Rating: 
Summary: Highly Inventive Sketch Comedy
Review: The great thing about Kids in the Hall was that they shunned the topical, obvious humor so common within the ranks of SNL, MAD TV, In Living Color, Ben Stiller and so forth. KITH relished the subtle quirks of everyday existence: inanely busy businessmen, a mullet-headed slacker obsessed with his beat-up heap of a used car, or the morose "nobody likes us" outcasts who hang themselves just to make a point. Granted, all of these are not gems; truth be told, the Kids hadn't yet hit full stride as they would in later seasons. You may have to suffer through a few clunkers but it is all worth it. Personally I think the risk-reward is worth it for the edgy elements and oddball genius. If you want to be this creative and be truly landmark then you can't always grab the obvious punchline. Long live the Kids! can't wait for the stronger seasons to come out.
Rating: 
Summary: Crushing Heads and Taking Names
Review: The Kids in the Hall is a Monty Python/Saturday Night Live style sketch show starring five young guys from Canada including David Foley who would later star in News Radio and Mark McKinney of Saturday Night Live. Some of the regular characters are the guy who likes to "crush" the heads of businessmen and other poor souls by tormenting them from a distance and pinching his fingers together, and a womanizing cad who tries to gain sympathetic booty by pointing out the obvious cabbage he has for a head. Some of my favorite sketches are Scott Thompson's gay monologues ("You know the feeling you get when you're not sure if it's a s*** or a f*rt but you let it rip anyway?"). Bonus features include fan favorite clips from the pilot season and an interesting and very well done "oral history" told through recent interviews with the "kids," as well as commentaries. As Foley states in his interview, this anti-establishment comedy show enjoyed more freedom in the first season because it was "under the umbrella" of Saturday Night Live's Lorne Michaels. A lot of their humor is fresh and original but there is definitely a Monty Python influence with such ideas as "Thirty Helens Agree" and the kids playing all the female roles in their sketches (particularly old ladies). The Kids in the Hall is actually not one of my favorite comedies as a lot of their sketches are slow moving and sometimes end abruptly with no real punch line, but this package is so well done I added a star to the score. For those who like the craziness of SNL or the irreverent humor of Monty Python (they might almost top the Python clan with their sinfully funny Dr. Seuss Bible), Kids has its moments and is worth picking up. It's worth it for the theme music alone. Of course, fans need to own this set. As David Foley states, "the rest is history if it were more important."
Rating:
Summary: Not the Kids' best, but please buy it anyway
Review: The Kids in the Hall was a brilliant show. It is so much funnier than Saturday Night Live, and more timeless, too. Saturday Night Live spends most of its time making fun of celebrities, current events, and trends. After a few years it loses its edge. The Kids make fun of life and people's quirks. Sketches from '89 hold up just as well as they did fifteen years ago.There are many great moments in this set. A husband and wife fighting in the middle of the night over a salty ham, a punk-ish banker lamenting about his job (and using the f-word liberally), an elderly man pooping for the first time in four years, a Vaudeville act with the worst straight-man in history, and many more which are kind of hard to explain. Actually, one of the best parts about Kids in the Hall sketches is how baffling they can be. Many sketches don't have a real joke; you just laugh at how absurd they are. Despite my praise, the first season does not show the Kids at their finest. Many sketches fall flat; others start funny but drag on far too long. Most of this is good stuff, but you can tell the Kids haven't perfected their craft yet. But I'm not sure we'll get to the good stuff if more people don't buy this one. So I urge you: If you like the Kids, please fork over some money. I mean, I think this set is worth the money on its own, but you'll also help ensure seasons 2 through 5, which are even better.
Rating:
Summary: 30 Helens Agree ....
Review: The Kids in the Hall was that comedy troupe for those wanting something a bit more realistic and adult than "Saturday Night Live", while also catering to that audience that felt that "the State" was a bit too overwhelming. So, The Kids in the Hall found the niche, and they exploited it in the most original and entertaining way possible. The created skits that not just reflected the absurdities of everyday life, but also released some of the most vivid characters ever to cross the small screen. Scott Thompson, Kevin McDonald, Dave Foley, Mark McKinney, and Bruce McCulloch created some of the funniest bits of comedy and on just their first season out.
Normally, when you pick up the first season of any television program it sometimes carries that feeling of old or out-dated. That is completely not the case with this first season of Kids in the Hall. These five comedians have created skits that have lasted the test of time and still remain relevantly funny today. Their views on business, the family dynamics, the gay community, and everything else in between is strangely parallel to our culture today (and this was made in 1989-1990). To demonstrate the craftiness of their humor, I found myself rewinding some of the episodes to laugh again and again. While there were some amazing ones scattered throughout the first season that I just fell in love with, the final episode on the third disc is by far my favorite ever. It felt as if they had broken their hypothetic shell, and really took charge of their craft. Another great element to this season is that you get all of these guys uncensored, so the comedy comes to you firsthand. I guess from watching them on Comedy Central, you don't really see their darker side (as often), but in this uncensored season it comes full force and in style.
