Customer Reviews

Serial [VHS]

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Great movie about life in Marin county in the late seventies. Martin Mull just wants to lead a normal, middle-class life. His wife (Tuesday Weld) and friends won't let him. They try to drag him into every fad and fashion of the 70's and early 80's, from drugs and free sex to wacky "therapists" and cults. Very funny and prescient movie, with very good performances, and great lines- especially from the supporting cast.

Martin Mull stars in this comedy about upper-middle class life in Marin County, north of San Francisco. The movie is a good adaptation of the book by the same name and pokes fun at the "mellow speak" and new age fads of the late 70's. Contains lots of funny dialog you'll be quoting back to your friends, just like a Monty Python skit.

Methinks the previous reviewers did not actually SCREEN Paramount's DVD reissue of "Serial"? Otherwise, I don't think they would actually be THANKING the studio for releasing this bootleg quality abomination.

Don't get me wrong-I love this film; it's a precursor to Michael Tolkin's 1994 satire, "The New Age", a similarly savage send up of California trendies (another great film still M.I.A. on DVD, BTW). But... as for the disc quality?

Gosh, where shall I start?

1. OK, fine-"1:78 wide screen", but DEFINITELY not anamorphic.
2. Horribly tattered print; no better than my studio released VHS copy.
3. Muffled audio; turning it up and/or trying to adjust EQ doesn't help.

I wasn't expecting the Criterion treatment, but come on-this film has enough of a cult following to warrant a little more respect to those who are eager to plunk down their hard-earned cash. Inexcusable, after waiting so many years for this sly satire to appear on DVD, simply inexcusable. Caveat emptor, my friends.

Just over the Golden Gate from San Francisco lies the county of Marin with it's artistic atmosphere where, if you have enough money, you can be an artist too! Brilliant parody of the lifestyles of the "ME" generation.
This is a dated comedy about a time when the Moonies, Pop Therapy Encounter Groups and Sex Clubs made up the wave of recovery in the post-Vietnam era of selfishness.
Extremely funny, well timed comedy. It does, however, require an appreciation of good writing and subtle humor.

It's about life in Marin County, California in the late 1970s. All the hippies have grown up and are so desperately trying to convince themselves that they're still hip that they've become a horrible parody of themselves, living in a world of pop psychobabble, open marriages and narcissism. In the center of all of this is Harvey Holroyd (Martin Mull) and his wife Kate (Tuesday Weld). Harvey is the sane man in an insane world, normal by every standard, but Kate is caught up in all the lunacy and keeps trying to drag him into the bizarro-world.

Don't let the movie's late-70's look fool you; it is absolutely *hysterical*. Look for Tommy Smothers as a "priest" (though in what church, I've no idea) who thinks everything is beautiful and Christopher Lee as a hard-ass businessman during the week who has a secret about what he does on weekends. There are so many plot twists, you'll never keep up with them all, but the whole movie is a laugh riot from start to finish. Be aware; this is a hard movie to find, but if you have an opportunity to get it, do not pass it up.

I suppose it's even funnier for me because my own parents were living out in San Francisco in the early 1970s and they say the film depicts almost exactly how people out there actually were. I've a hard time seeing my dad (who'd just gotten out of the Marines) and my mom (a strict Catholic and a Navy nurse) living in such a mad place.

For those folks expecting an Academy Award Best Picture nominee, go someplace else, but this movie does not suck that bad. It is meant as a comic take-off on life in Marin County in the 1970s. For those of you who don't know, Marin was--and is--an upscale suburb (sort of) north of San Francisco, which has taken a lot of kidding across the years for leading some of the wackier self-discovery movements. In the movie, Martin Mull finds himself out of place and yearns for a home more grounded in traditional values. The movie is not a particularly accurate description of Marin life circa the 70s, but it captures and pokes fun at a lot of the stereotypes of that time. The acting overall is not too bad and there are quite a few genuine laughs. Locals like to point out the contradictions in location movement from scene to scene, and take the jibes at their lifestyles almost with a sense of pride. I recommend it for a cheap rental. To those harsh critics above, "LIGHTEN UP."

I love this movie. I used to watch it on HBO growing up, and now, in my 40's, it is one of my favorite movies. Martin Mull is great as the american everyman, trying to keep his wits about him in the 70s new age, Marin County hip yuppie swinging scene. If you love the 70s, wood sided houses, hot tubs, the San Francisco Bay, and old school R rated comedies, you'll love this movie.

I suppose if enough people issue comments like this to enough places, somebody will eventually listen and release the DVD. When you think of all the "trash" that gets a DVD release, it is really hard to imagine that "Serial" hasn't. I've got the Laser Disk, but my last player has died. I no longer own VHS equipment and wouldn't pay $59 for tape, anyway.

This movie is too good not to be on DVD. The fact that it is out of print and selling for so much used says a lot about this status. It would be a very good seller even in the Walmart "dump bin". It is a fun movie that is good for everyone,doesn't really offend anyone anymore than anyone else, is good natured fun so, whatever is keeping it from occurring in a stable format should be looked into.

This one movie personifies Central Coast California in the seventies perfectly. Viewing it is like being there among the actors. Martin Mull just exudes the attitudes of California. It is funny with perfect acting, and serves well as how California has mutated into one of the most liberal politically-correct places in the country today. However, the askng price of $29 begs it should be a DVD! How can a VHS of the 70's demand such an amount?