Seinfeld: Season Five
by Tom Cherones
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Jason Alexander, Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Richards, Ruth CohenDirector: Tom Cherones
Brand: SEINFELD,JERRY
Writer: Jerry Seinfeld
Writer: Andy Cowan
Writer: Andy Robin
Writer: Bruce Kirschbaum
Writer: Carol Leifer
Writer: Charlie Rubin
Writer: Larry Charles
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Portuguese (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Box set, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 498 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-11-22
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Product features:
- Condition: New
- Format: DVD
- Box set; Color; Dolby; Dubbed; DVD; Full Screen; Subtitled; NTSC
Movie Reviews of Seinfeld: Season Five
Movie Review: Maybe one season too late ...
Summary: 5 Stars
The fifth season of Seinfeld has arrived, and as someone who saw Seinfeld for the first time last year, I'm more convinced than ever that the genius of this series is still unparalleled.
Season 5 was a significant year for Seinfeld, for many reasons. First of all, of course, it was the first season that would have to withstand the critical eyes of a huge audience all over several countries. The big question was: would Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld be able to carry over the pure Seinfeld humor of the almost abnormally perfect season 4, and present Seinfeld as the ingenius idea it originally was, the show about nothing?
It would be very easy to say "yes, they were" because obviously the show became a huge phenomenon, and needless to say, season 5 is indeed brilliant again.
But I still think this season was not the best year for Seinfeld to "catch on", and maybe the remaining seasons would have taken a different route, had the show become successful one year earlier.
Now don't get me all wrong; there's nothing wrong with the episodes per se, they just don't carry on the spirit of Seinfeld as properly as they could have.
It's not a decline in quality, it's a change in style.
For one, the show has now a larger scale with more sets and bigger settings. Again, this is not bad, but Seinfeld is always at its best on small- scale things.
Then, there were some changes made in the writing. Tom Gamill and Max Pross have now entered the show, along with Carol Leifer. I believe the turning point of Seinfeld came with "The Glasses", written by Gamill and Pross, when George, due the loss of his glasses, mistakes Jerry's cousin Jeffrey with a horse. That's the point where Seinfeld became a little like a parody of itself. Gamill and Pross often talk on the DVD about taking funny bits out of their own lives and turning those into episodes. This is all very good and fitting, but what they failed to realise is that Seinfeld goes beyond "my high school friend used to eat his Snickers bar with a knife and fork". Starting with season 5, Seinfeld relied more on actual jokes and over-the-top plot twists. Remember, this is all perfectly fine, as it is really funny, but it ain't Seinfeld.
The first 4 seasons didn't need actual jokes, the characters were so strong and dynamic and complemented each other so well that they weren't needed. Seinfeld was always at its best in lengthy face-to-face scenes or coversations.
Why? Because the essential Seinfeld humor is something you can neither construct nor describe; it's a humor that only exists because of social dynamics; and because of a humor and cynicism that society created itself.
Like Larry David said, it's based on the "absurd profanity of life", and the setups in season 5 onwards are anything but profane.
Season 5 does have some great face-to-face scenes, but unfortunately, because the writers came up with more and more complex stories, scenes often change too quickly.
Now, not everything's different. There are a couple of things that are superior to season 4. For instance, the characters of the show are now so well established that they could do a little thing or a small gesture, and you know what's going on. Jerry Seinfeld himself says that in a commentary track. The writers could give a line to a character and just know how it would play out. That's great, to know your characters, knowing how a weapon can cause the most damage.
Now, this may all sound negative, but it isn't meant to be. Jerry Seinfeld said they had to change the show somehow because they knew they couldn't sustain the level of the first four seasons, and I think he's right. I just regret that it had to happen in this important year.
Season 5 has enough of seasons 1-4 to make the new audience "get" Seinfeld, but it has also a couple of things that water the original idea down.
The extras are excellent, as usual, with 20 minutes of bloopers, roughly 8 minutes of exclusive stand-up material, a great featurette, deleted scenes, and audio commentaries and inside looks galore.
Summary of Seinfeld: Season Five
The complete fifth season of the show about a group of friends living in New York City.Genre: Television
Rating: NR
Release Date: 22-NOV-2005
Media Type: DVD
The fifth season of Seinfeld is without a doubt the series' best. By their fifth year, the Seinfeld gang had ironed out the bumps from the first two seasons, further developing characters. The loyal fan base that had been accumulating over the years was now more or less the entire nation?s viewing audience. The pressure was on to give this new, mega fan base a high dose of their unique, misanthropic comedy, and Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld), George (Jason Alexander), Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and Kramer (Michael Richards) delivered in spades. Yes, other seasons may have funnier individual episodes, but as a whole season five consistently delivers the goods, including many of the show's all-time classic episodes. In the season opener, Jerry discovers the secret, sexual power of "The Mango." While vacationing in "The Hamptons" we not only learn that George?s date likes to sunbathe topless in front of his friends, but also that cold water has the power to shrink. In "The Stall? Elaine is rejected while trying to share toilet paper only to learn that the selfish neighbor is Jerry?s girlfriend. In order to really make a life change, George decides to do "The Opposite" of all his instincts and surprisingly everything in his life falls perfectly into place. And of course, who can forget the ridiculous puffy shirt Kramer?s low-talking girlfriend talks Jerry into wearing on The Today Show. This box set also includes the featurette "Jason+Larry=George" explaining how Jason Alexander embodied Larry David?s alter ego to create George Costanza, plus deleted and behind-the-scenes footage and exclusive stand up footage of Jerry Seinfeld. --Rob Bracco
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