Rating: 
Summary: I feel guilty for not giving this 5 stars
Review: Before you slam me, keep in mind I am definitely not giving Phil Hartman's talent a less-than perfect rating (I would give him 10 out of 10 stars, if I were rating that) or his performances on SNL as a whole a sub-par rating (10 out of 10 stars again, if that were the case). I just felt that this collection didn't do him the justice he deserved. There was some great stuff in here, such as him as Barbara Bush, The Sinatra Group (where as Sinatra, he hilariously puts down his 'guests' Billy Idol, Sinead "Uncle Fester" O Connor, and Luther Campbell, played by Sting, Jan Hooks, and Chris Rock) Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer, Bill Clinton, and more. After watching it, however, I did feel like they could have done a better job putting it together-there were sketches that I really had to wonder what they were thinking (such as the beheading one) when they included them instead of more of PH as Ed McMahon, or even more Sinatra. After it was over, my husband said he felt like he was watching "The Best of Jan Hooks and Phil Hartman", since she seems to play a more prominent role in some of the bits they include than he does. I should state in all fairness that I was never a big fan of hers, and was relieved when left the cast. But even if she didn't irritate me, this should really be a tribute that focused more closely on Hartman. I agree that they (Hooks and Hartman) worked closely together (for example, she played Hilary to his Bill)so it would have been hard not to have her appear at least part of the time. I just wanted less of her and more of Hartman. At first, I didn't especially like the short film they ended it with (Hooks plays an elderly star who goes to her safety deposit box to try on her prized jewelry collection, and we flash back to her as a young woman, dancing with Hartman in a glamorous Astaire/Rodgers type musical) the first time I watched it, but upon repeated viewings, the ending really grew on me and I found it very touching and fitting. It is so well-done and romantic that it probably would make me choked up a tiny bit even if Hartman was still alive, but since his tragic murder, it really is poignant to the point where I get teary just thinking about it. At the risk of sounding really sappy, his death was so shocking and unexpected that I still hard to believe sometimes that he is gone. This video collection is good, but just seems as though it was slapped together too fast (with the better organized Farley tribute, I get the feeling they already had put the whole thing together and ready to go months before he passed away-they aired it what, 2 weeks after he died). I am sure everyone involved in the making of this collection was still emotional and shaken up after Hartman's death, and were maybe so sad (he was especially well-loved among everyone that worked on the show-I have never heard anyone ever say anything negative about him before or after he died) that they didn't have their hearts in it to do the best job possible. I enjoyed it, but felt it was too short and left out too much...though it's a long shot, I'm hoping for a volume 2, a second, better-organized collection.
Rating: 
Summary: Have you clowns even watched this yet??
Review: First off, the 1 star is for the 10 minutes of extras. They are the only material half funny on this entire DVD. I sat in total shock as I watched the first chapter, then the next, and the next. I kept saying, this is going to be halarious, you just wait. It was very painful to watch. For one of the most talented actors to come out of SNL, they picked the absolutely worst episodes to show. The opening segment was the most boring, unfunny scene he's ever done. What were they thinking??I know there are many of you out there right now saying, "hey, he's absolutely right, it sucked!". Maybe that's why it took so long to release his compilation; Maybe all the good episodes are still tied up in his estate litigation, or.. someone maybe couldn't make up their mind on what was funny and what wasn't. The people that put this DVD together should be taken out back and stoned by Phil's true fans. If you want a great example of showcasing a talent, watch Chris Farley's SNL DVD......You'll laugh yer ass off start to finish. All I can say is I wish I could get my money back because this was absolutely terrible!!! I hope I can get $5 for it at my spring garage sale, but I seriously doubt it! Shame on SNL for releasing this goop. Even Will Ferrel's wasn't as polished as Farleys or Meyer's or even Sandlers DVD!! No wonder SNL sucks now, it has run it's course and their compilations get worse and worse. You'll agree, the best ones were the first ones....right? BUYER BEWARE---YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!
