Flight Of The Conchords: The Complete HBO First Season - DVD (Bret McKenzie, Jemaine Clement - Dir: )

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Customer Reviews of Flight Of The Conchords: The Complete HBO First Season

Afro Matt
Somerset, England
7th August 2008

Excellent, wonderfully balanced comedy
Fans of the Boosh will delight at the exploits Flight of the Conchords, the self-styled 4th most famous New Zealand folk-parody duo. This is a comedy show that takes a little from many of the best comedy shows from the past decade and then mixes it all up in a relatively fresh and gloriously quirky way. The deadpan humour of the Office is highly evident as are the flights of comedic whimsy and humourous fantasy one might find in any Boosh show. The offbeat tone will appeal to anyone who loved Napoleon Dynamite and the musical numbers (some of the best musical comedy I've heard in recent years) come across as a mix between Bill Bailey and a less rude Tenacious D (in improvisational tone anyway). Bret and Jemaine play off one another superbly and are ably supported by unsung hero of the series Rhys Darby as their goateed failure of a manager Murray. Kristen Schaal as fanatic sole fan Mel and Arj Barker as the would-be-cool-Brooklyn-boy-but-still-lives-with-parents Dave also provide giggles along the way.

With fewer tendencies to go off on a random tangent than the Mighty Boosh, and the odd whiff of the Pythonesque at times, this might just be the hip new comedy series that everyone both old and young can get into.

triantha
Bath, England
4th July 2008

Love is like a roll of tape...
For those Brits unfamiliar with the Conchords (previous to buying the radio show on a whim, I had only glimpsed the name on the late night slots of BBC3 - where the show was shown at 11.30), they are, of course, New Zealand's 4th most popular novelty Folk band. They live in a miniscule apartment in New York, where they are trying to make the big time, and are managed by their incompetent but lovable manager Murray (the same actor and essential character as Brian from the radio show) who is also the New Zealand Consulate at the New York global embassy.

The tone of the show is unlike any other I've seen, as the two characters of Bret and Jermaine have a deep sense of inner innocence, and an obviously strong friendship. Their exploration of all things New York as well as their somewhat failing band, their single desperate fan, and (usually women related) tensions between the guys make for the basis of the show - and it is all delivered in the most deadpan way imaginable. When it is mentioned that Jemaine sounds "like a robot" when he talks, Bret replies "Nah, that's just the New Zealand accent". Throughout the show, the characters clearly don't realise the ridiculousness of what they are saying, especially the unfortunate Murray.

Against the understated deadpan backdrop, the hilarious songs that interject the show give the guys a chance to let their silly sides go, with Bret and Jermaine quite often hamming it up in a big way. The wailing ending of "I'm not Crying" is a particular example of this. The music is accomplished and professional, and the music video parody style in which they are presented is a boon for anyone who's ever watched MTV. It must be noted that the song segments of the first show are a bit rough (as it was a pilot episode) and there is almost no pre-show exposition, making the very first show confusing to those who haven't met Bret and Jermaine before.

If you're looking for the Mighty Boosh here, as one reviewer here was, then you won't find it. This is a much more understated, cleverer comedy show that (as much as I adore the Boosh for it's weirdness) doesn't rely on bizarre costumes and (in the latest series) insults exchanged between friends. The guys are a wonderful team, and the inclusion of fellow Kiwi comedian Rhys Darby (Murray) is a stroke of genius. All in all, the show is a sharp parody of the real world (and of themselves) that will warm your heart with its silly Kiwi loveliness.

Trent Porky
London
25th June 2008

Good, but not so original as you might think....
This is hilarious and in parts unique, however a good handfull of the jokes and ideas are obviously influenced by -and in a couple of cases outright stolen from- The Mighty Boosh, and to make matters worse, the manager character is pretty much identical to David Brent from The Office (right down to the facial ticks) which I found distracting and hampering to my enjoyment of the rest of the show. Conchords is a lot funnier than your average sitcom, yet fans of British shows will find a lot of this familiar territory, which I feel is slightly cheap as American made shows have been downright lifting jokes and ideas from british shows recently (ie..the office, done east of the atlantic first...)and because of that, though funny, I don't think this show deserves the 'genius' accolades it has been getting.

Dr. G. Caldwell
Worthing, UK
19th June 2008

Funniest thing since Monty Python
It is so long since I laughed so much. If you like Monty Python, Mighty Boosh, The Office, Arrested Development and music from 1970s, 1980s, 1990s - go for it

Mithras

18th June 2008

A poor mans Mighty Boosh
My title says it all, the first thing that struck me about this series was its lack of actual comedy. Its yet more joke free comedy show that is very popular only because its trendy to like it. This actually makes the office look funny. Do yourself a favour and buy some series of the mighty boosh, spaced or black books and leave this well alone.