break." That's the line I've been waiting for for 8 years, but you don't see my name in the writing credits so that's not what happened. Marta Kaufman said there would be no reunion shows, but I think we fans deserve one for a Ross & Rachel wedding. Hell, we earned it after spending 2 years waiting for Chandler & Monica's wedding after they almost got married in Vegas.

Last of all, I don't understand why people who never liked the show were so busy watching it and hating it. For example, I never liked the "X-Files", therefore I didn't bother to watch it or trash the DVD's because of that. I really enjoyed this show, and even though I almost thought it should have ended a few years ago, at the actual end I felt a little like I did when a longtime co-worker moved on to another company far away.

Goodbye "Friends"
Break a leg, "Joey"

Warner television should have discontinue this title after releasing Season 10 which they didn't. although this Item had been in sale for a long period on amazon.com, but buying this even for 6 dollars is totallt waste of money cause all the stuff are available on season 10!
It could be worth if it was a real limited or collectors ediotion, packed with some extra stuff such as slip cover, collectible booklet, journal or something like that. but it was so far not a limited edition though. It had even no insert card! I can see this brilliant LIMITED EDITION! I think there is over a billion copies that they beg people to buy it in lowest price possible and still they have copies to sell!

I thought it ended the best way it could. There was no HUGE life altering ending that made the last ten years feel like a joke and there could have been. It wasn't over the top sappy, it kept it's normal lovable joke format, and it tied everything together nicely. Yes I wish the show would continue but I'm glad they ended on a high note. We got to see the characters for who they really were one last time. Even though this season had a lot to deal with we were reminded of Joey's heart with the chick and duck , Rachel and Ross's need to be together, and how classic Ross's reactions are *I'm mainly commenting on the bit with the phone message from Rachel* , there was the classic akward Chandlerisms in the hospital with Erica, when he was comparing child birth and being kicked in the alls,we were reminded of Monica's control and competition problem, when she was the one to destroy the foos ball table and did anyone else find that a little symbolic? She's tearing Chandler and Joey apart...hmm..and lastly we were reminded of Phoebe's craziness and kindness when she was driving Ross to the airport to meet up with Rachel. I loved it. I have to admit my expectations were high like all Friends fanatics were and I know they would never be able to meet my expectations because if they did the show would never end and it would remain great, however I am satisfied with this ending and I have to admit I cried before the opening credits were finished. I watched the show for the last ten years of my life. I literally jumped for joy when Ross and Rachel first kissed, and I was shocked when Monica and Chandler were in bed together in England, I was thrilled they never tried too hard to match Phoebe and Joey together, because...it wouldn't work. And I adored Phoebe's songs in the coffee house, I thought the last Chandler joke was sweet and perfect, and the bit with the keys was funny, because we all know they never really used those keys all that much, and the joke with Ross wanting to be a dancer and the tiny reference to the show being ten years old made me cry harder because it was actually over,I love the show and I'll miss it, but there is always the chance to catch it in rerun.

Let me say right off the bat that I'm a huge fan of the show, always was, always will be. I've purchased each season on DVD as it's been released, and possibly that's why I found this special edition of the finale to be so disappointing.

It was probably expecting too much, considering how quickly they released the thing, but -- "includes the Pilot episode"? What's exciting about that? Anyone who'd care enough to buy the finale probably has the Pilot on DVD already. "Opening titles for all ten seasons"? Hmmm. Same problem, really.

The extra unaired footage from the finale does contain a couple of cute scenes, but when this episode is released on the season 10 DVDs (which will probably be within the next two years, at the rate they're going), I'm sure the bonus footage will be included. Overall, it just didn't seem to be worth it, to me, even though I adore the show -- other than as a little piece of memorabilia.

Buy this DVD only if you missed the final episode or like watching the last episode (nothing else). I was very disappointed in the features it DIDN'T include. I thought the 10 yrs of beginings was the first hour of the two hour aired finale where it showed the episode montages of all the different Friends characers. Who wants to watch 10 yrs worth show beginings with the Rembrants singing the same song over and over?? How stupid of an idea to put that on there. I watched them through once and was even more angry that this was the only extra they could think to put on the DVD. Come on! $10.00 is not worth the DVD for just the Finale and no features. You would thing they would have made the DVD something more special considering it was the FINAL episode. That said, I love the shows and loved the Final episode, just was very dissappointed with the DVD content. I would have been more satisfied recording the stuff on my VCR. The actual show airing had more content than the DVD.

I LOVED the end of friends. I mean alright, it wasn't as exciting as everyone was expecting it to be. But would it have been satisfying if it was? The way Friends ended shows us that Friends will never end, it keeps going on. The last episode was just our last peek at Monica, Chandler, Ross, Rachel, Phoebe, Joey and even Mike's lives- which continue. And the things that most viewers were waiting for finally happened- Ross and Rachel got back together, Monica and Chandler got their babies, Phoebe found her true love and Joey.... well, Joey went on being Joey. We wouldn't like him any other way.

It was a very clever ending- one that made us all cry, but made us laugh. The last scene with the keys for the apartment being left on the counter was bittersweet, leaving us torn but satisfied with how the whole thing had ended. All of us will remember friends- no one's ever going to forget it. Each of us will cherish a certain character in our hearts and love the others, and remember them- each of us will carry hundreds of memories, both happy and sad ones, and use them to relate to our own lives. And when we're stepping out onto a runway, perhaps after returning from vacation, or arriving to a destination on a business trip, we will never hesitate to remember that line- "I got off the Plane."