Best of Friends - Volume 4

Rating:
Summary: More Great Friends episodes, sans commercials!!!
Review: The Best of Friends Volume 4 collects an additional 5 more of the "best episodes" of the award-winning comedy series about six friends living and working in New York. In addition to the 5 episodes, the DVD also contains a "behind the scenes" documentary (which is pretty cool), cast bios and NEVER BEFORE SEEN FOOTAGE (seamlessly edited into the shows).

Here's a rundown of this DVDs contents:

1. The One With Chandler in a Box (11/20/97): Thanksgiving comes around again. With Joey still fuming at Chandler for stealing his girlfriend, Chandler confines himself to a box to prove his friendship to Joey. Plus, Monica attempts to start a relationship with Richard's son.

2. The One Hundredth (10/8/98): Phoebe gives birth to the triplets she carried for her brother, with a Fonzie-loving weirdo as the doctor. Plus, to Chandler's chagrin Rachel sets-up Monica and herself with two cute males nurses, and Joey has a kidney stone.

3. The One With All the Resolutions (1/7/99): New Year's comes around and with it resolutions. Chandler can't insult; Ross wants to try new things (including wearing leather pants which lead to a HILARIOUS disaster on a hot date); Joey tries to learn guitar from Phoebe; and Rachel resolves not to gossip, but stumbles across Chandler and Monica's BIG secret!!!

4. The One Where Ross Got High (11/25/99): Ross and Monica's parents visit for Thanksgiving and it is revealed that they don't like Chandler, to Monica's chagrin. Ross reveals the reason for their parent's disdain of Chandler is a little white lie he told them about Chandler to cover his own tracks while in college. Also, Rachel tries to fix Thanksgiving desert for the very first time -- to hilarious results!!!

5. The One with the Proposal Parts 1 & 2 (5/18/00): Chandler's big plans to spring a surprise proposal to Monica nearly fall through when Dr. Richard Burke returns from the past to try to reclaim Monica for himself!!! Plus, Joey inadvertently buys a boat at an auction and Ross breaks things off with his college co-ed honey!!!

In addition to these episodes this DVD also contains the following special features:

1. Special Discovery Channel Documentary: "The One That Goes Behind The Scenes." Slightly dated, this 45 minute documentary takes you behind the scenes as the season premiere for the 1999-2000 season is produced (the one after with the gang in Vegas where Ross and Rachel got married). The beginning is kinda so-so with tons of technical stuff where the set gets built and the writers discuss the storyline, but it picks up as the actual filming begins. Some COOL stuff toward the end of filming as they get immediate feedback from the studio audience about jokes which work and fall flat and TONS of cool stuff in the "post-production" phase where we see the Foley artists adding in the sound effects, the music editor adding on the soundtrack and the video editor actually stitching the episode together. Overall, the first half of it is boring; the second half is cool. This should be great for film/video production students wanting to see how an award-winning, ratings-producing show is produced. Kinda neat for Friends fans.

2. Cast bios (the usual stuff talking about where they grew up and their career resume, neat but nothing to write home about....)

3. NEVER BEFORE SEEN FOOTAGE: It's soooo seamlessly edited into the shows that I can't really tell the difference anyway... Pretty cool I guess...

Here's my quick rundown:

Awesome: NO COMMERCIALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Some of the stuff on the documentary was pretty cool

So-so: The additional footage? Me personally, I can't really tell the difference but I guess that makes it a plus.

Bad: Nothing really, but HEY, WB, WHERE'S THE COMPLETE SEASON COLLECTIONS?????????

I like the fact that they released these episodes on DVD. The replay value, like most sitcoms, is awesome. It's just like watching Friends syndicated reruns on your local station but without the commercials and with a better picture. Unlike taping your favorite episodes off the air, the DVD won't get "eaten" from constant replay.

However, I'm anxiously awaiting when Warner Bros will release the complete season sets like they have overseas. Getting these "Best of" sets will be somewhat moot if/when the complete season sets come out domestically.

Otherwise though, if you need your Friends fix, sans commercials and VCR eaten tapes, this will have to do it for you.

Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: More Great Friends episodes, sans commercials!!!
Review: The Best of Friends Volume 4 collects an additional 5 more of the "best episodes" of the award-winning comedy series about six friends living and working in New York. In addition to the 5 episodes, the DVD also contains a "behind the scenes" documentary (which is pretty cool), cast bios and NEVER BEFORE SEEN FOOTAGE (seamlessly edited into the shows).

Here's a rundown of this DVDs contents:

1. The One With Chandler in a Box (11/20/97): Thanksgiving comes around again. With Joey still fuming at Chandler for stealing his girlfriend, Chandler confines himself to a box to prove his friendship to Joey. Plus, Monica attempts to start a relationship with Richard's son.

