Rating: Summary: Enjoy yourself. Be stupid and buy this! Review: Absolutely the best! The chemistry of the five main characters (Edmondson, Mayall, Planer, Ryan, and Sayle) mesh like so few shows ever have. Why is this show so great? Because it always went for broke. Every show is an absolute trainwreck! If you don't find it funny, you've probably been lobotomized!
Rating: Summary: Hands Up Who Likes Me? Review: I have waited and waited and waited since the early 80s for this. "The Young Ones" is a look at 4 guys, with 4 different personalities, sharing a flat, living in Britian. Watching these brings back great memories for me as well as laughing so hard that tears actually stream down my face. If you like alternative humor then this is a great pick. Buy it and meet Rik, Vyvyan, Neil and Mike as they try (or do they?) to get along with each other! You know you want to, right kids?
Rating: Summary: An 80's Classic All The Way Review: Loud,obnoxious and hilarious the Young Ones only flaw was that there were so few episodes. If you're a child of the 80's you'll love this set! One note: the episode "Cash" had the song removed I believe for copyright reasons. It's too bad because it was an all-star Brit band doing Dylan's Subterranean Homesick Blues. I like it better than Dylan's version. It is not on the video release either.
Rating: Summary: One of a Kind Review: There was never anything quite like The Young Ones and there never will be. It's almost impossible to copy this outrageously bizarre and far-fetched TV show anyway. It's even impossible to exaggerate how crazy it was. Do I have to say I totally love it? each episode is crammed full of eternally quotable dialogue, wonderful physical comedy and insane, unexpected plot developments. The Young Ones takes place in a universe where absolutely ANTHING can and WILL happen. Rick is undeniably the best character tho. He and Vivian get into the stupidest fights and argue over the dumbest of things. Neil the hippy is also consistently amusing in his many failed attempts to off himself. Mike hardly ever had any funny lines but thankfully no episode really ever revolved around him. Plus a Bolowski family member (always played by Alexi Sayle) pops up in each episode to add to the mayhem. What makes the show priceless are the totally irrelevant and senseless intercut scenes. Check out the episode 'CASH' for the best example of this. And, in an effort to raise the budget from 'sitcom' to 'light entertainment' the show had a musical performance each week from the likes of Jools Holland, Madness and Motorhead. They never intrude tho as they are cut over madcap montages. It speaks volumes of the youth of 80's Britain and has a lot to say about the politics of the Tory Government at the time. All four play penniless students, surviving on lentils, who are completely unconcerned about their exams or coming bottom in the whole world. This is mainly channelled thru Rick (Mayall co-wrote the show with Ben Elton) who is the most studenty of them all, a wannabe anarchist and people's poet. Vyvian is a hard, hardcore Sex Pistols-like punk/thug who thinks nothing of having steel stars stuck onto his forehead or chopping his fingers off for a laugh. Neil smells. And has no quibbles picking up dead pigeons off the street to cook for dinner. Mike is a ladies man, despite the fact there are precious few ladies around him. All four get on like a house burning down. Or exploding like a cigar thrown into fart gas. The show was shot on early 80's video with an aspect ratio of 1.33:1. the picture quality is not the best but it's always looked like a TV show so it's perfectly adequate. The sound is Mono but that's all you need to enjoy. The extras seem cool but they're not really. There is a bonus episode from Filthy Rich and Catflap and one from Bottom (the episode 'Smells' in which Ritchie and Eddie try to lure two lesbians with foul-smelling pheromone spray). The 15-minutes long 'Creating the Young Ones' is quite superficial and deserved to be much longer. And where are the new interviews with Edmondson, Ryan and Sayle? The same applies to 'The Young Ones and the 80s'. Why wasn't it longer? Five postcards of all the main stars are also included in the set. And you must buy it.
