Reviews & Columns |
Reviews DVD TV on DVD Blu-ray 4K UHD International DVDs In Theaters Reviews by Studio Video Games Features Collector Series DVDs Easter Egg Database Interviews DVD Talk Radio Feature Articles Columns Anime Talk DVD Savant Horror DVDs The M.O.D. Squad Art House HD Talk Silent DVD
|
DVD Talk Forum |
|
Resources |
DVD Price Search Customer Service #'s RCE Info Links |
Columns
|
|
Just Shoot Me: Seasons 1 & 2
Run Time: 11 Hours 29 Minutes, with 31 episodes each approximately 22.2 in length
In 1997, Just Shoot Me aired for the first time. The first season was comprised of six episodes. After the success of the initial season, a few changes were made, including the removal of a cast member. The show's success lasted for an additional six full seasons before it was cancelled. Just Shoot Me takes an extreme approach to slapstick comedy, playing off of a variety of cliches and stereotypes. The majority of the fun takes place at Blush, a trendy popular fashion magazine, with a focus that primarily revolves around five people and a countless number of gorgeous models, where the clashes of each personality produces some idiotic and hilarious situations.
Laura San Giacomo plays the role of Maya Gallo, a Stanford educated news journalist who can't seem to hold her temper and doesn't care much for the embodiment of her wealthy father. It's pretty ironic that she ends up working for a cause that she can't even stand. Her father, Jack Gallo is played by George Segal, the owner of Blush magazine. Jack is your stereotypical rich guy, who likes to flaunt his wealth, marry woman half his age, and remarry when they get too "old". The rest of the cast is comprised of the Blush magazine employees. David Spade plays Dennis Quimby Finch, the "executive assistant" (or secretary) to Jack Gallo. Finch is your typical sleazebag, who drools at the models and rarely spends an evening with another breathing soul. Spade brings his nearly perfected personality to Finch's character, extremely cynical. If you're familiar with his other roles in films like Tommy Boy, Black Sheep, or Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star, then Finch should fit into your mind with ease.
Enrico Colantoni takes on the role as Elliott DiMauro, Blush magazine's fashion photographer. It's a tough life for Elliott, playing the stereotypical fashion photographer. He's not the most attractive guy in the world, but his role in life tends to land him one too many dates with all the models that Finch drools over. The last main role, Nina Van Horn is played by Wendie Malick. Nina is former model, who has aged way past her prime. She was in the minds of every guy and girl in years past. Now she's forced to live vicariously working for Blush magazine. Nina takes upon a few stereotypes of her own, she's a bit of a lush, yearning to be popular with the guys again, and spends a little too much time drinking. Chris Hogan joined the cast in the first season as Wally, a rather nerdy high school teacher. His character didn't really bring very much to the show, so it wasn't real surprising that his character was dropped without an explanation after the end of the first season.
As the cast and their odd personalities meld together, they produce some fairly entertaining content. In the episode "Old Boyfriends", Jack's self-centered like personality gets a good kick. His daughter, Maya puts herself in the same kind of relationship as her father, she's dating a man twice her age. Jack may think it's okay for him to marry a girl his daughter's age, but she sure can't date a guy his age! In "King Lear Jet", Maya, Elliott, Nina's greedy side of their personalities get in the way. Jack has something they all want, but everyone can't have it. For their own reasons, the trio spends the episode contriving against each other. In "La Cage", Finch's sleazy personality finally pays off. There's a hot supermodel who is apparently interested in Finch. Elliott seems a bit jealous at this prospect, as it is his ex-girlfriend. This proves to be an interesting episode, as there's another side to Elliott's story, which leaves Finch in an awkward situation. While the personalities of the cast produce some comical episodes, sometimes the excitement brews from sticky situations that elevate their odd personalities. In the episode "Lemon Wacky Hello", Jack returns from a trip to China. He brings home with him a few gifts and some rather special candy. Not realizing what kind of candy it is, the employees of Blush lose their minds. This is a great episode that lets the semi-neurotic cast get even a little more crazy. In general, there are a few big reoccurring jokes. Elliott and Finch are constantly playing practical jokes on Nina, Nina's obsession with men and playing a stereotyped aging model, and Maya's quest for benevolence, to make Blush stand for something good.