Rating:
Summary: Have you clowns even watched this yet??
Review: First off, the 1 star is for the 10 minutes of extras. They are the only material half funny on this entire DVD. I sat in total shock as I watched the first chapter, then the next, and the next. I kept saying, this is going to be halarious, you just wait. It was very painful to watch. For one of the most talented actors to come out of SNL, they picked the absolutely worst episodes to show. The opening segment was the most boring, unfunny scene he's ever done. What were they thinking??I know there are many of you out there right now saying, "hey, he's absolutely right, it sucked!". Maybe that's why it took so long to release his compilation; Maybe all the good episodes are still tied up in his estate litigation, or.. someone maybe couldn't make up their mind on what was funny and what wasn't. The people that put this DVD together should be taken out back and stoned by Phil's true fans. If you want a great example of showcasing a talent, watch Chris Farley's SNL DVD......You'll laugh yer ass off start to finish. All I can say is I wish I could get my money back because this was absolutely terrible!!! I hope I can get $5 for it at my spring garage sale, but I seriously doubt it! Shame on SNL for releasing this goop. Even Will Ferrel's wasn't as polished as Farleys or Meyer's or even Sandlers DVD!! No wonder SNL sucks now, it has run it's course and their compilations get worse and worse. You'll agree, the best ones were the first ones....right? BUYER BEWARE---YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Starts Out Good But Falters At The End
Review: For 8 years, Pil Hartman kept America laughing as one of (if not the ) most versatile castmembers on "Saturday Night Live". Judging by his long line of work, it would be hard to find just 20 sketches that would qualify as his best. In 1998, shortly after he was murdered by his wife Brynne, Lorne Michaels and Company came up with "Saturday Night Live: The Best Of Phil Hartman", which was soon released on dvd. The results were okay at best. The first half is hilarious. "The Sinatra Group" is my favorite, especiially the Sinead O'Connor (Jan Hooks) jokes. Also worth a view are "Clinton At McDonald's" and "Discover The World Of Science With Peter Graves", in which Hartman plays the screen veteran as a bumbling idiot (so gold is long and thin like, say, Kareem Abdul Jabaar?). Best of all, there's a montage of his impressions. So many people watch him for his Bill Clinton that they forget his repitoire ranged from Ted Kennedy to Burt Reynolds to Jesus. After the "All Drug Olympics" sketch, the dvd falters a bit, but enjoys a resurgance of hilarity with "Cooking With The Anal Retentive Chef". But skecthes like "Robot Repair" and "On Broadway With Brenda Krouse" just weren't as good as I expected. The final sketch is "Love Is A Dream", a short film with an ending that will leave you misty - eyed. Overall, not a bad set, but it could have been a better sketch. For instance, where was the sketch where he's Frank Sinatra and he's recording his "Duets" album and he doesn't like his partners?
Rating: 
Summary: Great collection
Review: I have to admit that, aside from the original cast, my favorite SNL cast was the Phil Hartman-Jon Lovitz-Dana Carvey era. Such talent, and Phil Hartman was one of the best. Even though some of the targets of his impersonations have faded from memory (Donahue, Adm. Stockdale), his immense comic talent would make them hilarious to one who didn't know who these people were. Others, though, are truly marvelous--Frank Sinatra hosting The Sinatra Group was perhaps my favorite, Bill Clinton visiting a McDonalds was an excellent, if a bit obvious, choice. I smile when I think of his talentless propaganda-movie actor being told by Jon Lovitz that he's not needed anymore, or his Duke of Norfolk talking to Anne Boleyn (Candice Bergen) about possible execution methods. What can one say about his short film with Jan Hooks? It's not necessarily funny, but it is a striking moment, and an indellible image.
