Product Details

• Actors: Andy Dick, Janeane Garofalo, John F. O'Donohue, Bob Odenkirk
• Directors: John Fortenberry, Troy Miller
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• DVD Release Date: December 2, 2003
• Run Time: 299 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (75 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00008PHCU
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #57,790 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "The Ben Stiller Show" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

For its brief and shining moment--12 aired episodes, to be exact--The Ben Stiller Show, which aired on Fox in 1992, recaptured the anarchic spirit and subversively funny voice of first-season Saturday Night Live and SCTV. More too-hip-for-the-room than ahead of its time, the show suffered dismal ratings and was unceremoniously cancelled. It then went on to win an Emmy for best writing and attract a fervent following, enhanced by the fact that the series has seldom been syndicated. This long-awaited DVD release fills not a void, but an abyss. To watch Stiller, Janeane Garofalo, Andy Dick, and a pre-Mr. Show Bob Odenkirk at the dawn of their mostly unconventional careers, romp in the show's opening is akin to watching the Beatles frolic on that football field in A Hard Day's Night. Stiller and company's pitch-perfect and intimately observed skewering of movies, television, and show business convention could be exhilarating, as witness "Woody Allen's Bride of Frankenstein" (you'll never watch another Allen film with a straight face again), "Cape Munster," with Stiller as a psychopathic and vengeful Eddie Munster, "Skank," a potent comment on the crass programming that was initially Fox's stock in trade, and even brilliant riffs on the seminal reality series Cops, which re-imagine the series in witch-hysteric Salem, Massachussetts, ancient Egypt, and medieval times.

In addition to the cast's uncanny impersonations (Stiller's Bono, Tom Cruise, Bruce Springsteen, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Bruce Willis, and Garofalo's Juliette Lewis), The Ben Stiller Show was home to a gallery of recurring characters--agent Michael Pheret, the No, No, No Guy--who, thankfully, SNL producer Lorne Michaels was not around to parlay into godawful films. The topical humor can't help but date some of the material (the show is a veritable Trivial Pursuit of pop culture references, from The Partridge Family to Beverly Hills 90210, but the brilliance of the writing and sheer abandon of the performances are still a joy to behold. --Donald Liebenson

Product Description

The funniest show you never saw - starring Ben Stiller - is now available as a fully-loaded 2-disc DVD set, featuring all 12 regular season episodes plus an originally unaired episode. This cutting-edge Emmy-award winning sketch comedy show aired on Fox in the 1992-93 season and in syndication on Comedy Central.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars I hate to say it... May 22, 2007

By Chris Scelzo

Sometimes the memory is much better than the reality. I had fond memories of this show. While reviewing the DVDs recently, I realized that the one or two sketches I remember as being hilarious were indeed funny, but just. The other sketches were of rather poor quality. I wanted badly to like it, but it was rather embarassing; It was one of those shows that you brag to all your friends about how much they'll like it, only to shift uncomfortably as it unfolds before your eyes. One of those 'rent-before-you-buy's for sure.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Sketch Comedy At Its Very Best March 13, 2003

By T. Henson

The Ben Stiller Show aired for 12 episodes on FOX during the 1992-1993 season. Critics praised the show even though it routinely came DEAD LAST in the nielson ratings...which is probably why you've never heard of the show. They stuck it up against 60 Minutes at one point. Don't be fooled, though. This is brilliant sketch comedy from a group of talented comedians that have all gone on to bigger and better things. Ben Stiller, Janeane Garofalo, Andy Dick, and Bob Odenkirk spend most of the show creating dead-on hilarious parodies of television, movies, actors, and anything else that reeks of Hollywood. A 13th "Lost Episode" was uncovered when Comedy Central aired The Ben Stiller Show a few years back, and it is included in the DVD as well. The only drawback is that, yes, some of the material is a bit dated. Still, don't let that keep you from enjoying one of the best sketch comedy shows to grace the airwaves. Fans of Bob Odenkirk's "Mr. Show" should enjoy seeing some of his earlier work as well. It's a shame FOX didn't give this show the support it deserved.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Ben Stiller Experiment December 13, 2003

By fra7299 VINE™ VOICE

This compilation is one of those DVDs that has been long overdue. After looking desperately for chances to see this "one season" wonder on Comedy Central years back, I was pleased to find out recently that I could see the entire season for a little more than twenty dollars by buying it online.

The DVD chronicles the 12 episodes of Ben Stiller's Show, which ran on MTV from 1992 to 1993. The cast includes Ben Stiller, Janeane Garofalo (remember her?), Andy Dick and Bob Odenkirk doing sketches and parodies of popular early 90s shows, commercials and fads. There is also one unaired episode included, as well as commentaries and outtakes from a few of the episodes.

