Product Details

• Actors: Tony Shalhoub, Bitty Schram, Ted Levine, Jason Grey-Stanford
• Directors: Monk
• Format: Box set, Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 8
• Rating: Unrated
• Studio: Universal Studios Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: May 19, 2009
• Run Time: 1266 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001W79MK4
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #39,698 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 05/19/2009

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A gift and a curse, April 13, 2009

By	E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Sherlock Holmes, Columbo, Hercule Poirot -- genius detectives are usually a bit quirky. But no other is as quirky as Adrian Monk, the obsessive-compulsive detective.

And the first and second seasons of "Monk" succeeds in bringing an odd twist to the traditional detective TV show. Tony Shalhoub shines as everyone's favorite obsessive-compulsive detective, solving the case with his gift/curse and his willingness to go anywhere... that doesn't have germs.

Adrian Monk's wife Trudy was killed in a car-bombing, and the devastated detective fell apart completely and had to leave the police force. Years later, Monk (Tony Shalhoub) is partially recovered, but he still is obsessive-compulsive and has dozens of phobias. The only way he manages is with his assistant Sharona (Bitty Schram) babysitting him.

When a politician is nearly killed in a mystery shooting, the police are baffled. So Captain Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine) reluctantly calls in his old pal to solve the case. From then on, Monk is called in for dozens of bizarre, baffling cases. His excellent memory and his OCD ("It's a gift.... and a curse") allow him to see patterns and details where other people see nothing.

The cases that follow are no less confounding -- Monk must deal with a supposed psychic, a grotesquely obese financier who is unable to get out of bed, a stabbing on a Ferris wheel, a murder in an asylum, a billionaire mugger, a marathon alibi, a vacation gone wrong, an earthquake, a date, a murderous Frenchman, and a murder seemingly committed by Willie Nelson.

And in the second season, Monk takes a temp job at a prestigious school to see if a teacher's suicide was actually a murder -- especially since the only suspect has a watertight alibi. Additionally, he travels to Mexico to solve the mystery of a man who drowned in mid-parachute jump.

Among the other cases: a brutal shooting of a CEO and his wife, the murder of the world's oldest man, the murder of a condemned man, a ringmaster's acrobatic death, a comatose bomber, a trip to a thinly-veiled Playboy Mansion, a murdered paperboy, a deadly TV star, a secret in a cherry pie, Randy Disher's new stepfather, and a totally random string of serial killings.

"Monk" is the sort of show that usually gets cancelled after five episodes -- it's well-written, amusing, and smart. So by TV standards, the fact that it lasted even one season -- let alone several -- is nothing short of miraculous. The first season is not quite the best, but things smooth out in the second season.

There are gunfights and paperwork, like on any cop show, but the main focus here is on detecting. And the writers are skilled at coming up with all sorts of bizarre or unsolvable crimes, which only Monk could unravel. Not to mention the dialogue, which leans heavily on dry humour ("You've got to be a little skeptical, Sharona. Otherwise you end up believing in everything -- UFOs, elves, income tax rebates...")

But the series wouldn't be what it is without Tony Shalhoub. He played weird roles in movies like MIB and "Galaxy Quest," and so he knows how to balance out Monk's weirdness and genius without leaning too heavily on either. And he does a brilliant job with Monk's devotion to his late wife Trudy, which is so strong and pure that you'd never known years had passed. The scene where he reduces a bunch of sexy busty Playmates to tears with his wife's last love poem is pure brilliance.

Schram serves as the Watson to Monk, and her hard-edged New York single mom is a nice foil, adding her own quirks to the mix (such as her hardcore elephantphobia). Levine and Jason Gray-Stanford are excellent as genial police chief Stottlemeyer and his earnest (if slightly goofy) sidekick Randy Disher. And we get introduced to Monk's brother Ambrose... who is actually way, way worse.

The first and second seasons of "Monk" are a solid start to a smart, unique comedy/mystery serie, with plenty of unsolvable crimes and strange problems. I's a gift... and a curse.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great show, very quirky, June 30, 2009

By	Amy B (OH United States) - See all my reviews

We recently discovered Monk in reruns, and realized we missed out on seven seasons of this great show. It is a thinking persons show, with well rounded characters. It is at the same time funny, quirky, thoughtful and tragic. It is the kind of quality writing in a show that is seldom seen. We purchased these DVDS (and seasons 3 & 4) to catch up with the show before it's final season premieres in August. I would highly recommend them to anyone who enjoys a good mystery and doesn't mind thinking while watching tv.