Overall, I was extremely impressed with this debut season. These guys are hysterical, imaginative, bold, creative, and has a ear to the pulse of society. While it seems that in the long run their humor was not appreciated as much and it is hard to find these guys doing powerful work today, they will always have a place in my home in my DVD player. For anyone who loves to laugh, especially at yourself, this is the perfect season for you! I was very impressed!
Grade: ***** out of *****
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Inventive Sketch Comedy
Review: These guys were trying to do something different, and they did. They interjected much of the feel of "acting" and roleplaying and their own personalities into state-of-the-art sketch comedy. And their sketches focused on real elements of life (the family unit, the work environment) in ways that hadn't been done before. And they were FUNNY as heck some of the time. And overly effete and surreal some of the time - which is true of Monty Python's Flying Circus as well if you really get down to it. If you like Monty Python, SCTV, Saturday Night Live, and/or the great underknown "Mr. Show" you should definitely give these guys a spin. They did great work together. The set looks good and the extras on Disc 4 are quite good and promote a better understanding of what this group was doing and what they were about.
Rating:
Summary: LOVED this DVD!
Review: This DVD is exactly what I've been waiting for and its FINALLY available. If you love KITH like I do, its totally worth it to buy this DVD. It was like swimming in Kids In The Hall HEAVEN!
It gives you a complete list of the easily accessable episodes and what skits are in each one. The bonus stuff is awesome,though I haven't watched all of it yet. I also loved how the dvd lets you control your Kids-fix. If you only have time for a quick skit, you can go right to which skit you want. If you want to watch one whole episode, you can go to what episode you want to watch with ease. Or if you want to just lose yourself in a big Kids marathon you can select
Rating:
Summary: Not SNL But great
Review: This has some great shows and all 5 play many different charecters.They play very brilliant carectors and they are all quite funny.I wish Comedy Central would stop showing that Mad TV crap that is gross-and not funny where as this and SNL were
very gross but extremally funny.Comedy Central I want to see this and Saturdaynight go back to the classics not the retarded Mad TV that is very unfunny don't support that crap
Rating:
Summary: Hey you smartguy/girl or whatever you are, read this!
Review: This is a collection of some of the best Kids in the Hall sketches, complete with the naughty words that kept some of these sketches off of your local tv stations when the repeats were put on the open airwaves. The comedy is as hilarious today as it was then; "business men" handing-out out, and sniffing eachother's business cards, while exchanging incomprehensible "Biz" jargon, that we have come to know as terms such as "team player," "on the page," "and similar catch- phrase crap dialog. Thirty Helens Agree that this dvd set is an absolute must have! And how could you resist Buddy, after all he's Canadian!
So- add this set to your cart you smartguy or what-e-ver you are, while you still have time! For I am crushing your head! Crush, Crush, Crush!
Rating:
Summary: A comdedic treat in the tradition of Monty Python
Review: This set is a real treat for Kids In The Hall fans with more than 8 hours of material plus every uncut show from season one. If you've never seen TKITH before, these shows will make you an instant fan; that's what happened to me after seeing just a couple of these early shows the first time years ago. The DVD includes new previously unseen interviews with the Kids and with producer Lorne Michaels, 30 minutes of performances from the Rivoli Theater show, plus audio commentary, sketches from the pilot episode, biographies, and even more. If you appreciate comedy such as Monty Python's Flying Circus then you will thoroughly enjoy the demented surreal twists and zaniness found in this set, such as the sketch about "The Eradicator". The comedy in most sketches is very dense and holds up on repeated viewings, allowing you to pick up more bits of hilarity each time you see them. Very few shows this clever, funny and original have ever been on television. If you like entertainment with the aforementioned qualities and many layers of humor, such as Mystery Science Theater 3000, Black Adder, Fawlty Towers, The Simpsons or Red Dwarf, buy this Kids In The Hall set and you will not be disappointed. It will provide many hours of laughter. Incidentally, the theme music during the opening titles is terrific; it rocks!
Rating:
Summary: incredibly funny
Review: Using the bare minimum of words I can, this is just incredibly funny. Daring, in your face sketch comedy that on the one hand doesn't pander to the lowest common denominator, but on the other hand is certainly NOT politically correct. FUNNY, as in laugh-out-loud funny. If you like SNL ( when it WAS funny ) Monty Python, Second City, etc then you'll like Kids in the Hall.
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