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Malcolm in the Middle - The Complete First Season

Malcolm in the Middle - The Complete First Season

List Price: $39.98
Your Price: $29.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Absolutely Hilarious!
Review: Buy this DVD Set, you will not be disappointed. All the episodes will keep you laughing for days. I am impatiently awaiting the release of the subsequent seasons.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Hysterical Entertainment
Review: If nothing else, this series deserves credit for the stuff it gets right! I have three younger brothers and a (sometimes) psychotic mother (and I'm taking the fifth on whether she's always been crazy or was driven there by her children); sometimes this show comes incredibly close to events within our household. Thankfully, we usually do less property damage.

Malcolm (as the title implies) is 'in the middle' of his family - as in, Malcolm is a middle child with two older brothers, Frances and Reese, and one younger brother, Dewey. Frances is at military school as a result of his discipline problems; Reese is the school bully, Malcolm is the 'normal' one (or so he thinks); and Dewey is the youngest and very precocious (honestly, I can't really describe Dewey, he just IS). His parents are Hal and Lois, a low level executive and convenience store clerk, respectively. Hal is loving but irresponsible while Lois rules the house with equal parts love and frightening insanity (don't get me wrong, she loves her kids, and they often deserve what they get).

Malcolm's world comes crashing in on him in the pilot episode as it is discovered that he is not nearly as normal as he hoped. He's a genius. A REAL genius. Against his wishes, he is transfered into the Krelboyne class (Krelboyne is the name of the advanced program) with the 'weird' kids, known to the rest of the school as simply 'Krelboynes' and led by their scarily cheerful teacher.

This introduction to Malcolm's world is hysterical and often offers great insights into kids, middle school politics (which do exist), family, and even sometimes society.

'Malcolm in the Middle' may not be everyone's idea of entertainment but it will always be one of my very favorites and this boxed set is worth every penny to the person who enjoys the show.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Was MY family like this?
Review: Living outside the U.S. for a while now, I've been a bit out of touch with American television for the last few years. So, when a friend of mine handed me this DVD set and said "You've got to see this show", I got my first taste of "Malcolm In The Middle"...and was completely hooked.

This show is not only funny and original, but it seems to strike a familiar chord with childhood memories. Not only mine, but also everyone that I've discussed this series with. Although the family in the series appears (at first glance, anyway) to be thoroughly dysfunctional, they grow on you as the series progresses. I began to recognize bits and pieces of my own childhood, whether it was some absurd thing said by one of my parents, a kid-like caper pulled off in school, or some friend that I had that didn't quite "fit in". I can relate to this show.

The writing is excellent and extremely funny, even managing to put valuable life lessons across, without being heavy handed. The acting is top notch, reminiscent of "Family Ties" and "Home Improvement" in its ensemble cast chemistry and tightness. And, although a surprise, I found the unique innovation of not including a laugh track to be refreshing, allowing me to decide what was funny (almost everything), rather than trying to force me down the road of simulated amusement.

The DVD set is a great value. Fantastic transfers (as best as I can tell, without ever having seen an actual broadcast), great sound, and jam packed with special features. There's about 3 hours of commentary for selected scenes, a bloopers reel, 4 unaired opening scenes, 4 deleted scenes, and a handful of "promos". There are also 3 fairly interesting featurettes covering the show itself, the crew, and a day in the life of "Dewey" (Eric Per Sullivan). The only lame feature of the entire set was a small section called "MalcolmVision", which was basically just some framing goofs as a result of the program's shooting in a 16X9 format. An incredibly small negative for what is overwhelmingly an outstanding boxed set.

Good show, good price, and exceptional entertainment...You just can't go wrong with this series. I can't wait for the release of season two!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Show
Review: Malcolm in the Middle is one of the best shows on TV. All of the actors on the show play their character quite well. My favorite character on the show is Reese or Malcolm. Dewey is OK sometimes but mostly is purely obnoxious. Watch it every Sunday at 9:00 PM on FOX!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The best thing since sliced bread!
Review: these 3 disks will keep u doubled over with laughter! Whether its because Reese *justin berfield* trys out for the cheerleading squad or because malcolm *muniz* finds out he is "special" or maybe one of Francis's strange military school happenings it is certainly Fox's best. I have seen EVERY EPISODE ON THESE 3 DISKS PROBABLY AROUND 20 TIMES EACH!! they never get old! I personally liked all the episodes and the special features were really awesome too! u get to see all sorts of interesting behind the scenes stuff and a mini bio of eric per sullivan *dewey* DEFINATELY WORTH IT!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Kids Love It
Review: Makes long trips short. The kids have watched several time over.
Well worth the money

