Product Details

• Actors: Will Smith, James Avery, Daphne Reid, Alfonso Ribeiro, Karyn Parsons
• Directors: Chuck Vinson, Eddie Gorodetsky, Madeline Cripe, Maynard C. Virgil I, Shelley Jensen
• Writers: Andy Borowitz, Arnold Rudnick, Barry Gurstein
• Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
• Subtitles: Spanish, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 4
• Rating: Unrated
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• DVD Release Date: August 8, 2006
• Run Time: 584 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000FL7C8W
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #6,956 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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  Movies & TV > Comedy > Television > The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

• For more information about "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air - The Complete Fourth Season" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

• This is item 4 in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Series.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The fourth season of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (which aired on television for six years) finds Will (Will Smith) and Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro) as college freshmen trying to fit in on campus. Carlton's mom, Vivian, who was played by Janet Hubert-Whitten, is now portrayed by the attractive but not-as-funny Daphne Maxwell Reid. And supermodel Tyra Banks shows up as Will's latest girlfriend, Jackie. While not quite as strong as the series' first two years, this fourth season--which aired from 1993 to 1994--still packs plenty of laughs. Smith, who at the time was busily parlaying his TV success into a film career, had not yet become a huge movie star. His charm and likeability were more important at this time than his acting skills, but Smith's charisma is undeniable. Whether he's manipulating his indulgent uncle Philip (James Avery), bossing around his bumbling cousin Carlton, or basically pimping out his other cousin Hilary (Karyn Parsons) to a professor in order to get a good grade, Will comes across as a good boy who does stupid things. There is always a lesson learned and, just as often, a lesson forgotten. Though played for laughs, the series also deals with serious subject matters in an evenhanded way. After Philip is told to diet and exercise, Will thinks he's doing his uncle a favor by sneaking him fatty meals. When Philip has a heart attack, Will has to deal with the consequences of what he did. Did he give Philip the snacks to make his uncle happy, or because it made him feel good to go against authority? When Will is accepted into a snooty African-American fraternity that rejects Carlton, he learns what it's like to discriminate against your own people.

Some of the characters on The Fresh Prince by now have overstayed their welcome. Hilary has become a caricature of the spoiled and ineffectual rich girl. And as with many sitcoms based around their young stars, Philip and Vivian are superfluous add-ons now. But Carlton's baby sister Ashley (Tatyana Ali), who is growing into a lovely young woman, exhibits spunky exuberance as she tackles the rituals of dating and trying to show her parents she's not a little girl anymore. Ali also gets to show off her singing chops this season, tackling Aretha Franklin's "Respect." As for the show's celebrity guest stars (Donald Trump, Hugh Hefner), it's Smith's former rapping partner DJ Jazzy Jeff who makes the most refreshing appearance as (what else?) Will's buddy from back in the day. --Jae-Ha Kim

Product Description

Combining urban edge with sizzling sitcom style, Will Smith gives a graduate course in comedy in a 4-disc collection that features all 26 fourth-season episodes of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Your homework assignment is to watch 'em all. You'll laugh large!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Season 4. Yo' Holmes to Bel-Air!, May 24, 2006

By	P. Burgos "J.D. NASHMAN" (Hanford, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Season 4 had some major changes to the show. First off, Vivian is played by Daphne Maxwell-Reid (Tim Reid's Wife) and also Little Nicky Banks comes into the picture, at least it gives this show the best last 3 seasons of the show. Here are the episodes to expect in the 4th season.

74. Where There's a Will, There's a Way (Part 1 of 2)
College-bound Will and Carlton settle into their new L.A. party pad, to which Carlton brings the woman of his dreams -- Jackie. Unfortunately, it is also soon overrun with partygoers.

75. Where There's a Will, There's a Way (Part 2 of 2)
Will brings Carlton shocking news that Jackie is an old friend of his from Philly; the two guys get evicted from their apartment; and Hilary asks for a "special" proposal from Trevor -- and gets it.

76. All Guts, No Glory
Registration day finds Will signing up for no-brainer classes, plus one that might truly challenge him -- a philosophy course he takes to meet a girl.