2. The One Hundredth (10/8/98): Phoebe gives birth to the triplets she carried for her brother, with a Fonzie-loving weirdo as the doctor. Plus, to Chandler's chagrin Rachel sets-up Monica and herself with two cute males nurses, and Joey has a kidney stone.

3. The One With All the Resolutions (1/7/99): New Year's comes around and with it resolutions. Chandler can't insult; Ross wants to try new things (including wearing leather pants which lead to a HILARIOUS disaster on a hot date); Joey tries to learn guitar from Phoebe; and Rachel resolves not to gossip, but stumbles across Chandler and Monica's BIG secret!!!

4. The One Where Ross Got High (11/25/99): Ross and Monica's parents visit for Thanksgiving and it is revealed that they don't like Chandler, to Monica's chagrin. Ross reveals the reason for their parent's disdain of Chandler is a little white lie he told them about Chandler to cover his own tracks while in college. Also, Rachel tries to fix Thanksgiving desert for the very first time -- to hilarious results!!!

5. The One with the Proposal Parts 1 & 2 (5/18/00): Chandler's big plans to spring a surprise proposal to Monica nearly fall through when Dr. Richard Burke returns from the past to try to reclaim Monica for himself!!! Plus, Joey inadvertently buys a boat at an auction and Ross breaks things off with his college co-ed honey!!!

In addition to these episodes this DVD also contains the following special features:

1. Special Discovery Channel Documentary: "The One That Goes Behind The Scenes." Slightly dated, this 45 minute documentary takes you behind the scenes as the season premiere for the 1999-2000 season is produced (the one after with the gang in Vegas where Ross and Rachel got married). The beginning is kinda so-so with tons of technical stuff where the set gets built and the writers discuss the storyline, but it picks up as the actual filming begins. Some COOL stuff toward the end of filming as they get immediate feedback from the studio audience about jokes which work and fall flat and TONS of cool stuff in the "post-production" phase where we see the Foley artists adding in the sound effects, the music editor adding on the soundtrack and the video editor actually stitching the episode together. Overall, the first half of it is boring; the second half is cool. This should be great for film/video production students wanting to see how an award-winning, ratings-producing show is produced. Kinda neat for Friends fans.

2. Cast bios (the usual stuff talking about where they grew up and their career resume, neat but nothing to write home about....)

3. NEVER BEFORE SEEN FOOTAGE: It's soooo seamlessly edited into the shows that I can't really tell the difference anyway... Pretty cool I guess...

Here's my quick rundown:

Awesome: NO COMMERCIALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Some of the stuff on the documentary was pretty cool

So-so: The additional footage? Me personally, I can't really tell the difference but I guess that makes it a plus.

Bad: Nothing really, but HEY, WB, WHERE'S THE COMPLETE SEASON COLLECTIONS?????????

I like the fact that they released these episodes on DVD. The replay value, like most sitcoms, is awesome. It's just like watching Friends syndicated reruns on your local station but without the commercials and with a better picture. Unlike taping your favorite episodes off the air, the DVD won't get "eaten" from constant replay.

However, I'm anxiously awaiting when Warner Bros will release the complete season sets like they have overseas. Getting these "Best of" sets will be somewhat moot if/when the complete season sets come out domestically.

Otherwise though, if you need your Friends fix, sans commercials and VCR eaten tapes, this will have to do it for you.

Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: A Great End to a 4 Volume Set
Review: The fourth, and I guess, final Best Of Friends DVD is an absolute must have. Much like its 3 predecessors.

(1) The One with Chandler In a Box - Chandler, to show he feels sorry for stealing Joey's girlfriend, decides to stay in a box throughout Thanksgiving dinner. This ensues in hilarious stuff from Joey who becomes a parent-like unit to Chandler. Also, the gang finds it weird when Monica pursues a relationship with Richard's son.

(2) The One Hundredth - Phoebe goes into labor with the triplets, and is stuck with a doctor who is obsessed with "The Fonz" much to Pheobe's dismay. Monica and Chandler question their relationship here also, but in the end, they strengthen it. I must also mention that Lisa Kudrow gets major kudos for this ep! The ending is quiet teary.

(3) The One with All the Resolutions - This episode is great for 2 reasons only. 1. Rachel finds out about Monica and Mr. Big -- after making her New Year's resolution not to gossip. And the other reason, 2. Ross' resolution is to do something new each day. He chose to wear leather pants one day. And well, that leads to a very funny catastrophe in a date's bathroom.