Since I was still in grade school when Hartman was on the cast, my only knowledge of his talent before this was the occasional episode on Comedy Central. So, I can't say that I am the ultimate authority on what Hartman did on the show, but that made the DVD more worthwhile for me. I do wish that the Reagan Iran-Contra sketch had been fully included, instead of just a snippet, but I have that one on tape. Although I'm sure that everyone will have their opinion on what they consider to be Hartman's best work, but I think that this DVD represents a good portrait of the man's work, and why he is still regarded as one of the most talented cast members ever on SNL.
Rating:
Summary: The Legend is Back
Review: I have to say that Phil Hartman ties Will Ferrell as the funniest cast member ever on Saturday Night Live and comes in at #1 for the classiest. From his Donahue to his Sinatra and especially his Bill CLinton, this DVD will be full of classic moments from the best years of SNL. Also look for him on Newsradio and the movie "Greed" with Michael J. Fox. We all miss you Phil!!!
Rating:
Summary: Phil Hartman is One of the FUNNIST SNL guys ever
Review: I love his work on SNL and now they released his best of. Oh mY gOd its so good GET IT
Rating: 
Summary: The Best of Phil Hartman Is A Disappointment
Review: I love the comedy of Phil Hartman. In fact, He was probally one of the best comedic actors to perform on SNL; a truely gifted performer. So, when I saw this tape with his sketches, I thought it would be uprorious.I found two sketches to be extremely funny and the rest average. The part that I found disappointing is that the funniest sketches ever done by Phil Hartman, for example: The Telly Savalis "Players Club", Michael Caine, A visit from the Lord, etc, were cut very, very short. In my opinion,it was not "The Best Of Phil Hartman".
Rating:
Summary: Should have been better...
Review: I read all the reviews of this, and i found the one extremely negative one and figured it was just some moron that didn't know what he was talking about. After buying this and watching it, i realized that he was way closer to the truth than any of the other reviewers. This dvd contains about 4 funny sketches, tops. I remember phil hartman being way funnier than he is portrayed on this dvd, and i have a theory as to why this one stinks as bad as it does.
-Phil Hartman is an extremely funny and talented actor, but for some reason he was written in as a funny "side guy" in a lot of sketches, and the ones where he is the main character, he is usually doing an impression of someone or it is just plain boring, for whatever reason. Therefore, to see Phil Hartman in his top form, you would be better off buying Adam Sandler's, Mike Myers', or Chris Farley's dvds, because theirs probably have all the sketches in which we remember Phil Hartman being so funny. The only sketches left by the time they got around to making Hartman's dvd were the ones we would have been better off forgetting. The only things worth watching on this dvd are "cooking with the anal retentive chef" and "the all drug olympics," which is about 10 seconds long. I hate to write a review like this because i really loved phil hartman, but it is a shame that i would rather watch the "bad" ones on the will ferrell dvd than the "good" ones on this dvd. Sorry.
Rating:
Summary: Should have been better...
Review: I read all the reviews of this, and i found the one extremely negative one and figured it was just some moron that didn't know what he was talking about. After buying this and watching it, i realized that he was way closer to the truth than any of the other reviewers. This dvd contains about 4 funny sketches, tops. I remember phil hartman being way funnier than he is portrayed on this dvd, and i have a theory as to why this one stinks as bad as it does.
-Phil Hartman is an extremely funny and talented actor, but for some reason he was written in as a funny "side guy" in a lot of sketches, and the ones where he is the main character, he is usually doing an impression of someone or it is just plain boring, for whatever reason. Therefore, to see Phil Hartman in his top form, you would be better off buying Adam Sandler's, Mike Myers', or Chris Farley's dvds, because theirs probably have all the sketches in which we remember Phil Hartman being so funny. The only sketches left by the time they got around to making Hartman's dvd were the ones we would have been better off forgetting. The only things worth watching on this dvd are "cooking with the anal retentive chef" and "the all drug olympics," which is about 10 seconds long. I hate to write a review like this because i really loved phil hartman, but it is a shame that i would rather watch the "bad" ones on the will ferrell dvd than the "good" ones on this dvd. Sorry.
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