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Best of Friends Volumes 3 & 4

Best of Friends Volumes 3 & 4

List Price: $34.98
Your Price: $31.48
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Best of The Best
Review: It's yet another collection of some of the best that our "Friends" have to offer. A collection that includes some of the funniest (TOW The Candy Hearts, TOW Ross Got High) sweetest, (TOW Ross and Rachel...You know) and most touching (The One-Hundreth, TOW The Proposal) moments that the long-running series has to offer. A must-have for Friends fans...even if it is only to see that candle-lit proposal fifteen more times...

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Nowhere near as good as Volumes 1 & 2
Review: Maybe there's a good reason why the box doesn't list which episodes are on this collection, because most of them are not "The Best" of "Friends." Some of these episodes are among the worst in the series. This collection is very heavy on Thanksgiving Day episodes. But, the one that is not included, is the one from the first season where Underdog gets away, and introduced us to Chandler's distaste for Thanksgiving, Joey's portrait on a VD poster, and so on. That was a real gem. "The One With The Football" consists of these characters acting childish for an entire half hour. Also, "The One With the Blackout" is one of the weaker episodes of the first season, and its only appeal was the appearance of Jill Goodacre. The episode where Phoebe gives birth to the triplets is worth seeing because it's the 100th episode, but storywise, this one with the
Fonzie-obsessed obstetrician is a weak outing by the writers. What this does have going for it, is it contains the five-star fantasy episode called, "The One That Might Have Been," in which every one of the characters shines in a top-notch script by Kaufmann and Crane. And the episode where Chandler proposes is also a must-see. The problem is, the first two volumes seemed to focus on the earlier years of the show, the second two should have drawn from the later years, in which there were quite a few classics. And the biggest problem with Boxed Set version of this, is once again, a duplication of material. Why do both discs have to contain the exact same "Behind the Scenes" program which aired on the Discovery Channel. They could have used that disc space more creatively. This is the same problem with the boxed set for volumes one and two, that both contained the Rembrandts' video of "I'll Be There For You." Still, if you want "Friends" on DVD, this is it. Unfortunately, this selection of episodes is not very good.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Nowhere near as good as Volumes 1 & 2
Review: Maybe there's a good reason why the box doesn't list which episodes are on this collection, because most of them are not "The Best" of "Friends." Some of these episodes are among the worst in the series. This collection is very heavy on Thanksgiving Day episodes. But, the one that is not included, is the one from the first season where Underdog gets away, and introduced us to Chandler's distaste for Thanksgiving, Joey's portrait on a VD poster, and so on. That was a real gem. "The One With The Football" consists of these characters acting childish for an entire half hour. Also, "The One With the Blackout" is one of the weaker episodes of the first season, and its only appeal was the appearance of Jill Goodacre. The episode where Phoebe gives birth to the triplets is worth seeing because it's the 100th episode, but storywise, this one with the
Fonzie-obsessed obstetrician is a weak outing by the writers. What this does have going for it, is it contains the five-star fantasy episode called, "The One That Might Have Been," in which every one of the characters shines in a top-notch script by Kaufmann and Crane. And the episode where Chandler proposes is also a must-see. The problem is, the first two volumes seemed to focus on the earlier years of the show, the second two should have drawn from the later years, in which there were quite a few classics. And the biggest problem with Boxed Set version of this, is once again, a duplication of material. Why do both discs have to contain the exact same "Behind the Scenes" program which aired on the Discovery Channel. They could have used that disc space more creatively. This is the same problem with the boxed set for volumes one and two, that both contained the Rembrandts' video of "I'll Be There For You." Still, if you want "Friends" on DVD, this is it. Unfortunately, this selection of episodes is not very good.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Whoooohoooooo!!!!
Review: Not many Sitcoms can relate to the maturing late 20's and early 30's generation.
I am exactly the age of the characters on "Friends"...
They are quirky and hilarious without an ounce of pretenciousness....what is awesome about having "The Best of Friends" on DVD is.......everything!!....with Re-runs we can basically see these on any givin day during the week, but the quality is great, and to have to add to a collection is why I own it.

