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Absolutely Fabulous - Complete Series 4

Absolutely Fabulous - Complete Series 4

List Price: $29.98
Your Price: $23.98
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Absolutely Fabulous - Series 4
Review: A fantastic attirbute t this series is that is has been going for over ten years, and in BRistish Comedy, this is a true feat!
The jokes have worn a little thin, and Saffy seems to have become some kind of paranoid shadow of herself - however the episode where she writes her own play - which steals jokes from previous series episodes is hysterial, particualry as Patsy is played by a drag queen! The series is a must for all fans. The big plus is that it introduces new ideas for series five - which I am lucky enough to be watching in the UK at the moment. Series 5 is back to the roots and is far funnier than any of the other series put together. Eddie is about to be a Granny! The best jokes are here, and the most funniest visual gags make the next series the one to own and watch over and over again. But you need series four and the Christmas special "Gay" to make sense of the new direction the characters take. Hats off to you guys for turning what could have been a national disaster into one of the funniest comedy moments of 2004!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Comedy has fallen in years, but DVD still worth it
Review: Ab Fab was one of the funniest shows on tv, and that hasn't changed. Maybe it's just me, but these newer episodes aren't as fabulous as the older ones on the 4 DVD set. Maybe they've just had to tone things down a bit, some of the magic is gone. But, these sweeties are still something to be cherished and enjoyed. The price is right for this box set and there are some great goodies to be owned as well. The only thing I wish they had added was "The Final Shout". Anyway, this is still a solid buy for the bad girl in all of us.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Every Bit as Funny as the Earlier Episodes!!
Review: AbFab is still every bit as funny as the original episodes from the early 90s. I especially love the "Paralox" episode where Patsy experiments with a Botox-like chemical weapon and another episode where Saffy writes a "Mommie-Dearest" like play about her life as a "self-raising flower". Definitely worth buying to add to your AbFab collection or to start a new one!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Eddie Pie Hands!!
Review: Absoulutely Fabulous is the funniest show in the world, you will not go wrong with this DVD unless you don't like laugh out loud hilarity that goes along with Patsy and Eddie. The new series isn't as good as the first three series but it made me laugh a lot. As Bubbles said, "Me tubby bye, bye."

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Another great series from this remarkable comedy!
Review: After an absence of five years from our televisions, Jennifer Saunders brought her internationally famous, multiple-award winning British sitcom, Absolutely Fabulous, back to millions of loyal viewers. The show was instantly welcomed back by the BBC, who broadcast the entire six episodes in late 2001. The ratings weren't as high as earlier series where 12 million tuned in regularly, but still enough to be considered a tremendous success in the UK. Series 4 is noticeably not as funny as the first three series, but still funny enough to be considered Ab Fab classics.

Series 4 opens with the rather disappointing "Parralox." Eddy is due to appear on Richard and Judy in a few days, and she's ecstatic. If only she could get rid of all those wrinkles on her face - Patsy has just the thing in illegal injections! As the first episode of this new series, this episode doesn't seem to have a point and never really gets to its objective before it ends, resulting in a rather lifeless episode. This said, the episode does have some great bits with guest stars including Michael Greco, Stephen Gately and Richard and Judy, but it isn't up to the quality standards such as the Series 2 opener, "Hospital." The next episode is the brilliant "Fish Farm." Eddy and Patsy arrive home from a Marilyn Manson concert in their mosher gear. These first few minutes have some hilarious gags, which are some of the best in the show's history. Also, Eddy discovers she has a garden attached to her house and Saffy wants it re-designed. Expect Eddy trying desperately to impress the sexy gardener, but going too far, resulting in disastrous consequences such as inflatable bras!

"Paris" is another classic episode. Eddy and Patsy are due in Paris for a fashion-shoot, to which Saffy hesitantly agrees to attend. While Patsy struggles to figure out how to pose for pictures in the modern world, Eddy takes Saffy sight-seeing around Paris. But just how long will Saffy survive when she agrees to do things her mother's way in Paris? Especially when they take a trip to the top of the Eiffel Tower! In the great episode "Donkey," Eddy is desperate to lose weight to impress her friends. She goes on a strict diet routine, and discovers she has a muscle in her arm! She's doing great and looks rather stunning on her final night out. She's really impressed with herself, until she makes the remark that she looks like Sarah Jessica Parker! Her friends giggle and respond with "You're still too fat!" The episode is also done in a Sex And The City style, in which the main character (Eddy) narrates the daily events of the other characters much like Carrie Bradshaw in the hit US sitcom.

"Small Opening" is another one of my favourite episodes of this series. Saffy is producing a play about her life with her mother and Patsy, which she doesn't want her mum to know about. Eddy finds out by mistake through a phone call which she mistakes from her son Serge but is actually a scene from Saffy's play, so she calls the police. Patsy is frantic trying to hide all her drugs as the police arrive, with some hilarious scenes. Eddy is furious with her. Despite Edina's fury, the play goes ahead. Reluctantly, Eddy and Patsy turn up at the play and surprisingly find themselves enjoying it when they remember all the real-life quotes they said to Saffy years ago! The final episode, "Menopause," is very good, but not the best one in this series. Womb prayers echo all around the house as Eddy and Patsy join Menopausals Anonymous! While Eddy detests this new group, Saffy has horrifying new visions of Patsy as a traditional housewife. These scenes are excellent and the episode finishes with what Eddy and Patsy will be like in decades time!

