For four seasons,
Bob Odenkirk and David Cross, along with a group of writers and
comedians, served up comedy skits, parodies, and more, in the
underrated but hilarious HBO late-night sketch comedy series
Mr. Show.
CRITIQUE
Mr. Show is a
smart comedy show, at least from what I can gather from the fourth
season. The first thing to point out is every skit is somehow
related to the next one by way of introducing a certain product,
idea, or interstitial video. It's as if each skit is part of one
big narrative structure. I guess it's the editing that makes the
transition seamless, and if it is then it works great. There's not
much else I can say here except to say anyone who likes to laugh
should check out Mr. Show. Before the funny Chappelle's Show
and other sketch comedy series of late, there was Mr. Show,
where the writing was inventive and original, and the performances
were dead on, and then some! This show is not to be missed.
THE VIDEO
HBO presents Mr. Show in
1.33:1 fullscreen format. Video quality is just fine. Nothing
special. Average stuff. Gets the job done in decent fashion.
THE AUDIO
HBO presents Mr. Show in English
2.0 Dolby Surround. The sound is nicely reproduced across the
two front channels, again it's nothing special, but it gets the
job done well.
THE EXTRAS
It's very nice to
see HBO putting some effort into this 2-disc set. Some of HBO's
other DVDs don't get this many extras, which is a shame.
Anyways, let's break down the extras real quick, shall we.
Bob Odenkirk and
David Cross, in collaboration with cast members, provide
audio commentary on all 10 episodes. The value of
information varies from here to there, but there are some decent
discussions and stories.
Crack Me Ups -
Blooper Reel is a 15-minute collection of outtakes from the
first, second, and third seasons. There's some fine, funny stuff
in here even though I've never seen anything prior to this
season of Mr. Show.
The Naked
Improv is a 1998 comic relief appearance where David coaxes
Bob into coming on stage naked. This short runs about four
minutes in length.
The Grand
Reunion featurette is a video that for some five minutes
chronicles the reunion of the cast members as they gather to
record commentary for the DVD. But as it soon turns out, some
still hold grudges for taking away each other's parking spots
years earlier. This results in a funny yet unpleasant brawl with
all involved. Good stuff.
Lastly, the
Mr. Show Jukebox is a compilation of 24 songs from the
entire series. Interesting, comprehensive stuff.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Mr. Show may be
over, but it shall live again on DVD. The fourth season is very funny
overall, although I found the comedy to be inconsistent just very
slightly. The early episodes are very funny, while some skits in the
later ones take a small dive, but perhaps it's just me. Either way,
Mr. Show should make for a long and fun-filled evening with
friends and guests.