I watch "Friends" Freakishly too much.
For some admitting that is a Guitly Pleasure, but
I dont care.....there is something for everyone.
Also....each episode has some outtakes not fitted in the time frame....a cool bonus!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A Great Collection.... But Don't Jump The Gun!
Review: OK, first off, this is a great collection of Friends episodes. These are some of the all-time best, far better than the first "Best Of" set. It's definetly a good buy, but I'm not gonna buy it, and you know why?? THEY WILL EVENTUALLY RELEASE FRIENDS, SEASON-BY-SEASON ON DVD IN THE U.S.! I have no inside info or anything, but they HAVE to. They already did in the UK, it's just a matter of time before we get it here. So I'm beyond confident that we will eventually be graced with (overpriced, but worth it) season-by-season sets. But hey, if you're too impatient to wait for the full sets and you've got [money] to drop, go for it. Meanwhile I'm gonna sit back and wait for something that'll really be worth it. I just wish Warner Bros would hurry up already!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Glad they are coming out, but prefer season-by-season format
Review: Once again, Warner Bros. is presenting the series in "Best Of" format rather than "Season-by-Season" format that most fans prefer (hence my rating of 4 instead of 5). Anyway, the episodes themselves are excellent. The volume 3 comprises of: - The One With The Blackout - The One With The Candy Hearts - The One Where Ross and Rachel... You Know - The One With The Football - The One That Could Have Been (Parts 1 and 2) The volume 4: - The One With Chandler In A Box - The One Hundredth - The One With All The Revolutions - The One Where Ross Got High - The One With The Proposal (Parts 1 and 2) Each episode is presented with few minutes of additional footage, as well as documentary that shows behind-the-scenes footage.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Hopefully we'll get them all
Review: Sure it will take awhile, but maybe one day they'll all be released here. I too was in Eurpope, France to be exact, and saw that you could buy every episode on DVD, so I bought the entire sixth season which I just watch on one DVD player on my laptop because of the whole region coding thing. I also bought the entire fifth season. Maybe one day we'll get every episode here in the US but at least this is a start.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Nowhere near as good as Volumes 1 & 2
Review: The Best of Friends Volume 3 - 4 collects 10 more of the "best episodes" of the award-winning comedy series about six friends living and working in New York. In addition to the episodes the DVDs also contain a "behind the scenes" documentary (which is pretty cool), cast bios and NEVER BEFORE SEEN FOOTAGE (seamlessly edited into the shows).

Here's a rundown of the DVDs contents:

Volume 3:

1. The One With the Blackout (11/3/94): A power outage occurs leaving Chandler stranded with a supermodel (Jill Goodacre) at an ATM and the others in the dark at home. Ross tries to make his move in on Rachel until a lost cat gets in the way leading to the introduction of the cats owner, Paulo whom Rachel falls head over heels for...

2. The One With the Candy Hearts (2/9/95): Valentine's Day mishaps abound as Joey fixes himself and Chandler on date with a chick he likes and her friend, (unknowingly the friend being Chandler's ex Janice); the girls get into a "ex-boyfriend bonfire ritual" and Ross runs into his ex-wife Carole while out on his first date in ages.

3. The One Where Ross and Rachel...You Know (2/8/96): Ross and Rachel head out on their first date -- at his working place (with a HILARIOUS ending); Monica caters a party for her parent's eye doctor friend, Dr. Richard Burke (Tom Selleck) (setting off another GREAT storyline); plus, Joey and Chandler become the ultimate "Lazy Boy" couch potatoes.

4. The One With the Football (11/21/96): It's Thanksgiving and Ross and Monica drag their friends into the ultimate battle of football for the "prestigious" Geller Cup.

5. The One That Could Have Been (2/17/00): Ross still with Carole? Rachel actually marrying Barry? Phoebe as a wealthy, high-powered stockbroker? Monica still fat? Chandler as a struggling writer? Joey as a successful actor? Great alternate storyline episode as the gang wonders What If?

Volume 4:

1. The One With Chandler in a Box (11/20/97): Thanksgiving comes around again. With Joey still fuming at Chandler for stealing his girlfriend, Chandler confines himself to a box to prove his friendship to Joey. Plus, Monica attempts to start a relationship with Richard's son.

2. The One Hundredth (10/8/98): Phoebe gives birth to the triplets she carried for her brother, with a Fonzie-loving weirdo as the doctor. Plus, to Chandler's chagrin Rachel sets-up Monica and herself with two cute males nurses.

3. The One With All the Resolutions (1/7/99): New Year's comes around and with it resolutions. Chandler can't insult; Ross wants to try new things (including wearing leather pants which lead to a HILARIOUS disaster on a hot date); Joey tries to learn guitar from Phoebe; and Rachel resolves not to gossip, but stumbles across Chandler and Monica's BIG secret!!!

