Customer Reviews

Home Movies - Season Three

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Sure it's nearly bereft of fanfare and staggering production values, yet Home Movies stands as one of the most endearing and clever creations ever to grace the small screen. It's a show that never takes itself too seriously or blows itself up to Hurculean proportions, and yet manages to exhude sincerity and meaning at almost every turn. Unlike most of the Adult Swim fodder, Home Movies actually develops coherent plots, or is at least patient enough to focus on a common theme or motif, and has a sense of humor more akin to the uneasy awkwardness of Seinfeld and Arrested Development, with characters stammering over each other and launching into embarassing (yet hillarious) tirades that go nowhere. The kids behave like adults and the adults are inept and childish, if well-meaning. Charming, minimalist and with a real heart, but above all wickedly funny, this is a real treasure, no matter what the price...

Back in the dorms at college, I could expect there to be a knock on my door every night at around 10:50. It would be one of my neighbors trying to corral everyone to watch Cartoon Network's Adult Swim lineup on the lounge TV. I think the reason why we always had to all watch it simultaneously was because that way no one could feasibly complain about the noise from all of the raucous laughter. Anyway, I enjoyed some of it although the shows that wrung humor from random nonsense grated on my nerves after a while. The only show that I found on Adult Swim that made me return to it outside of our nightly groupthink was Home Movies. It was a quieter show, a more thoughtful show, the kind of show that wouldn't end an episode with a character being hacked to pieces with a chainsaw for no reason unlike all the other shows that followed it on the schedule. Since then, I have been happily snapping up the well-produced DVD box sets, and I really must talk about the third season set which is my personal favorite.

For the uninitiated, Home Movies is about a young boy, his camera, and his unquenchable dreams (and also his friends and his harried single mother and his slovenly soccer coach). Eight-year-old Brendon Small spends his spare time acting, directing, editing, and co-executive producing his own short films with his two school chums (It kind of makes you wonder about what you did when you were his age. I was hitting fireflies in my backyard with a wiffleball bat, mostly). The movies themselves, though usually ending up as subplots, are always memorable and prove to be one of the show's most defining elements. Plus, no matter what genre of film you can think of, from Hammer House-style horror to Memento-esque twisted thrillers, you can bet that Brendon, Jason and Mellissa can cobble the props and costumes together from household products and lawn gnomes and film it for your viewing pleasure. Rounding out the primary cast is Brendon's ersatz father-figure Coach McGuirk, the oft-described "youth soccer coach who hates soccer and isn't all that crazy about youths". He's a lazy sod, he constantly dispenses bad advice and utter non-wisdom (like my review's title), and basically he should join the ranks of TV's most lovable depraved reprobates, like Bender from Futurama, Larry from Three's Company, or Dr. Troy from Nip/Tuck.

The main draw of this set, of course, is that the third season contains easily the best episodes that the show had to offer. The premiere, Shore Leave, features extremely good animation for a show that's actually rather crudely drawn; the climactic moment that crosses references from El Mariachi and the Graduate is an absolute highlight of the series. Renaissance, which is about a heated rivalry between a Renaissance Festival and a Sci-Fi Convention, was like a wet dream for my nerdy self (Mental Note: show this episode at my D&D game this Friday). Guitarmageddon may have lifted the plot from the Karate Kid but it features some blistering guitar riffs from Brendon Small (The actor, not the character. The character can't actually play worth a lick, as you'll see). Finally, in Time to Pay the Price, the kids' trip to a minimum security prison for a Scared Straight program is totally overshadowed by a .6 second-long shot of the main cast dressed as the X-Men (McGuirk as Colossus! Jason as Wolverine with colored pencils coming out of the back of his gloves! Brilliant! Plus there's a new rendition of that scene of the cover of the second slipcase! This is the best DVD set ever!). Alright, so I'm a little biased towards that episode, but I can say with total objectivity that the other nine shows on this set are all great too, you can trust me on that.

What's also great are the extras. You've got commentaries on select episodes from Small and co-creator Loren Brouchard. They may not be as thorough and involving as your average Simpsons commentary, but I thought they were each worth a listen (By the way, the commentary of Time to Pay the Price sounds like it's going to be one long jazz fusion ad lib from start to finish. Don't worry though; they actually start talking once the second act starts). The Decide-Your-Doom game is a cute expansion on the Renaissance show with new inspired artwork that features almost every character that's ever been on the program. If you persevere and reach all three endings, you'll unlock Easter Eggs that you may have missed from the earlier box sets. Last and definitely not least, we have an NPR radio interview of Loren and cast member H. Jon Benjamin. Between Jon's ludicrous robot voice modulation machine and his tragically flawed improv acting lessons with the call-in Petey, I was pretty much rolling on the floor and laughing the whole way.