However, not all of the content is entertaining. For example, "Twice Burned" is really not that great of an episode. In this episode, Jack tries to get his baby girl, Hannah into Maya's early education alma mater, Woodbridge School, but there are a few kinks in the door. Jack is on a mission, to get Hannah into Woodbridge. This episode really isn't too terribly funny. Sure, there are a few comical bits, but the truth is that the story just stinks. There are a few of these, where the comedy is just a bit too lacking. Also, after a while, the comedy doesn't seem so comic. Just how many times can we laugh at a dumb model joke, how funny can Nina's drinking be, or what about Finch's perversion? Sometimes, the characters seem slightly too limited and we're left with too many reoccurring jokes.
In the end, the cast seems to work very well together, each fitting their respective roles well. However, it's the roles that can produce a problem, as their limited personalities require too much focus upon common stereotypes. Eventually, they run out of steam and the comedy is lost. Still, the majority of episodes are very entertaining and for that reason, fans of the show or newcomers looking for a bit of slapstick will definitely enjoy this release.
The DVD
Video:
This release is presented in its original television aspect ratio 1.33:1 full frame color. The picture looks much better than broadcast/cable television. However, it still is far from perfect. While it isn't extremely distinct, there are numerous times that the picture suffers from compression artifacts, leaving the picture looking a bit rough. There are also instances during quick motion that the frame rate drops and picture looks somewhat blurry. As said, the issues aren't very distinct and should not distract a viewer from enjoying this release.
Sound:
The audio is given in English 2.0 Dolby digital stereo sound. The audio track remains to be fairly clean and crisp. There isn't very much punch in the sound, as it is primarily spoken dialogue. This leaves the audio track sounding relatively flat. This is just fine, as there isn't a heavy demand for captivating sound effects. Also, there are no subtitles provided with this feature, but it is closed caption enabled.
Extras:
The special features that are included with this dual season DVD release include a featurette, four audio commentaries, and a photo gallery. The featurette is entitled Always in Fashion: A Conversation With Steven Levitan and the Cast of Just Shoot Me. Not surprisingly, its content is just as the title says. This featurette takes various insights from the five cast members and creator and they discuss the development of the show. It's pretty interesting and I guarantee that most of you fans will learn something very new about the show! The next extra includes four audio commentaries with creator Steven Levitan and writers Danny Zuker, Eileen Conn, March McCall, and Andrew Gordon. This is interesting to hear the opinions from the writers of the show. It's just too bad that there weren't more commentaries and the cast wasn't included. The last feature is a photo gallery, The Blush Covers. This photo gallery has pictures of the various Blush magazine covers that were used in the two presented seasons.
Final Thoughts:
While Just Shoot Me is a very funny television show, its basis for comedy seems somewhat limited. There are only so many ways that Nina's desire-to-be-a-young-model attitude, Finch's perversion, or Elliot's womanizing can be funny and while I am repeating myself, it's an important point. Overall, there tended to be some very good episodes in this DVD release and some not so good. Fans looking for a good slapstick comedy that doesn't require much thinking, Just Shoot Me: Seasons One and Two should fit the bill. Despite my somewhat negative comments in regard to the show, this box set definitely has enough entertainment to warrant a Recommended rating, especially at a low MSRP of $39.95.
|
Popular Reviews |
Sponsored Links |
|
Sponsored Links |
|
Release List | Reviews | Shop | Newsletter | Forum | DVD Giveaways | Blu-Ray | Advertise |
Copyright 2024 DVDTalk.com All Rights Reserved. Legal Info, Privacy Policy, Terms of Use,
Manage Preferences,
Your Privacy Choices
|