Rating: Summary: oh hell yes Review: this show absolutely rocks - some episodes better than others... as a matter of fact some episodes are simply horrid without a shred of real humor. but the GOOD ONES...! they more than make up for it in that... they are classic and can be watched again and again. I mean, c'mon... Vivian the old skool punk, Neil the lame proto-almost-goth early eighties hippie (nobody liked hippies then AT ALL), and that annoying as hell sociology major guy (Vivian seems to hate him even more than Neil the hippie)... very quality sterotypes of young edgy guys in a pseudo frat of their own creation. i like it, maybe you will too. ah, i spent my childhood watching this, voltron, and robotech with my bro... NOSTALGIA BLAH BLAH BLAH
Rating: Summary: It brings back memories... Review: When I was younger, in the early 80's I would watch "The Young Ones" religiously on MTV. Although I don't recall that much, except Madhouse, Dexy Midnight Runners and the characters of Neil, Rick and Vyvyan, this is one DVD collection for those who have the seen show which I can say is that it's very much worth getting. The memories of the show really brought back the musical memories of the early days and this is like discovering a time capsule. I was so stoked to buy this DVD! There are many wonderful reviews on Amazon about the show and synopsis of the show, so what I'll get into in this review is more or less for the newbie and is the DVD worth getting. I'm one of the guys who enjoys introducing people to things outside of their usual paradigm and friends who have a curiousity of the show and have been newly enjoying BBC entertainment have asked if the DVD is worth getting. Will they love it? They loved Fawlty Towers, they loved Coupling a lot but will they love "The Young Ones". So, if you are one of those individuals, I have to say that "The Young Ones" is unique because although there is a story, things really go off in different places with each character. Each character are very different, it's hillarious to see them diss each other and to see a punk, an wannabe anarchist, a hippie and a money grubbing womanizer interact is quite hillarious for me. A friend asked if it's like "Dumb and Dumber" type comedy and I really can't say that it is. It's a comedy that's unique in itself because it does something that other comedies don't do or have never done on television. You can have a story but then it will switch to another character or people and disrupt the storyline but if you have an open mind to ridiculous comedy especially during the 80's, you will love the episodes. One episode which I found hillarious is when the guys haven't wash their clothes in years and poor Neil is called smelly. Unfortunately, when they try to wash their clothes, even the machines reject their smelly clothes. When Rick pulls down his trousers, exposing the raunchiest brown and stained underwear ever seen on television...ewww... But the episodes are so funny. As for the DVD, I think being treated with those bonus episodes of shows that the other actors have been part of such as "Filty Rich & Catflap" and "Bottom" were great additions to the DVD's. "Bottom" is so funny with Mayall and Edmondson as roommates who desperately want to score with girls and spray tons of hormone drenching cologne on them to see if it does attract women. then you have the two featurettes and much more. The video and audio quality is good for it's time, so don't expect 5.1 surround sound. And yes, there is English subtitling to understand some words that may come so quickly. All in all, for those who never seen it or want to try it, if you are into crazy humor featuring the world's stickiest booger, a nuclear bomb next to a fridge and a singing tomato, you'll love the episodes and the DVD is a definite bonus! Fans of the 80's show...this DVD is definitely worth buying!
Rating: Summary: How did I live without this???? Review: This is by far the best sitcom/DVD I've ever seen! Aside from the Young Ones being absolutely brilliant there is a whole disk of pilots from other Rick Mayall and Adrien Edmunson series' such as Bottom. I can watch these episodes over and over.
Rating: Summary: a personal recommendation Review: Hello there, Toxteth here. I highly recommend this as without it no one would remember my world breaking marshmallow record. I hoped that they would have included my amazing feat on the dvd extras, but never mind. Enjoy The Young Ones, and whenever you hear marshmallows, think Toxteth O Grady.
Rating: Summary: Hello, boys, anyone home? Review: I was really happy that this show was on DVD, it's one of my favorites from Britain. All twelve episodes are here, complete with the musical guests playing intact (Madness "Our House", "House of Fun"; Motorhead "Ace of Spades", Dexy's Midnight Runners "Jackie Wilson Said" [nope, not "Too-rye-ay"!]) and there's a couple of pilot episodes to two other series stars Adrian Edmundson (Vyv, the funny guy with funny faces) and Rik Myall (Rik, the funny people's poet). Just one problem, though...where's the episode of the Brit show Comic Strip entitled Bad News, which starred all four guys as a fake metal group (think Spinal Tap)? Oh, well, funny stuff anyway. -MINESWEEP
