|
Click here to return to the main site. DVD Review
The two things Americans appear to enjoy the most is destroying their own cities in science fiction films and pulling apart and examining the family unit, from the inside, for comedic purposes. They are not unique in this respect, most countries have a long history of domestic tomfoolery, what is different about America is that they probably do it better than most. Malcolm in the Middle (1999 – 2006) was not the first and certainly won’t be the last show to focus down onto one family, but in its earlier series it got the balance between the characters perfectly. The show ran for seven seasons, notching up an impressive one hundred and fifty-one episodes. You can relive the whole experience in the newly released box set. The show played around with the accepted format of domestic comedy in many ways, most notably Malcolm’s penchant for breaking the fourth wall and talking directly to the audience. The show centred on Malcolm (Frankie Muniz) a young man with a prodigious intellect, coupled with an equally strange family, originally six in number, as the show progressed the family expanded to seven. Malcolm’s mother, Lois (Jane Kaczmarek) may at first appear to an overbearing dragon, but she intensely loves her family of chaotic children which also includes Malcolm’s father Hal (Bryan Cranston), who is arguably the most childlike person in the family. His brothers Francis (Christopher Masterson), Reese (Justin Berfield) and Dewy (Erik Per Sullivan), play distinct roles in the family. Francis is the former rebellious teenager who is sent to military school, eventually he settles down with a partner who is a match for Lois. Strangely enough his early dislocation in the show meant that Francis always felt like he was a slightly removed secondary character with his own storyline which only really intersected with the main body of the family at the beginning and end of the series. Like most siblings there is rivalry and Malcolm and Reece spent their time either fighting one another or getting into trouble together, within the family Reece was Malcolm’s main foil, which leaves only dear dumb Dewy, great at music but in all other ways a little backward, still, he idolised his older brothers even though he was the butt of many of their pranks. The two characters which really sold the show and two of the best realised grotesques were the matriarch Lois and her dopey husband Hal. The show started strongly, but year on year it slowly lost its audience and its ratings as it struggled to adapt the show, although it continued to garner awards. The show's greatest error was to start brilliantly, making it an instant hit in over fifty two regions, as time went on, it dipped to the depths of being good comedy, but good comedy in comparison to its early blooming was enough to stop audiences leaving. In truth there was rarely a dud episode and even within these there was enough to make you smile or laugh The child actors were getting older and it was impossible for the format to remain frozen. Malcolm progressed through school, Francis turned into a married man and Lois had another baby, Hal meanwhile remained an idiot. Like a lot of people I sort of drifted away from the show around season six when the best episodes tended to revolve around Lois, Hal and the newly introduced granny from hell. The box set contains twenty-two DVD’s, with a number of extras, most of which exist on the first season, including commentaries, season one promos, a gag reel, deleted scenes and a portrait of Erik Per Sullivan and an extended Pilot episode. Disc 4 of season two has a stills gallery. It may seem a little short of extras, but the set still represents good value. If the worst thing you can say about a show was that it was occasionally only good you can understand why Malcolm can still find a place in our comedy hearts. 8 Charles Packer Buy this item online
|
|---|