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Buy it!
Review: I just recently purchased this DVD set, and I love it. I didn't get to see the first season while it was being aired....satelite dish not broadcasting Fox....if you own one then you know.I've seen some of the more recent episodes.It has to be one of the funniest shows I've had the pleasure of watching in years. An added bonus is the extra features this release contains. I've read reviews where people pick this show apart because of its phsycological portayal of the mother. All I have to say is that if my brain where constantly functioning on a level where something as simple as a show like this can't be enjoyed then I would look into my relationship with my OWN mother and not worry about this one ( I bet you'd love Barbara Streisand, Pricilla Queen of the Desert and dressing in moms clothes ), LOL. Get this DVD.........you'll love it.....promise.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Glorified child abuse and other family sitcom cliches
Review: I have tried to like Malcolm in the Middle since its inception. There are certainly funny moments, and the cast is talented and occasionally extremely charming, but I just can't stomach the overall premise. It's a tired rehash of the mamma knows best theme that has been visited in Rosanne, Momma's Family, Married with Children, and even Friends. The underlying message is that the control-freak mother's behavior is justified because her sons and husband are so incredibly clueless. Without her hawk-eye and abusive tirades, they would be in deeper trouble than they're in (of course, the idea that the mother may've programmed them to be ineffectual because she needs to be a rescuer, nah, that's too existential for a primetime sitcom). If the father on Malcolm in the Middle yelled and ridiculed the children and his spouse the way the mother does, the producers and writers would be up to their necks in complaints for glorifying abusive fathers. But since it's the mother who behaves this way it is seen as some skewed form of "liberation" and assertiveness on her part. I could probably write an entire book on why this theme appeals to the American public.

Okay, okay, Malcolm in the Middle is just a show and I shouldn't take it too serious. I don't. I just don't understand why this show has been hailed by so many as groundbreaking. There is hardly anything original here at all! Every sitcom cliche is present in Malcolm in the Middle: over-protective annoying mother (Rosanne), dumb father (father on Married with Children; Homer on Simpsons), genius but unappreciated child (Lisa on Simpsons), trouble-making boy with testosterone pouring out his ears (take your pick: Bud from Married with Children; Bart from Simpsons; Dennis from Dennis the Menace), invisible younger child (Maggie from Simpsons, Tina Yother's character from Family Ties). And the corrupting older brother is so pervasive a concept that I won't even enter into a recounting of where we've seen it. I think that perhaps the only new concept in Malcolm in the Middle is its focus: it allows the story to be told from the perspective of the genius child, who is usually a background characters in most shows (but even this element is being lost as the series progresses). Maybe another innovation is the absence of the live studio audience laugh track.

I think Malcolm in the Middle would have been really groundbreaking had it visited the concepts of boys developing later in life than girls, having more difficulty in school because of their more unstable nervous system, and depicted parents who approach their sons' sensitivity with some compassion. Of course, if it did all these things then America would not watch. We are far more attracted to the concept of boys not really having any sensitivity, and to laughing at them when they get hurt, scared, confused, etc. Heck, having their sensitivity degraded and ridiculed to the point of almost complete suppression is how boys learn to be MEN! (Please note my sarcasm.)

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: MITM ROCKS
Review: hI
I HAD THIS DVD SHIPPED IN TO THE UK LAST MONTH AND IT WAS EXCELLENT KEEP IT UP fRANKIE.
i WAS VERY DISSAPOINTED THAT fOx DECIDED NOT TO RELEASE THE DVD IN THE UK

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Most Hillarious Show on TV!
Review: Malcolm in the Middle is truly an incredible show. Even the worst episode is very funny.

Pilot-Seems a little different than the typical Malcolm humor. Some people will love it, others won't. But overall it is funny-A-

Red Dress-A classic episode! Dewey(my favorite character) has a great role, and every character makes you laugh a billion times-A+

Home Alone 4-Pretty funny, but not as good as Red Dress. One character doesn't really stand out-A-

Shame-Really funny episode. Stevie has a funny line in this one. There is a wierd part that I don't really get, but I think it's supposed to be a little strange-A

Malcolm Babysits-Funny, but again, not as funny as Red Dress. Still a good episode-A

Sleepover-Amazing episode! A great example of overprotective parents(Stevie's). Dewey has a really funny role with Reese. As good as Red Dress-A+

Francis Escapes-Funny episode, if you agree with me that Lois yelling is funny. She pretty much explodes. Dewey says something hillarious-A

Krelboyne Picnic-The best episode on the 3 discs. Makes fun of nerds and theirs parents. All I have to say-A+

Lois vs. Evil-Dewey is very funny in this episode. There's not really anything that stands out, but you have to see it to love it-A

Stock Car Races-The plot is pretty funny, but nothing stands out except for 2 things Reese says, and something Dewey does-A-

Funeral-Another outstanding episode. You absolutely have to see this one. My runner up for favorite-A+

Cheerleader-Very funny. Dewey has a great subplot-A+

Rollerskates-Amazing! I love this episode, it's tied for 2nd with Krelboyne Picnic. If you thing Hal is funny with his antics, skip right to this episode-A+

The Bots and the Bees-Pretty funny, but nothing stands out. You have to see the commentary for this. It tells you about something great that Dewey did-A-

Smunday-Really funny, but again, nothing stands out-A-

Water Park-A great finish to the series! Everyone is funny!All I have to say-A+

I highly recommend this DVD to anyone who has seen the show and likes it.
MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE IS THE BEST SHOW ON TV!


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