Why do I like Home Movies so much? I think it's because it combines some of the best aspects of the most popular current animated shows. It has the simple but distinctive animation style plus the extremely precocious kids angle of South Park, the off-the-cuff pop culture references of Family Guy, and the well-developed characters and writing of the Simpsons. It really is a shame that the show never found its niche and lasted only four seasons (Personally, I blame the eye-straining Squigglevision and sub-par unscripted episodes of the first season on UPN). It will be a little cathartic to pick up the final DVD box set when it comes out, especially since the final episode is one of the saddest series finales since the Ice Age killed off all of the dinosaurs on Dinosaurs.

That's why I wanted to take the time to talk about the superlative third season now. Well, Home Movies, at least we'll always have the student's lounge.

One of my absolute favorite shows, I had to buy this set. This season contains some of my favorite episodes and characters. Everyone is at their best in this set and I'm glad I bought it. They make very creative use of commmentary tracks to do letter responses, a music improve and yes even comment on the episodes. There's a radio show segment with interviews. Really a well put together collection. The box set contains fun movie poster parodies, two per disc plus the box.

Really a fun show with timeless comedy. Very little is topical so the show is easily watchable forever. It's all about the characters and clever plots. I really wish there was more than four seasons.

Also, if you didn't catch it the real life Brendon Small posed in the April 2006 Playgirl with an article about his new project. Great pictures and a funny guy

The minute i saw Home Movies at 1:30 in the morning, i loved it. The humor was perfect for me, the characters were funny, and the animation was terrible in a good way. I decided i needed the show, so i started by buying the third season, thinking that the episode i saw was on the third, and i had loved it so much. I did not know what i was in for. My whole family loved every minute of the show, and have watched it over and over repeatedly, resulting in the purchase of other seasons we missed. This show is so underrated its a crime. It is much funnier then any other cartoon on Cartoon Network and Adult Swim, and much better then the unoriginal Family Guy. This show is up there with The Simpsons, while still remaining the same funny show it always has been. Here are my reviews of each episode.

SHORE LEAVE: This episode was funny at times, but fell flat at others. Still, a pretty good debut for a new season. 3.5/5

BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO: Funny, smart, and Brendon's movie is good. 4/5

BAD INFLUENCES: The best episode of any cartoon ever made. One of the funniest things i have ever seen. 500,000/5

IMPROVING YOUR LIFE THROUGH IMPROV: Very funny, smart episode. 5/5

FOUR'S COMPANY: Great episode. McGuirk is expecially funny when he tries to put together a dinner with Erik, Paula, and Lynch. 5/5

RENAISSANCE: Everyone says this is the best episode of the season, but its not very good. 2.5/5

MY CHEATIN' HEART: Pretty funny. 4/5

GUITARMAGGEDON: Great episode. Its so cool how Brendon, Jason, and Melissa formed a band. 5/5

STORM WARNING: Has some very funny parts. Walter and Perry are awesome. 5/5

TIME TO PAY THE PRICE: It's time to pay the price. 5/5

BROKEN DREAMS: McGuirk is great as a lifeguard. And the song is awesome. 4.5/5

STOWAWAY: Jason is crazy. 5/5

COFFINS AND CRADLES: The second greatest episode of the season...excessive swearing from everyone...and Lynch as a creepy cat. A great season ender. Can't wait until the next season! 5/5

This is a great season of a great show. Now go out and buy it so it can get recognized!

For serious it rocks.

Season three and onward found Home Movies really hitting its stride. The gags are all on, and the flow of dialogue is very tight. The jokes are fast-paced and there isn't an episode in the set that's not worth watching. One also sees the characters "coming into their own" during this season. Jason, Melissa and Brendan all begin to show more consistent personality traits that really allow one to bond with their characters. Honestly, one of top 5 best sitcoms ever made (cartoon or otherwise).

I love this cartoon. When I first saw it I thought it was stupid but then I watched it again and I was hooked. I haven't even watched this dvd yet but I know it's great. I wish the show would have been on longer but at least I have the dvds to watch. I loved the first seasons commentary it made me laugh just as much if not more than the show so be sure to listen to that.

I should be ashamed of myself. I consider myself to be as big a fan of the Home Movies series as anyone else giving this excellent DVD set five stars here, but I did not know season three had been released. During the Christmas season my wife made doubly sure that I didn't have it before she picked it up for me. How could I not know it was out? How could I leave it off my list? She considered it a great stroke of luck and couldn't wait to see my face. She got the reaction she expected.

