Boston Legal - Season One
|
List Price: Our Price: $14.39 You Save: $15.59 (52%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $6.99 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of Boston Legal - Season One
Movie Review: The great and bloated Captain Kirk
Summary: 5 Stars
To the reviewers who lambaste this show for it's obvious and pervasive non-realism, perhaps you have missed the point. I am an attorney. I have taken two bar exams and am thus all too familiar with the rules of evidence, constitutional law, civil procedure, criminal law, criminal procedure, family law, torts and contracts. I only mention these areas because they are the only areas this show deals with (apart from an occasional mention of M & A and other corporate practices) and are consequently the areas that this show fudges severely. Almost nothing about the way lawsuits are brought or the way they proceed is realistic in any way shape or form in this program. Further, if Crane, Poole & Schmidt is the gargantuan law firm the viewer is led to believe it is, associate Alan Shore would not be able to pick whatever random criminal, tort or constitutional case he feels like trying. Also, neither the partners nor any other associates would involve themselves in ANY criminal or family law matters unless in a pro bono capacity. Going even further, no attorney in the firm, partner or otherwise would be able to continually get away with shooting people. Oh, and while we're on the subject, partners would not be able to fondle members of the opposite sex in the office and attorneys who were sleeping with each other would probably be disciplined for discussing their relations or having sex in the office whilst others can see or hear. It is also likely that sex dolls would be disallowed, whether or not they were made in the likeness of one of the named partners. Since we're on the topic of unrealism, another common trait shared among real-world firms that operate on the national and international scale comparable to this make-believe firm is that the named partners are usually dead. You may be able, from time to time find a lawyer named Foley, Larder, Arnold, Porter, Snell, Wilmer, Cutler, Pickering, King, Spalding etc., but it's quite rare that this lawyer is the one who founded the firm that carries his/her namesake. The show is set in a fake TV world. Here's a few other shows set in a fake TV world where nothing resembles realism:
House (Hugh Laurie is really English!!)
The Cosby Show (Bill Cosby was really a comedian, not a doctor!!)
ER
Chicago Hope
Law and Order
Law and Order SVU
Law and Order CI
Law and Order XR4TI
Law and Order S&M
Law and Order ABC
Law and Order USA
Law and Order MIA
Law and Order DDP
Law and Order DDT
CSI Miami
CSI New York
CSI Poughkeepsie
CSI Marietta
CSI Green Bay
CSI Newfoundland
CSI Siberia
Medium
Large
Xtra Large
Small
All are (or were) hit shows. All have very little basis in reality. The difference between Boston Legal and the other "legal" dramas is Boston Legal flaunts its lack of realism. It almost seems as if David E. Kelley is poking fun at his own work to some degree as well as the various Law and Order franchises. True, there are many points in every episode in which the characters (most often Alan Shore) pontificate and make profound discoveries, but in the interim, the show does not take itself too seriously. So therefore I love it, even though I know it is wrong. I contrast the Law and Order series, which is equally unrealistic, yet does take itself all too seriously, constantly pretending that it is not pretending even though the show's version of basic rules of law is no less outlandish than Denny Crane firing off a shotgun in a courtroom. In short, Boston Legal is good. The actors deliver because the teleplays deliver and the insincere treatment of law and procedure can be excused by the sincere treatment of the topics as well as the laughs. I would encourage anyone to buy this set and view it periodically (just perhaps not with your kids if they're under 16).
Movie Review: Mindboggling!
Summary: 5 Stars
Until last month we didn't even own a TV - at least one that got reception. Basically we had a monitor for playing DVDs. The only reason I got Boston Legal was that both my husband and I are huge James Spader fans. The reason I almost passed it up, despite that, was that I didn't have a lot of respect for William Shatner's past work. Was I amazed at what I saw!
First of all, Spader, who was so excellent as an almost angelic looking villainous type, has gained some weight, lost some of that beauty and turns out to have a barely before suspected but decided flair for comedy. (He was kind of funny in Stargate but my husband almost laughed when I mentioned that Spader was doing comedy.)As attorney Alan Shore he still seems to be playing the devil - but when the facade cracks you can see the angelic still resides there. His body language is aconscious choice that makes him seem less attractive than he has been in the past - but it is the perfect stance for the character He is inhabiting. Shore as played by Spader is a multi-leveled character always capable of surprising us.
But it was Shatner who was a revelation. He can not only be funny, but also plays pathos so well he can bring tears to the eyes. As a senior partner, once among the greatest of trial lawyers and now descending into dementia, his role could have been somewhat one-dimensional in less capable hands. But even when playing his foggiest moments, there is a gleam in the eye that lets us know that there is more to Denny Crane than meets most eyes. He can go from befuddled to sharp as a tack to uproariously funny- and then let us see his fear of losing it, with barely the twitch of a facial muscle. The performance is brilliant.
And as a team, Shatner and Spader surpass brilliance. Politically opposed, they are still unlikely best friends, and the theme of friendship that flows through the episodes is one of its strongest points. There is also comedy - lots of it; intriguing legal cases (and they don't always win) as well as interesting moral dilemmas - some of which put Shore and Crane at odds for a time. Some of these can be so serious that the show hardly seems funny except in passing moments - but no matter how dark an episode gets it is also intriguing - no - riveting. And it always ends with food for thought - and usually a good smile.
The rest of the cast is equally capable. I especially like Mark Valley as Brad - he could be an unlikable, plastic Ken Doll of a character but manages to win sympathy. And who could resist Candace Bergen as Schmidt, the female senior partner there to keep everyone in line. She is gorgeous, she is very tough - but she is also humane when it is important. And she is very, very funny.