(4) The One Where Ross Got High - Another Thanksgiving ep! Monica invites her parents over for Thanksgiving, but has failed to tell them about her and Chandler. Also, Monica has promised Rachel she can fix the Thanksgiving dessert. Although this episode doesn't have the spunk that the rest do, the last 5 minutes are great.

(5) The One with the Proposal - Chandler plans to pop the big question on Monica, but all doesn't go as planned when Dr. Richard (Tom Selleck) shows up and screws things up by telling Monica he loves her. A VERY good episode with a VERY good ending.

The twenty episodes that were contained in the Best of Friends volumes are all great. Now I must go and get the Friends Season One set, and anxiously await further seasons.

Rating:
Summary: Friends is the best Comedy show !
Review: This is a collection of the best episode. I think that friends is the best tv comedy show, you have to see it !

Rating:
Summary: Ok, but not really the "best of"
Review: This video has 5 episodes (from various seasons): 1) "The One with Chandler in a Box", where Joey makes Chandler spend Thanksgiving in a wooden box as punishment for kissing his (Joey's) girlfriend; 2) "The One Hundredth", where Phoebe (acting as surrogate) gives birth to her brother's and sister-in-law's triplets, which had both funny and very emotional moments; 3) "The One with All the Resolutions", where all the friends make their New Year's resolutions, but best of all, this is the episode with Ross and the leather pants (hilarious!!!); 4) "The One Where Ross Got High", yet another Thanksgiving episode, pretty mild and somewhat sleep-inducing and highly forgettable (this is where "Rachel" makes the beef-banana Thanksgiving dessert); and 5) "The One With the Proposal, Parts 1 and 2", where Ross finally realizes his romance with his much younger student is pointless, and best of all Chandler finally proposes to Monica, but not without complications from Dr. Richard.

Good video for us "Friends" junkies, but what I"m really waiting for is actual anthologies of all the seasons, not just a mixed bag of what some producer deems the "best of". A few of these episodes really are the "best", but the other few are pretty much fillers, probably to make you have to keep buying videos to get the really funny ones.

Rating:
Summary: This is the One with "The One with the Proposal"
Review: Volume 4 of the "Best of 'Friends'" continues the chronological progression through these "fan favorites" begun in Volume 3 (Volumes 1 & 2 are devoted to the "Top 10 Episodes"):

(1) "The One with Chandler in a Box" (November 20, 1997), finds Chandler, who hates Thanksgiving to begin with, banished to a packing box after stealing Joey's girlfriend, Kathy. Picked as #4 on TV Guide's list of 50 Best "Friends" moments, which seems to be way too high, especially since it is my least favorite episode on this particular disc.

(2) "The One Hundredth" (October 8, 1998), has surrogate mom Phoebe delivering her brother Frank's triplets. Certainly one of the most creative ways of dealing with the pregnancy of an actress in television history, although Phoebe's Fonzie-obsessed obstetrician is a clunker. #31 on TV Guide's list.

(3) "The One with All the Resolutions" (January 7, 1999), but the only ones that matter are Chandler's New Year's vow not to make fun of his pals and the tight leather pants Ross is wearing as part of his attempt to try something new every day. The all time funniest scene of a guy with his pants down around his legs, this is #14 on TV Guide's list. This episode also sets up the grand fun of "The One Where Everybody Finds Out," which caps off Volume 2.

(4) "The One With Ross Got High" (November 25th, 1999) is yet another fun Thanksgiving Day with the sextet. The good news is that Rachel is trying to make desert and has combined recipes for English trifle and shepherd's pie. The bad news is that Mother and Father Gellar cannot stand Chandler because Ross told them it was Chandler's marijuana they were smelling in his room way back when. It is time for Ross to come clean, but not before he and Monica engage in a classic bout of sibling one-up-manship as they rat each other out. #49 on the TV Guide list (way too low).

(5) "The One with the Proposal - Parts 1 and 2" (May 18, 2000), finds Chandler being too smart for his own good in his attempt to surprise Monica with his proposal. Tom Selleck returns as Richard, just to make things interesting. #10 on the TV Guide list, which also seems low for one of the most truly romantic proposals in television history (the only one I have seen that was better is when Donny proposed to Daphne; ANYONE would have said yes to that surprisingly powerful proposal from that unexpected source).

This one also includes "The One That Goes Behind the Scenes," which is mildly interesting. However, I have to admit that I do not know these episodes intimately enough to always recognize the ADDED FOOTAGE that is included. Having these DVDs is nice because you do not have to keep paying attention to the repeats in syndication to see your favorite scenes again. My only complaint is that at least on my DVD player I cannot just fast forward to a favorite scene (i.e., ,the proposal). What's up with that?