77. Father of the Year
Stuck with caring for Nicky for the day, Will soon discovers the benefits of baby-sitting: he's suddenly a big man on campus with the women so long as he poses as a single dad.

78. It's Better to Have Loved and Lost It...
After Will's friends guys rib Carlton about being a virgin, Miss Right (Belcon) appears and sweeps Carlton off his feet. Elsewhere, Geoffrey confesses a secret of his own.

79. Will Goes a-Courtin'
When Phillip sues Will and Carlton for unpaid rent, two different versions of the dispute are aired -- neither entirely truthful.

80. Hex and the Single Guy
Hilary summons an outrageous TV psychic and spirit channeler who arranges a séance to communicate with the dead and enable Hilary to get over Trevor once and for all -- and hexes a disbelieving Will.

81. Blood is Thicker Than Mud
Will and Carlton try to get accepted into an African-American fraternity; Will proves to be just what they want in a pledge, but one of the brothers sees Carlton as a "prep-school, Bel Air-bred sellout."

82. Fresh Prince After Dark
Will breaks a date with Jackie to accompany Hilary to a Playboy Mansion reception for weather reporters being photographed for the magazine.

83. Home is Where the Heart Attack Is
Will sneaks greasy, high-fat foods to Philip after he promises to diet and exercise, then blames himself when Philip has a heart attack.

84. Take My Cousin -- Please
On academic probation, Will schemes to improve his grades by fixing up a newly divorced English professor with Hilary, who soon finds fault with the man, further jeopardizing Will's academic future.

85. You've Got To Be a Football Hero
Will uses booze to prove his manliness while competing with a hulking football hero who wants to score points with Jackie, and his fraternity brothers leave drunken Will in a cemetery, where he is haunted. Meanwhile, Ashley learns that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

86. 'Twas the Night Before Christening
Vivian promises god-motherhood of her child to both of her sisters, while Will hatches a harebrained scheme to get Boyz II Men to perform at baby Nicky's christening.

87. Sleepless in Bel-Air
Will pays for putting off studying for a midterm until the last minute, and Ashley pays for staying out late on her first date.

88. Who's the Boss
Business drops off at the Peacock Stop when Carlton takes over as manager; elsewhere, an "I Hate Hilary" newsletter precipitates stormy weather.

89. I Know Why the Caged Bird Screams
Will and Jazz steal a statue from a rival school, whose team retaliates by kidnapping ULA's lucky charm -- Carlton, the strutting peacock mascot.

90. When You Hit Upon a Star
Will becomes a jet-setter while dating a pop star.

91. Stop Will! In the Name of Love
A Valentine's double date finds Will treating Ashley like a kid and Ashley demanding r-e-s-p-e-c-t.

92. You'd Better Shop Around
A car dealer hires Will, then persuades him to drop out of college.

93. The Ol' Ball and Chain
Philip foots the bill when Jazz decides to marry a jailbird -- who moves in on Will.

94. The Harder They Fall
An overprotective dad takes Will flying to scare him out of getting too serious with his daughter.


95. M is For the Many Things She Gave Me
It's double trouble for Will when Philip's old flame visits with her daughter, who's attracted to Will.

96. Mother's Day
Newlyweds Jazz and Jewel try to start a family, but it turns out they're going to need a little help -- from Will; Phil urges the kids to give Vivian thoughtful Mother's Day gifts.


97. Papa's Got a Brand-New Excuse
Will's long-lost father, Lou, breezes into town and promises Will the moon, which angers Phil and Vivian, who give him the cold shoulder for walking out on Will and Vy. When Will was an infant, his father went to get a pack of cigarettes and never came back. Years later he became a trucker, but Will was going to college by then. When his father abandons him a second time, Will accepts the fact that Uncle Phil is the closest thing to a father that he has ever had.


98. For Sale By Owner
A stranger makes a generous offer for the Banks estate, which prompts the family to reminisce about their good times there.

