Customer Reviews

Laguna Beach - The Complete First Season

5 star:		(70)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(39)

 

 

This show is pretty much the definition of a guilty pleasure, and I'm guilty all right: half of the people I know mock me for watching this show and the other half have no idea I watch because I would die of shame if they found out. My sister constantly questions why I watch LB and I have fine-honed my reasons:

-- I went to an overly academically geared high school, so never had the chance to gossip about the in-crowd hijinks of "hooking up" and drunken antics. I missed out on my prime gossip years!

-- It's a chance to see how the other (wealthier) half live... and mock them.

-- Anthropologists have determined that 60% of human communication involves talking about other people; watching "Laguna Beach" proves how human I am.

-- It's a chance to sit back and watch attractive, overly wealthy and pampered teenagers make each other miserable by gossiping, back-stabbing and stealing each other's boyfriends and objects of affection. It's like the real-life version of "Mean Girls" only without Tina Fey writing their lines for them. Less wit, better clothes!

The show is lots of fun if you've got the twisted sensibility to enjoy it. And the second season is much, much better than the first season, with more cat fights, break-ups, tears and "hook-ups" than ever.

My only caveat: watching this on DVD is really the best way to watch, just downing episode after episode right after each other, but I don't know about the necessity of owning them -- who would want to re-watch these episode over and over again? I'm pretty much of the opinion that no reality show is a must-have on DVD, so definitely Netflix/rent over buying.

Laguna Beach is a great show to watch while hanging out with your friends or just having some down time on a Saturday afternoon. It is mostly made up of fueds between friends and dramas that occur with regular teenagers around the world. I for one love this show and TiVo it every time it appears on television. I used to think it was just abut some stupid kids running around spending money but when I started to watch it more and more, I got hooked! I can't wait to see the next season! I would definatley recomend this show and would encourage you to buy the DVD set.

Like many people, I was sucked into the Laguna bubble, and became a die hard fan of the series, so it only made sense that I buy this set. The packaging that MTV did is beautiful, the quality and sound is great, and all the extras are well worth watching.

The only problem I have with this set, is that MTV made a bunch of music changes. Some songs that were used in the original broadcasting of the show have been replaced, and in my opinion, the changes stuck out like a sore thumb. If you watched all the reruns, and are enough of a fan to buy the set, I'm sure you'll notice them too. Personally, I can't stand when the original music of episode has been altered. But what really annoys me, is that MTV didn't even put a warning anywhere on the box. "Features brand new music," would have been a nice warning to those willing to fork out $30 for their set, but apparently they kept it a close guarded secret. At least with "Dawson's Creek," ( original music was also changed for the dvd ) they let the consumers know about it. Bad move MTV.

There is nothing intelligent on TV anymore. Even the shows that you think might be intelligent really aren't. News isn't intelligent, informative, nor credible. So why haven't I thrown out my television set yet? Partially because of Laguna Beach, to be honest. It doesn't try to be smart. It doesn't try to be deep. It doesn't even try to be good. It just is what it is, and if that makes any sense, that's why it's good. I've given up on television shows that try to be smart, funny, dramatic, informative, sensitive, etc. LB doesn't try to be any of those things. You can just sit down with an episode of LB and you get a nice 1/2 hour of mindless fluff. And for that reason and that reason alone, it's why it's worth watching. It's 'escape reality' telvision... and in my opinion, that's the best kind of television there is.

I never really watched Laguna Beach while it was in its first season. After watching a few partial episodes of the second season, I, of course, became addicted. When I finally faced that fact, I was looking for some background info on the LB gang so I went out and bought the first season.

I'm glad I got it, because I saw some things about certain cast members that I'd never have known about if I hadn't seen the first season. In my opinion, Jessica in season 1 and Jessica in season 2 are really different people. I'm not sure which I like best, because they both annoy me, but still...

I recommend anyone who started watching Laguna Beach during the second season to at least rent a copy of season one.

I'm not sure what I like more about this show, the drama, or the amazing scenery. That town is beautiful (and I'm really not talking about the people).

This cast and stories, of course are a little over the top, but what wrong with that? I found the seriers to be funny and enjoyable. Once you start watching it, you don't want to stop because the "high school drama" (that we were all once apart of) just sucks you in- except this time you aren't exactly a part of it. Which is exactly what makes this show such a quilty pleasure.

I remember when I first saw an episode of Laguna Beach. I had the natural knee jerk repulsion. With Sweet Sixteen and other shows like Rich Girls, MTV flaunts ridiculous materialism, whiny spoiled brats, and self-entitlement when they should be showing good music. In a way, I know there are teens, preteens out there idolizing girls on this show, wanting to be just as catty and petty and superficial like them.

But alas I am here to explain why I continued to watch and begin to fall for the show. I watch shows like Laguna Beach because I can't turn away from a trainwreck.

Call it morbid curiosity or deriving pleasure from watching people make a complete fool of themselves, it really is the same thing. I become absorbed in the petty drama because I'm an American. Don't get self righteous on me, we all follow or keep up with the celebrity gossip. It's entertainment.

Take the show for what it's there for, entertainment. If you don't enjoy it, don't watch it. Consider yourself lucky you're not hooked, rubbernecking and watching a trainwreck.

It doesn't take long for this show to hook you. Laguna Beach is a beautiful backdrop for this stylishly shot reality show. The show hits paydirt with the love triangle of its 3 stars. LC and Stephen grew up together and she longs for more. He has an on again off again high school romance with Kristin, who is undoubtedly the breakout star. There is no bad guy. You can sympathize and like all of them-which makes it a great triangle. Lo is cute as LC's best friend and Trey is deep but quiet. The others are not that important. They fill the gaps between the leads scenes. This show gets away from the overdone Real World formula and takes away cast confessionals. The show is glossy and light and complete fun. Go ahead and buy it, you know you want to....

I rented this season through netflix and I fell asleep after trying to watch it for about an hour. In all seriousness, it is a pretty boring show if you watch too much of it at once. I think the second season is way better as well. The cast in this season is pretty boring, shallow, and self-centered.

I like to watch this TV series for one simple reason - try not to feel jealous about how material/pretty their life may look like, feel happy for the fact that all of them have to grow up and go through all the necessary phases in their life like the others with no exception.

Growing up takes time and i am sure today, these teenagers are no longer the same as yesterday!

Zhao Yang
Chinese