Rating: Summary: God, fascist. Review: Being only 18, I might have been born a decade too late, but The Young Ones is still as apparently funny now in 2003 as it was back in 1982. The constant bad jokes, the stereotypical characters, (Mike the playboy, Rick the anarchist, Vyvyan the metalhead punk and Neil the hippie) but mostly the pure physical comedy dynamic of Adrian Edmondson and Rik Mayall is what gives this show its extra brilliance. I was subjected to Drop Dead Fred and Bottom before I'd ever seen The Young Ones, so I was properly prepared for the humour value of Rik. The real talent in the show lies in underappreciated comedian, Alexei Sayle, who wrote all the extra sketches within the show, and starred as all the members of the Balowski family - Jerzei, Reggie, Alexei, Tommy, Billy, and Brian. Basic lowdown of the show - Series 1 - Episode 1 - Demolition This episode is just when the characters are first being developed, so they're a little sketchy. Still really funny. Vyvyan comes home and tells the guys that the council has given the okay for the house to be demolished the next morning. After attempting to kill himself, Neil makes his last lentil supper as a final positive action, Rik goes on a protest, Mike tries to bed the lady from the council board, and Vyv smashes the place up. Classic. Features Nine Below Zero playing live. Episode 2 - Oil The guys move into a new place. Mike turns Rick's room into a roller disco, and forces him to double up with Neil. The next day, Vyvyan strikes oil in the basement while playing Murder in The Dark, and as a result, Mike becomes the fascist "El Presidente". Together with his henchman Colonel Vyvyan, they order Neil and Rick to dig up all the oil. Rick organises a mass rock concert benefit to help the oppressed workers of the house, and it goes horribly wrong. Episode 3 - Boring The guys are absolutely bored, and nothing can save them now. A round of Monopoly bores Neil so much that he goes and digs a grave for himself, "just in case." To combat boredom, the guys leave the house and go down to the Kebab and Calculator to find that Vyv's mum is a bartender who turns out to have it on for Mike in a bad way. Episode 4 - Bomb The lads wake up to find a bomb in the house. Everyone seems to have their own idea on how to deal with it. Mike decides to contact every ethnic majority in London and try auction it off. Rick decides to hold London at ransom, and gets done up in his activist gear to go send a telegram to Thatcher. Neil builds a bomb shelter under the kitchen table, and all Vyv seems to want to do is blow the thing up. All this, plus a visit from the TV detector man, and they haven't even got a license. Episode 5 - Interesting It's the most important party of Rick's life, and the house has been crushed by a giant sandwich. The boys hold a little get together at their place, which turns out to become pretty hectic. Rick has an embarassing episode with some tampons, Mike scores a princess, Vyv tries to dissect random people, and Neil gets massively stoned and takes a trip to the moon. Very funny episode. Episode 6 - Flood Probably my favourite of all time. London starts to flood, and Rick starts a game of hide and seek to pass the time. Vyvyan, meanwhile, has made a cure for not being a axe wielding homocidal maniac, and left it inside a Coke can where no-one will dare drink it. Problem is, Jerzei Balowski comes along and devours the lot. What more could you want in Britcom? Second Series Bambi - Episode 1 It's washing day. The guys make a long awaited trip to the laundrette, and then Neil remembers that they've been picked to go on the game-show, University Challenge. Guest stars Emma Thompson, Motorhead, Ben Elton, and Hugh Laurie. Awesome episode. Episode 2 - Cash My favourite. The guys are very low on cash. Vyv starts burning random objects around the house, until Mike decides someone should get a job. Rick has a burst eardrum, Mike has a bad leg... and Vyvyan's pregnant, so looks like Neil has to bite the bullet and become a member of the police force to support Vyv's baby on the way. Episode 3 - Nasty Mike borrows a VCR for the night from one of his contacts, and he and Vyv decide to indulge in an all night orgy of sex and violence... video-wise, of course. Naturally, the guys are sent a package from the Transvaal, and a South African vampire seems to stuff their video plans up just a tad. Features The Damned playing live. Episode 4 - Time Rick wakes up with a woman in his bed. She turns out to be a homicidal maniac. Enough said. Episode 5 - Sick All the boys have come down with the flu. Time for a chill out day. In an effort to stay somewhat clean, they tie snotty Neil up in a garbage bag, until Brian Damage, one of the Balowski boys, decides to hold up the house and ruin their plans. And Neil's just remembered, his parents are coming for tea! This episode features a really funny parody on The Good Life, although non Brit and Australian viewers probably won't understand it. Episode 6 - Final - Summer Holiday Such a tragic end. The summer holidays are upon the boys. Yay. After a lot of fussing around with boredom and playing Rick's stupid games, his parents die, and they're all thrown out of the house with no money. Best thing to do? Rob a bank and steal a big red bus. After all that, if you're still comedy starved, I highly suggest trying to get your hands on a copy of Bottom Live, because the first episode featured on this DVD, "Smells", isn't nearly as funny as the improvisation that goes on whilst Ade and Rik are onstage. Happy viewing, ....
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