4. The One Where Ross Got High (11/25/99): Ross and Monica's parents visit for Thanksgiving and it is revealed that they don't like Chandler, to Monica's chagrin. Ross reveals the reason for their parent's disdain of Chandler is a little white lie he told them about Chandler to cover his own tracks while in college. Also, Rachel tries to fix Thanksgiving desert for the very first time -- to hilarious results!!!

5. The One with the Proposal - Parts 1 & 2 (5/18/00): Chandler's big plans to spring a surprise proposal to Monica nearly fall through when Dr. Richard Burke returns from the past to try to reclaim Monica for himself!!! Plus, Joey inadvertently buys a boat at an auction and Ross breaks things off with his college co-ed honey!!!

In addition to these episodes BOTH DVDs also contain the following special features:

1. Special Discovery Channel Documentary: "The One That Goes Behind The Scenes." Slightly dated, this 45 minute documentary takes you behind the scenes as the season premiere for the 1999-2000 season is produced (the One After Vegas). The beginning is kinda so-so with tons of technical stuff where the set gets built and the writers discuss the storyline, but it picks up as the actual filming begins. So COOL stuff toward the end of they get immediate feedback from the studio audience about jokes which work and fall flat and TONS of cool stuff in the "post-production" phase where we see the Foley artists adding in the sound effects, the music editor adding on the soundtrack and the video editor actually stitching the episode together. Overall, the first half of it is boring; the second half is cool. This should be great for film/video production students wanting to see how an award-winning, ratings-producing show is produced. Kinda neat for Friends fans.

2. Cast bios (the usual stuff talking about where they grew up and their career resume, neat but nothing to write home about....)

3. NEVER BEFORE SEEN FOOTAGE: It's soooo seamlessly edited into the shows that I can't really tell the difference anyway... Pretty cool I guess...

Here's my quick rundown:

Awesome: NO COMMERCIALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Some of the stuff on the documentary was pretty cool

So-so: The additional footage? Me personally, I can't really tell the difference but I guess that makes it a plus.

Bad: Nothing really, but HEY, WB, WHERE'S THE COMPLETE SEASON COLLECTIONS?????????

I like the fact that they released these episodes on DVD. The replay value, like most sitcoms, is awesome. It's just like watching Friends syndicated reruns on your local station but without the commercials and with a better picture. Unlike taping your favorite episodes off the air, the DVD won't get "eaten" from constant replay.

However, I'm anxiously awaiting when Warner Bros will release the complete season sets like they have overseas. Getting these "Best of" sets will be somewhat moot if/when the complete season sets come out domestically.

Otherwise though, if you need your Friends fix, sans commercials and VCR eaten tapes, this will have to do it for you.

Recommended.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: More Best of Friends - Commercial Free!!!
Review: The Best of Friends Volume 3 - 4 collects 10 more of the "best episodes" of the award-winning comedy series about six friends living and working in New York. In addition to the episodes the DVDs also contain a "behind the scenes" documentary (which is pretty cool), cast bios and NEVER BEFORE SEEN FOOTAGE (seamlessly edited into the shows).

Here's a rundown of the DVDs contents:

Volume 3:

1.The One With the Blackout (11/3/94): A power outage occurs leaving Chandler stranded with a supermodel (Jill Goodacre) at an ATM and the others in the dark at home. Ross tries to make his move in on Rachel until a lost cat gets in the way leading to the introduction of the cats owner, Paulo whom Rachel falls head over heels for...

2.The One With the Candy Hearts (2/9/95): Valentine's Day mishaps abound as Joey fixes himself and Chandler on date with a chick he likes and her friend, (unknowingly the friend being Chandler's ex Janice); the girls get into a "ex-boyfriend bonfire ritual" and Ross runs into his ex-wife Carole while out on his first date in ages.

3.The One Where Ross and Rachel...You Know (2/8/96): Ross and Rachel head out on their first date -- at his working place (with a HILARIOUS ending); Monica caters a party for her parent's eye doctor friend, Dr. Richard Burke (Tom Selleck) (setting off another GREAT storyline); plus, Joey and Chandler become the ultimate "Lazy Boy" couch potatoes.

4.The One With the Football (11/21/96): It's Thanksgiving and Ross and Monica drag their friends into the ultimate battle of football for the "prestigious" Geller Cup.