OVERALL GRADE: 10/10

Series 4 contains some great DVD extras, such as commentary by Jennifer Saunders and the Producer, Jon Plowman. Also included are 12 minutes of Out-Takes, Photo Gallery, Scene Selection, Behind The Scenes Interviews and the full pilot episode of Mirrorball, the Absolutely Fabulous spin-off which was transmitted on December 22nd 2000. All in all, Series 4 is essential for all you Ab Fab fantics out there, and with guest stars such as Ruby Wax, Marianne Faithfull, Anita Pallenberg, Dale Winton and many others, is another brilliant series from Jennifer Saunders!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: They're back!
Review: After over 5 years after its last episode the Internationally acclaimed, award-winning British sitcom returned in late 2001 with its fourth season. Times had changed and quite clearly so had the programme. In an effort to keep with the ever-changing times and contemporary trends, Jennifer Saunders seems to have slightly adapted a more diverse approach to her writing. Though the fast, witty dialogue consistently flows, there are flaws in some of these episodes albeit only minors ones but don't capture the pace and magic of the origanal 3 seasons. Still there are more things to recommend it and fans of the series will surley be satisfied. Edina (Jennifer Saunders) and Joanna Lumley are as vile as ever, though Edina's self-obsessed dieting plan seems a little out of character and even as though ideas were wearing a little thin. But the cast carry this off with finesse regardless and both Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumleys timing is stil impeccable though the punchlines don't come quite as thick and fast as they once did. The first episode of the series, Paralox seems a little lost and not quite sure of which direction its trying to head but things pick up from here on with Fish farm where Edina hires a gardener who she thinks is a rich aristocrat and so sets about seducing him. There is a hark back to the good old days of the origanal series with some masterful comic playing by Saunders and Lumley whilst Paris is where Patsy gets involved in a magazine photoshoot and Edina and Saffy (Joanna Sawalha) begin actually bonding as mother and daughter (until the amusing climax). Donkey sees Edina frantically trying to take a detox and this is perharps one of the weaker episodes in this season whilst Small Opening sees saffy take her play about Edinas life onto the stage. The last episode is consistently amusing where Patsy and Eddy join Menopausals anonymous. The ending is another look into the future of Eddy and Patsy where they are hilariously seen as old women whihis distinctley reminiscent to the last episode of the third season in 1995. Still it remains amusing as does this series on the whole even though not eclipsing the first three seasons. Jane Horrocks turns up playing a pretentious daytime television presenter and June Whitfield as Edina's batty mother who is even more dizzier this time. Also included on this DVD is the television special, Mirror Ball starring the same cast and distinctley has the feel of an Absolutly Fabulous episode. A well comprised DVD with some interesting extra features included as the bonus. Highly recommended and a classic comic gem!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Six More Episodes And A Bunch Of Extras, Sweetie Darling...
Review: Although all six episodes in this series are good, only three are really exceptional and will go down in "AbFab" history as classics. They are: "Paris" (the girls go on a vacation to Paris- Edina and Saffy actually bond, if you can believe that! It's very touching, almost!); "Small Openings" (Saffy writes a "Mommie Dearest"-esque play that Edina and Pats initially object to, but then later become friends with the people that play them! Patsy, incidentally, is played by a man!); and "Menopause" (Patsy's bones become very brittle and start breaking. Edina and Saffy's reactions when Patsy gives herself a shot of pain medication is BRILLIANTLY HILARIOUS!).

Lots of extras here: the "Mirrorball" special that features all of the main "AbFab" actors in different roles (not as funny as "AbFab" but still well worth your time); great commentary from Jennifer Saunders; photo gallery; outtakes/bloopers, etc. My only complaint, and it's minor, is that the "Who's Who Guide to the stars of AbFab" is a bit hard to read. It looks like handwriting on a piece of graph paper- and even on my gigantic television, it was a bit hard to make all of the writing out. They should have just used a font that was easier to read.

The DVD's come packaged in a plastic case, unlike the last set that came in a cardboard case. The plastic is a lot better and durable than the cardboard, so this is good! The design elements of the case are the same as the last set (it's just a different color), so at least the two sets basically match when they sit on a shelf together. It's so annoying when things in a series aren't designed likewise, so it's nice to see that Warner Bros./BBC Video did this correctly!

Oddity: all of the extras appear on both DVD's. This is not a complaint, I just thought it was sort of strange that they are repeated within the same set.

And no... "The Last Shout" does not appear on this DVD set. The rights to that are owned by a different company, hence the reason why that's not out on DVD yet.

Edina, Patsy, and Saffy are just as fab as ever! Hopefully there will be another series of episodes soon!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: I'm Chanting as We Speak, Darling
Review: Although not as good as the prior series, this one has its moments. I think the best of the shows on this DVD is Small Opening. Saffy has written a play and Eddy is mad when she finds out.

I did find it very helpful to watch the show with the audio commentary on. This helped to explain some of the jokes that I did not get.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Quite a Disappointment, Sweetie
Review: As with any cultish thing, you've got your psycho fans and your fans. Psycho fans will like whatever you do no matter what, and AbFab has got some rabid, psycho fans. Now, based on the original series and the "Last Shout" movie, I can see why so many people flipped for the whole she-bang. I loved those original shows myself, and they are worth buying because they are funny--inspired, tuned-in to the zeitgeist, scabrous, etc etc etc . . . all things that series 4 is not. I couldn't wait to see the new shows once they went to air. Then they aired--I could feel myself desperate to laugh, but nothing. Not one single laugh. In fact, I felt embarrassed watching it all. What on earth happened? Series 4 is forced, utterly lacking in timing, mean without insight, and completely joyless. As much as I hate to say it, series 4 of AbFab stinks.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Very Awesome! A MUST BUY!
Review: At first when I heard of Ab Fab, I thought it will be boring,BOY WAS I WRONG! Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley are awesome together. I had to go buy this dvd set. If your feeling down, watch this and you will be on the floor laughing. Dont listen to others that say its not funny. They dont have no sense of humor. This is a must buy! SO PLEASE BUY ALL THE DVD SETS!!!


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