I thought I would buy the Season One DVD and treat myself to an episode a night, but the plots are so intriguing, the characters so fascinating and well drawn (and acted) and the issues raised either so poingnant or so absurd (or both) that I find that you can't watch just one.
This series was enough to bring me back to watching television.
Movie Review: "I Love Solitude... Mostly in a Relationship"
Summary: 5 Stars
The above quote from this amazing show is a true testament to David E. Kelley's brilliance. Now, I have not seen The Practice, Picket Fences, or Ally Mcbeal, so I am without prejudice, and I must say that I am very impressed.
James Spader, who plays Alan Shore, is the most interesting lead character in a decade, and plays the part to perfection. Alan is lonely, troubled, yet hides it with charisma and lewd comments. Spader is the perfect fit, and really brings out the best in his character. HE also has the best lines of the season (in later seasons Shatner has much better material) and says them with the confidence you would expect from such a character.
Denny Crane, played by William Shatner, is the indisputed star of the show. I don't think he quite knew it himself, but this was the role he was born to play. Even though in this season he doesn't have the large influx of funny lines, the ones he does have are made even funnier by his outrageous demeanor. The "mad cow" was a nice touch, and it makes for a very interesting character: a has-been lawyer who floats in and out of his prime with every new episode.
The femme trio of the season (all of which would leave quite suddenly) is composed of Sally Heap (Lake Bell), Tara Wilson (Rhona Mitra), and Lori Colson (Monica Potter). These women all want to sleep with Alan (and two do), a plot point that should have been more interesting than it was. It was almost as if Kelley said "To heck with romance" and made the show about Alan and Denny. This proved to be good for the show, but bad for the three unlucky actresses (who were all quite talented). Thus the three girls of season one got no real depth (expect Denise from seasons 2 and 3 seemed like a spin-off of Lori) and they never really got a backstory.
Last, but most certainly not least, is Candice Bergen, who plays founding partner Shirly Schmidt. When I received this set I was perplexed as to the nature of why one of the cover's participents was not in over half of the season. The first minute she was one screen I realized why. Bergen (agiain) is the perfect fit for the role she plays and also bounces of of Shatner amazingly well. She could be the star of the show, should Spader decide to leave, yet Kelley (in this season and others) decides not to write much for her. However, when she is on screen the show just flows, and she is a welcome member of the team.
In short (ironically) this show is the best thing on TV right now. It is socially relevent, funny, and brilliantly written. I highly recommend this amazing experience of a televsion program.
Movie Review: Boston Legal - Season One!
Summary: 5 Stars
Introduced during the final season of ABC's The Practice as Ellenor Frutt's maverick defense attorney pal Alan Shore, actor James Spader (along with fellow Emmy-winner William Shatner as Denny Crane, and insanely sexy Rhona Mitra as Tara Wilson) was promptly spun-off into this brilliant series the following season. Whether this was always creator/executive producer David E. Kelley's original intent remains unseen, but it was a tactically shrewd and smart move, nonetheless. Sporting a great cast, sharp writing, relevant topical issues, laugh-out-loud humor and remarkable heart, Boston Legal (original working title "Fleet Street") continued to do what The Practice did for legal dramas, only in a much more humorous way.
Props to Fox for packaging the show in a first-rate DVD season set which features immaculate picture and sound and cool extras. Most notably, the deleted scenes from the pilot which Kelley explains in the introduction as being too "Practice-like" i.e. serious. These aren't the usual abruptly short deleted scenes typical of TV DVDs but full "super-size" scenes that add more to the pilot episode they were cut from, not unlike the deleted scenes from NBC's The Office.
Boston Legal - Season One is a 5-disc (single-sided) set featuring all 17 episodes; Widescreen (1.78:1) video; Dolby Surround English audio; plus extras. Housed in slim cases, Disc One contains: Episodes 1-4; Disc Two: Episodes 5-8; Disc Three: Episodes 9-12; Disc Four: Episodes 13-16; Disc Five: Episode 17, plus Special Features: "Court is Now in Session - How Boston Legal Came To Be" featurette, "An Unlikely Pair - Alan Shore and Denny Crane" featurette, and Deleted Scenes from Pilot Episode.
Boston Legal - Season One (along with The Practice - Volume One)
Highly Recommended!
Movie Review: I'll join in what others have said
Summary: 5 Stars
I had for a long time known there was this show out there, Boston Legal, and that it was supposed to be quirky and funny. But I hesitated because A) I never much liked the little bit of The Practice that I saw, just not my cup of tea, and B) I really was creeped out by William Shatner from the Priceline ads.
Then I saw a sort of tribute to William Shatner's character, on a VH1 special, and it was funny, so I gave the show a whirl. ONE EPISODE (of Season 3) and I was absolutely floored. Shatner is unbelievable -- who would have thought he has this level of finesse in him? He is hilarious, at the same time over-the-top and yet subtle and sublime.
James Spader is another one I never really *loved* before - always thought he was fine but nothing special. On Boston Legal? WOW. I can't remember a television character as complicated and well-fleshed-out as Alan Shore, nor one as well-acted.
I wanted to write a review that would encourage people who missed the first seasons to get on board now - it's not too late. Also people who don't like courtroom shows - this show has way more to offer than just L.A. Law or The Practice or Law and Order.
This is one of those shows that makes you think the best dramatic work these days is being done on TV rather than in the movies. And these guys put out every single week!
I also heart Rene Auberjonois, who is the only character who seems wholly real and natural (not that the other characters are flawed, but they do have extreme characteristics) and HUGE thumbs up for Bergen, whom I not only didn't like in the past, but actually quite disliked on the basis of Murphy Brown. She is hilarious in this show with impeccable timing. Clearly a very bright woman to carry off this character with such aplomb.
Start watching on TV now, and get the DVDs of seasons you missed too.