This show mocks the aggravations of trendy television that sprang up in the late 80s/early 90s. There are plenty of stabs at FOX's "rich" kids shows, Hollywood blockbuster movies, commercials and MTV shows. For instance, there is a running parody called "Melrose Heights 90210-2402" which pokes fun at the over dramatization and hipness of yuppie-teen television that came to prominence with Melrose Place and Beverly Hills. There is also "Legends of Springsteen", where we learn the many achievements of the legendary "Boss" (such as how he fought off alien invaders at a cafe). Another highlight is "The Grungies" segment, which mocks the Grunge "X" Generation movement of the early 90s (Nirvana, Pearl Jam, etc) by combining it with the popular 60s show "The Monkees." It is also has a scattering of action movie skits that mimic action movies: Die Hard 12: Die Hungry, Cape Munster, and Advantage Agassi (Andre Agassi as a tennis-playing, crime fighter in a prototypical cheesy B-Movie subplot). Numerous commercials (What is sexy?..., the "Pig" Latin singer), a mockumentary of U2 (Stiller as Bono), Ben's Video Diary, and Headslammer's Ball are other notable segments included.

An excellent buy for a Ben Stiller fan, and definitely worth a shot if you are unfamiliar with the show. Essentially, this is smart comedy. Read more ›

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars THE BEST SKETCH COMEDY SHOW....EVER!!! May 19, 2003

By Keaton fan

The Ben Stiller Show was, in my opinion, the best sketch comedy show....EVER. A fantastic cast, Stiller, Garafalo, Odenkirk, and Dick. Brilliant writers. incredibly funny sketches and short films.
Some of the best were "Of Buildings And Women"(a take off of French art films), "Manson"(a parody of "Lassie" starring Charles Manson), "The Grungees"(a modern day version of "The Monkees" featuring a grunge band, with guest appearance by Micky Dolenz),"Skank"(a sitcom about a loud-mouthed, racist sock-puppet and his loving family...with guest spots by Todd Bridges and the late(great)Norman Fell),"Jake Steel, Marionette Cop"(about...well, just what the title says),and so much more!
I would highly recommend this collection for any fan of sketch comedy, film buffs or people who grew up in front of the television in the 60s and 70s (as I did).

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Ben Stiller Show Still Funny After All These Years December 6, 2003

By A Customer

The Ben Stiller Show was a very humorous program back in 1992 when Fox canceled it. The show still went on to win an Emmy Award, which is very ironic becasue of its cancellation. The show was a vehicle for its stars Ben Stiller, Janeane Garofalo, Andy Dick, and Bob Odenkirk. The DVD includes all of the 12 episodes that made it on to the Fox Network including an unaired 13th episode.

The show had guest stars like Danny Bonaduce (The Partridge Family), David Cassidy (The Partridge Family), Dave Madden (Mr. Kincaid, The Partridge Family), Gary Shandling, Tom and Roseanne Arnold (still married back in 1992), Sarah Jessica Parker, Dennis Miller (who prophesized the shows cancellation on one of the episodes) and many more.

On the infomercial, parody to promote the release of the DVD, which aired Dec. 2, 2003 on Comedy Central Janeane Garofalo, said jokingly "Some of it holds up." Well a lot of it does hold up such as Skank, The Bruce Springsteen sketches, Tom Cruise: Dress Casual, Oliver Stoneland, Scotty Fantasy, The B-Minus Time Traveler, Manson and many more.

There are several skits, which are dated. Those particular skits were funny back then but aren't as funny now especially if you were too young to recall any of that pop culture. Information 411 parody of Rescue 911 with William Shatner, Blue and White Shampoo parody of annoying Head and Shoulders commercials, Amish Studs parody of the Fox dating game show Studs, The Grungies parody of the Monkees (outdated if you have never seen the the Monkees at all) and Rob Morrow from the TV show Northern Exposure as a guest star (younger family member had no clue who he was)....

Now if you are a big fan of the commentaries that many DVDs have you must be alerted that not all of the Ben Stiller Show episodes have commentaries and many of the ones that do have them do not contain the entire cast, which is a bummer.

I would guess that it probably took this long to release the Ben Stiller Show because Warner Bros thought Ben Stiller was a big enough star now that people other than the few who actually saw the show would buy the DVD set.

Overall, it's still a very humorous show. The quality of the images are far better then the recent worn out looking ones that I viewed on Comedy Central. It doesn't have any kind of social or political messages that you might hear from one of its stars now. The show is just funny comedy to watch. Read more ›