Season three took what could have been blandly considered an "animated comedy" and elevated it. Home Movies is officially a *cartoon* for grown-ups, and a damn good one! In my other reviews of previous seasons I've said this, and I think it bears repeating. We have the Adult Swim on Cartoon Network to thank for reviving this show but at the time of its first run Home Movies was the one and only show that could be considered absolutely for adults. It's just too smart for most of the fifteen-year-olds (whom Cartoon Network considers adults), which was why cancellation loomed so darkly over the program, and finally struck after season four. I have used my other reviews of Home Movies here to take a little dig at the Adult Swim Sunday and their crappy, fifteen-minute, enhancement-smoker programing, but now I can't cause I don't watch the damn block anymore, HA!

I love all the episodes but "Shore Leave", "Storm Warning", "Renaissance" and "Stowaway" sticks out as the very best. My absolute favorite is "Guitarmageddon", something about that weird little mama Clarice. "I dropped an egg once. That chicken hated me, but I hated her first!"

Walter and Perry have a number of excellent scene-stealers, espcially in "Storm Warning", and again, the price they ask for this boxed set is excellent as well.

I have a couple of minor complaints about the DVDs this time around. Before I bitch about it though, I have to stress that this show is good no matter how you slice it, I just have some trivial issues, perhaps you could call them "pet peeves". First, the menu: It shouldn't bother me so much that they've used the same menu, with the same mild theme music from season one... but it does. That theme was replaced in the show with a harder rock style version in the seasons following season one. Its okay if Soup 2 Nuts is too cheap to change the menu format, it works rather well, but at least change the damn music. After two boxed sets of the same thing, I thought someone should say something.

Also, my first two reviews of these great boxed sets I make no comment about the commentaries. They don't make a difference in the overall scheme of things. I mean I buy these for the episodes and only listen to the commentaries once. However, if you're going to have commentaries, is it so hard to get Brendon Small, Jon Benjamin, and Melissa Galsky in the same room to do it? I mean are the really *that* busy? Do Brendon Small, Jon Benjamin and Melissa Galsky not like each other or something? What's the deal?

I am herby demanding that all three stars grace us with their voices on the commentary for season four! I wouldn't mind hearing from Janine Ditullio, Ron Lynch, Jonathan Katz etc. as well, but I guess that would be pushing my luck. I don't give a whit about animatics, featurettes, or music videos. Just give me all three stars on the commentary or don't bother. Cause speaking only for myself, and if you haven't figured it out yet, Loren Bouchard isn't very interesting, though I do I admire his creativity and work as the director of Home Movies, and I thank him.

It saddens me that the clock is ticking. I was so blue when I learned of Home Movies' cancellation. I look forward to season four, but I'm feeling the same sadness that they are running out of Home Movies DVDs to release. I'm hoping against hope, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed for some kind of Reunion or straight-to-DVD Home Movies specials. I doubt that it's a realistic thought, but one can hope. Thank you to Soup 2 Nuts, Brendon Small and Loren Bouchard for such a fantastic program; and thank you Amazon.com readers for taking the time to read my worthless opinion.

This is the best season of the series, followed by Season 4. This contains some of the best episodes of the series, like "Shore Leave", "Time To Pay The Price", and "Broken Dreams". My only complaint of the dvd are the ads on the first disc, but really, you since you can skip past them, that is not valid reason.

Just buy it. You will not be let down. This show was amazing, and still is.

The third season of Home Movies is probably my absolute favorite. We get to hear Duane's chops, see Brendon, Jason and Melissa balloon to borderline morbid obesity, the ultimate battle of the Reinessance Fair VS. the Sci-fi Convention, McGuirk having a heart attack, and Mr. Lynch in a cat outfit acting weirder than any of the other characters had up to that point in the series.

The two episodes I could watch over and over again (This time around I picked only two because it was so diffictul to pick a third and final):

(Bad Influences)-After watching a rough cut of their latest project Melissa points out to the boys that they're slowly gaining weight. Jason and Brendon realize that they're "fat enablers" and decide to end their friendship. McGuirk gives the school nurse another go with his "Fat Father Theory," but to no avail.

(Coffins and Cradles)-A Halloween episode how only Home Movies could do it. Brendon's Dad's girlfriend is expecting, and close to birth, and Brendon, of course, is no help. McGuirk ends up in the hospital after suffering a heart attack brought on by some hot & heavy moments with a woman from the past who just happens to arrive at his door to talk to him about her religion. Jason gives in to the temptation of the Halloween candy and his inner "beasts" are let loose, only until Melissa supplies a more than sufficient amount of smacking around.