5.The One That Could Have Been (2/17/00): Ross still with Carole? Rachel actually marrying Barry? Phoebe as a wealthy, high-powered stockbroker? Monica still fat? Chandler as a struggling writer? Joey as a successful actor? Great alternate storyline episode as the gang wonders What If?

Volume 4:

1.The One With Chandler in a Box (11/20/97): Thanksgiving comes around again. With Joey still fuming at Chandler for stealing his girlfriend, Chandler confines himself to a box to prove his friendship to Joey. Plus, Monica attempts to start a relationship with Richard's son.

2.The One Hundredth (10/8/98): Phoebe gives birth to the triplets she carried for her brother, with a Fonzie-loving weirdo as the doctor. Plus, to Chandler's chagrin Rachel sets-up Monica and herself with two cute males nurses.

3.The One With All the Resolutions (1/7/99): New Year's comes around and with it resolutions. Chandler can't insult; Ross wants to try new things (including wearing leather pants which lead to a HILARIOUS disaster on a hot date); Joey tries to learn guitar from Phoebe; and Rachel resolves not to gossip, but stumbles across Chandler and Monica's BIG secret!!!

4.The One Where Ross Got High (11/25/99): Ross and Monica's parents visit for Thanksgiving and it is revealed that they don't like Chandler, to Monica's chagrin. Ross reveals the reason for their parent's disdain of Chandler is a little white lie he told them about Chandler to cover his own tracks while in college. Also, Rachel tries to fix Thanksgiving desert for the very first time -- to hilarious results!!!

5.The One with the Proposal - Parts 1 & 2 (5/18/00): Chandler's big plans to spring a surprise proposal to Monica nearly fall through when Dr. Richard Burke returns from the past to try to reclaim Monica for himself!!! Plus, Joey inadvertently buys a boat at an auction and Ross breaks things off with his college co-ed honey!!!

In addition to these episodes BOTH DVDs also contain the following special features:

1.Special Discovery Channel Documentary: "The One That Goes Behind The Scenes." Slightly dated, this 45 minute documentary takes you behind the scenes as the season premiere for the 1999-2000 season is produced (the One After Vegas). The beginning is kinda so-so with tons of technical stuff where the set gets built and the writers discuss the storyline, but it picks up as the actual filming begins. So COOL stuff toward the end of they get immediate feedback from the studio audience about jokes which work and fall flat and TONS of cool stuff in the "post-production" phase where we see the Foley artists adding in the sound effects, the music editor adding on the soundtrack and the video editor actually stitching the episode together. Overall, the first half of it is boring; the second half is cool. This should be great for film/video production students wanting to see how an award-winning, ratings-producing show is produced. Kinda neat for Friends fans.

2.Cast bios (the usual stuff talking about where they grew up and their career resume, neat but nothing to write home about....)

3.NEVER BEFORE SEEN FOOTAGE: It's soooo seamlessly edited into the shows that I can't really tell the difference anyway... Pretty cool I guess...

Here's my quick rundown:

Awesome: NO COMMERCIALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Some of the stuff on the documentary was pretty cool

So-so: The additional footage? Me personally, I can't really tell the difference but I guess that makes it a plus.

Bad: Nothing really, but HEY, WB, WHERE'S THE COMPLETE SEASON COLLECTIONS?????????

I like the fact that they released these episodes on DVD. The replay value, like most sitcoms, is awesome. It's just like watching Friends syndicated reruns on your local station but without the commercials and with a better picture. Unlike taping your favorite episodes off the air, the DVD won't get "eaten" from constant replay.

However, I'm anxiously awaiting when Warner Bros will release the complete season sets like they have overseas. Getting these "Best of" sets will be somewhat moot if/when the complete season sets come out domestically.

Otherwise though, if you need your Friends fix, sans commercials and VCR eaten tapes, this will have to do it for you.

Recommended.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: A waste of plastic
Review: The protracted adolescence of the writing in this series combined with some of the most numb, unfeeling attempts at acting since Three's Company make me wonder if the TV-viewing public is really as brain dead as the network execs obviously think they are. This is garbage! The portrayal of a fictitious all-white Manhattan where mindless post-teen twenty-somethings somehow manage to live in $4,000.00 a month apartments without having any marketable skills whatsoever is a sick, racist travesty and about as believable as the lovable, zany Nazis in Hogan's Heroes. Anyone who actually likes this program must either have had a lobotomy or need one.


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