99. The Philadelphia Story
Will returns to the City of Brotherly Love and discovers he's the [...] of old friends' jokes, prompting him to go into training to settle an old score and clear his reputation as a chicken.

I can't wait for seasons 5 and 6 to come out within the next year or so. It's real cool now!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "But it'll cut into my trick-or-treating time!", January 26, 2007

By	E.J. Rupert (Milwaukee, WI) - See all my reviews

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air - The Complete Fourth Season

The fourth season of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" isn't the best season but it still had a lot of funny episodes. The first two episodes are probably the funniest, especially the second one where Hilary's fiancé Trevor hurts himself bungee-jumping on TV. Philip then says, "Let's just hope Trevor's okay." Cut to the next scene, everyone's in black and Philip says, "Well, it was a lovely service."

The problem with this season was the new Vivian. Daphne Maxwell-Reid is a good actress but it's hard to top Janet Hubert-Whitten's version. Janet made Vivian feisty and a take-no-mess type while Daphne's sterile version made it hard to watch (the writers must have known that too, maybe that's why Daphne wasn't in that many episodes). The good news with that is that the focus shifts from Vivian and onto the other characters, which in turn makes them stronger (see Will in "Papa's Got a Brand New Excuse" - my favorite episode).

The problem with the DVD set is that it looks rushed. Even the menu appears half-hearted compared to previous "Fresh Prince" sets. Also, there are no special features at all - but I guess that's not a big loss because all I usually watch are the episodes and the special features in previous sets weren't all that special, as someone mentioned earlier.

This season shows that the show wasn't on its death bed just yet. That would happen during the last season. -EJR

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Still great, despite changes, October 21, 2006

By	Trevor R. Raichura (Ginowan, Okinawa, Japan) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

First, my two complaints about this DVD collection. 1) Daphne Maxwell Reid is not half the Vivian that her predecessor was. In fact, I find that the new Vivian gets on my nerves. She is not the same character as she was in the past. They may as well have written in a divorce and re-marriage or something! 2) This season has no special features. I guess this isn't the worst thing, since the first three seasons' "special features" were not so special in the first place!

Having gotten those two things out of the way, this season gives us as many laughs as previous seasons, and even has some extremely serious moments to boot. Will and Carlton face new challenges and adventures as college freshmen. Hilary mourns the tragic death of her fiancé Trevor. Ashley continues to embrace young adulthood, even if the rest of the family is unwilling to allow her to grow up. There is wonderful on-screen chemistry/tension between Will and Jackie (played by Tyra Banks). Other special appearances are made by Robert Guillaume, Hugh Hefner, Donald Trump, and Boyz II Men.

Here are some of season 4's highlights:

All Guts, No Glory: Will faces the challenge of sticking with a class that forces him to try.
Father of the Year: Will receives extra attention from the ladies when they believe he is a single dad.
Blood is Thicker Than Mud: Will and Carlton attempt to work their way into a college fraternity. Unfortunately, Carlton is not seen as "black enough."
Home is Where the Heart Attack is: Philip promises to try to lose weight, but Will sneaks him burgers to satisfy his cravings. A heart attack results.
`Twas the Night Before Christening: Philip explains to little Nicky how he received 4 middle names at his christening. Special appearance: Boyz II Men
Who's the Boss?: Carlton becomes manager of the Peacock Stop, and Will learns what Geoffrey knew all along: life isn't easy when you work for a Banks.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Screams: Carlton, ULA's mascot (the pigeon) gets kidnapped by their rivals before the big game.
You'd Better Shop Around: Will decides to drop out of college to sell cars.
Papa's Got a Brand New Excuse: Will's father comes to pay him a visit, making many promises to spend more time with his son. (This episode is a real tear-jerker.)
The Philadelphia Story: The Banks family takes a trip to Philly, only to find out that Will has become a joke in his hometown.

As in my previous reviews, I have only highlighted my personal favorite episodes - they're all good! A warning to those who might watch this as a family: the content in this season is racier than in all others! A lot more innuendo and sexual content! Still, compared with what's on TV these days, it is reasonably mild. This is yet another wonderful season of a great TV show!