Product Details

• Actors: Frankie Muniz, Bryan Cranston, Justin Berfield, Erik Per Sullivan, Jane Kaczmarek
• Directors: Arlene Sanford, Chris Koch, Jeff Melman, Ken Kwapis, Nick Marck
• Writers: Alan J. Higgins, Andrew Orenstein
• Format: Subtitled, Color, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 4.0), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Dubbed: French, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• DVD Release Date: October 29, 2002
• Run Time: 360 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (240 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00006G8J7
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,239 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Malcolm in the Middle: The Complete First Season" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

In the words of They Might Be Giants' rollicking Grammy-winning theme song, "life is unfair." The inventive and wholly original sitcom Malcolm in the Middle has been honored with a Peabody Award and Emmys for directing and writing, but if life was fair, it would have earned an Emmy for Best Comedy Series, not to mention statuettes for its pitch-perfect cast. With his perpetual "yes, me worry" expression, Frankie Muniz instantly earns audience empathy as Malcolm, whose chances for a normal life are thwarted not only by his genius IQ (as discovered in the pilot episode), but also by his outrageously dysfunctional family: Lois (Jane Kaczmarek), his obsessive, control-freak mother; Hal (Bryan Cranston), his loving but ineffectual father; Francis (Christopher Masterson), his eldest brother waging his own private war at military school; middle brother Reese (Justin Berfield), a delinquent savant; and Dewey (Erik Per Sullivan), the put-upon youngest. As Malcolm observes at one point, "This family may be rude, loud and gross, and have no shame whatsoever, but with them you know where you stand."

This three-disc set contains all 16 episodes from the irreverently funny first season. The series instantly toned things down a tad from the pilot episode that saw Lois body-shaving a naked hirsute Hal in the kitchen. But it brilliantly sustains its subversive tone, from episode two, in which the brothers stand united against Lois's increasingly desperate methods to uncover who burned her red dress, to the season finale, in which Malcolm dares to push her down a water slide. Not that there aren't sublimely sweet moments, as in that season finale when Dewey bonds with his elderly babysitter (Bea Arthur!) over Abba's "Fernando." Before you get out your handkerchiefs, said sitter collapses and is carted away in an ambulance. --Donald Liebenson

Product Description

Now you can own the complete first season of MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE.See how it all began for boy-genius Malcolm and his disorderly, demented(and downright dysfunctional) family. Share the laughter and relive the fun with all 16 hilarious Season One episodes-available for the first time in this exclusive 3-disc collector's edition.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

77 of 79 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Was MY family like this? June 24, 2003

By "khouse1960"

Format:DVD

Living outside the U.S. for a while now, I've been a bit out of touch with American television for the last few years. So, when a friend of mine handed me this DVD set and said "You've got to see this show", I got my first taste of "Malcolm In The Middle"...and was completely hooked.

This show is not only funny and original, but it seems to strike a familiar chord with childhood memories. Not only mine, but also everyone that I've discussed this series with. Although the family in the series appears (at first glance, anyway) to be thoroughly dysfunctional, they grow on you as the series progresses. I began to recognize bits and pieces of my own childhood, whether it was some absurd thing said by one of my parents, a kid-like caper pulled off in school, or some friend that I had that didn't quite "fit in". I can relate to this show.

The writing is excellent and extremely funny, even managing to put valuable life lessons across, without being heavy handed. The acting is top notch, reminiscent of "Family Ties" and "Home Improvement" in its ensemble cast chemistry and tightness. And, although a surprise, I found the unique innovation of not including a laugh track to be refreshing, allowing me to decide what was funny (almost everything), rather than trying to force me down the road of simulated amusement.

The DVD set is a great value. Fantastic transfers (as best as I can tell, without ever having seen an actual broadcast), great sound, and jam packed with special features. There's about 3 hours of commentary for selected scenes, a bloopers reel, 4 unaired opening scenes, 4 deleted scenes, and a handful of "promos". There are also 3 fairly interesting featurettes covering the show itself, the crew, and a day in the life of "Dewey" (Eric Per Sullivan). The only lame feature of the entire set was a small section called "MalcolmVision", which was basically just some framing goofs as a result of the program's shooting in a 16X9 format. An incredibly small negative for what is overwhelmingly an outstanding boxed set.

Good show, good price, and exceptional entertainment...You just can't go wrong with this series. I can't wait for the release of season two!

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding first season for the "true" American family April 26, 2003

By Wayne Klein HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

I don't know about you, but I've always felt that The Simpsons didn't represent the goofyness at the heart of the American family. I'll admit it--the family on this television program represents mine at the most intimate level. One exception is that whatever humor we find in situations that occur in ours is usually in hindsight. Luckily we can laugh at this family the first time around.

The DVD is of exceptional quality. The full screen presentation does suffer from grain problems on occasion but, on the whole, the transfers are very good. The commentary, outtakes and gag reel are worth the price alone. While the show has continued to evolve and is still as funny as the first season (and, yes, I believe this is the best written sitcom bar none--it's also better written and funnier at a gutbusting level than the Simpsons. Don't get me wrong, I admire The Simpsons but it's strayed away from the very qualities that made it special and funny a long, long time ago).

Frankie Muniz is perfectly cast as Malcolm but, more importantly, the actors portraying this family are equally as loopy and fun to observe. I really haven't found a weak link in the first season casting. The pilot deservingly won Emmys for best direction and writing. The extended version adds a bit of additional fun that wasn't on the final aired version. Additionally, there are bits added to a couple of episodes that were deleted for time constraints and other reasons when the original episodes aired in 2000. It's amazing that such a quality show could ever have been seen as nothing more than a mid-season replacement.

While the box set is a bit light on episodes (there wasn't a full season produced during season one as it was a replacement series) the extras more than make up for that. Additionally, the commentary adds quite a bit to a couple of episodes and make the discs worth viewing again just to find out the odd little tidbits mentioned.

While Season Two would continue to build on the success of the first season, it wasn't until Season three that there was additional comic depth added to the program.

44 of 51 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Malcolm is Something Fresh December 29, 2002

By E. Callaway

Format:DVD

Well, I was disappointed to read that I wasn't the first person to equate the family on "Malcolm in the Middle" with "The Simpsons." But, it is true, this is the most functionally dysfunctional family on earth. No counselor, no psychologist, not even psychiatrist could tame the insanity. The cast is great. Malcolm, played by Frankie Muniz, narrates the show and gives it an amazingly funny perspective. Lois, the mother, is outrageously funny, she is insane and quintessential to the show. Hal, the father, is a bit of a bumbling idiot, but in a harmless and good way. Francis, the eldest child, advises from afar his little brothers on the inner-workings of their mother. Reese, the second child, older brother of Malcolm, is a bit of an idiot too. Driven by anything that would torment those around him, he gets himself into a great deal of trouble. Then, finally, there is Dewey. He is the youngest, he manages to get lost regularly. He does things that would get an average 6 year old killed.

The first season is hilarious. It is great to see how the show progressed from the pilot to the Emmy winner. I look forward to the next season coming out on DVD.

epc