Search - Mr. Show: The Complete First and Second Season on DVD

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 2/12/2024...

Lamo. Don't call Saul!

Comedy almost too hip for the room

John S. Harris | Memphis, TN | 03/06/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Do whatever you have to do to get this DVD: borrow the money, work overtime, rob your piggy bank, sell your N*SYNC CD's (heck, you should do that anyway), sell your blood,... whatever it takes. This comedy series ranks up there with the movie "Waiting For Guffman" as the funniest thing to come along in years. No small coincidence that both of the stars and creative geniuses behind Mr. Show (David Cross and Bob Odenkirk) appeared in "Guffman". Cross is easy to spot, but blink and you'll miss Odenkirk.
This HBO series' humor soars miles above the heads of some viewers, and too bad for them. Offbeat, strange, twisted, and always extremely clever, "Mr. Show" reaffirms your faith in sketch comedy. The sketches defy description, but my favorite is the one where Odenkirk enters a convenience store to ask for change for a dollar. Sounds flat, huh? But employee Cross has to go through several links of the chain of command (4 other roles all played by Cross and Odenkirk), all the way up to the President of the United States, just to get clearance. Just guess what the answer ends up being... Cross and Odenkirk are the principal writers of this series, and their ingenious use of pre-taped segments cleverly intermixed with "live" segments demonstrates not only their mastery of the medium, but their effortlessness at thumbing their noses at standard sitcom & sketch conventions."

Words Cannot Describe This

Brian W Robinson | Newburyport, MA United States | 01/23/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I accidently came accross Mr. Show in its 3d season on HBO during an insomniatic traverse over the entire cable TV dial. Two minutes into the "Titanica" sketch I was hooked and did whatever I could to catch every episode from that point on. I say a little prayer every day that HBO releases seasons 3 and 4 soon.Everything you've heard about this show is true. People describe it as part Monty Python, part SCTV, part Kids in the Hall and that's all accurate to a point, but there really is no way to truly describe this show to anyone who has not seen it. This is one of the funniest TV shows I have ever seen - - you just have to watch it for yourself to find out why.Warning . . . if you think Carrot Top is funny and think Jay Leno is cutting edge humor you will NOT like this. This is offbeat, sometimes in your face, sometimes dark, occassionally VERY dark, often weird comedy. If you're easily offended by "blue" language (i.e. the "f" word and its cousins) this might not be your cup of tea. On the other hand, if you're bored out of your mind by most of what passes for comedy on TV this is the tonic you've been waiting for. It can be intelligent and incredibly silly at the same time. Again, it's really hard to explain - - just watch the f'in' show okay.Bob Odenkirk worked for years as a comedy writer for Saturday Night Live (where Lorne Michaels rarely aired his sketches - - too edgy), Conan O'Brien (they met at SNL) and was a main stage cast member at Second City (he originated Chris Farley's popular "Motivational Speaker" character at Second City before SNL overkilled it). David Cross was a standup comic and writer in Boston for years before becoming part of the alternative comedy scene in L.A. Cross and Odenkirk met as writers on Ben Stiller's short lived show and began working together as a team before HBO started to notice their act.The show has a fiercely devoted cult following. The show's cast and writers attribute the show's critical success and cult audience devotion to the fact that HBO pretty much left them alone and let them do whatever they wanted.These are very funny people working in a very unrestrained environment and they produced something extremely funny in the process. If you "get it" you'll wet your pants laughing."

Comedy

Holly Loth | 12/29/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It is not surprising that this show was cancelled. It was the funniest most intelligent comedy ever to come through the idiot box. This show goes beyond "funny." It's liquid-concentrate (now available in pill form) comedy. A lot of people come down hard on people for "not getting" the show, and blaming it on their low-brow sense of humor, which is probably a bit harsh. After all, one's own sense of humor should be a place where ideas can hang out...and do whatever. Suggestion 1. Don't force this on people. They'll end up not liking you and you'll end up watching Mr. Show all tensed up hating yourself for showing it to someone who probably laughs whenever someone does the Homer Simpson "Woo-Hoo!"
Suggestion 2. Don't bother explaining any of the sketches to people who haven't seen it. They'll judge you.
Suggestion 3. Forget what I said about going easy on the people who don't get it. They're dumb, and they probably should begin coming to grips with it. WOO-HOO!Finally, if you're thinking of getting this DVD for someone as a gift, make sure you fully understand their sense of humor. For example, if they've ever started a sentence with "Did you see the episode of Everybody Loves Raymond where..." buy them something else...like a fish tank or new VW Beetle. They'll love it/them."