Home Movies: Season Three DVD Review:

In the first and second season of Home Movies it took some time for me to adjust to the humor. It was often subtle in ways that took me off guard, and because it was a cartoon and the humor wasn’t obscene or directly offensive in the same way that Family Guy or South Park is, it took time to realize it was meant for adults. The third season of Home Movies still has much of the same quirky and clever humor, but it has no qualms about letting it be known that it is not appropriate for children. Coach McGuirk is openly drunk in many episodes and the kids have developed a taste for swearing.

Brendon Small is in third grade and he is already a veteran filmmaker. Along with his friends Melissa and Jason, Brendon makes film in all sorts of genres, with all kinds of characters. The only thing that he doesn’t make movies about is kids his age. Although the filmmaking process is still very present in the show, there are other things which take the forefront in some episodes. There are a lot more scenes where the kids are not even present and the adults have their own storyline. Although the other seasons had this occasionally, it seems that they realized how funny characters like Coach McGuirk are and gave them more time.

Some of the episodes in season three are not as good, but this is probably because there are a few in this season which are better than any of the episodes in the series thus far. There are thirteen episodes in season three and they are all given about the same treatment as the episodes in the season two package. The episodes are fit into three separate discs which are packaged in slim-disc cases and all set in a thin box. The artwork for the cover of the boxes has never impressed me much, and season three is no different. It is a rather random picture of one of the movies the kids make, and although the set is filled with these pictures inside the slim-discs, it seems a shame that the cover art couldn’t be more special.

The menus look about the same in season three as they did in season two, with the screen set up as if it was Brendon’s point-of-view. Perhaps the best part about the menus is the sound clips. There is a line or two for each of the episodes as you scroll past them. It is funnier after you have seen the episode and know where it comes from, but it is a perfect example of the wit the show contains.

There are also a number of great special features. While a majority of special features on most DVDs are boring, with rare exceptions, Home Movies is the opposite. Almost every special feature is as funny as the episodes themselves. There is an interactive game, “Revenge of the Dorks”, Episode Animatics, radio interviews, episode commentaries, a featurette for people who don’t like home movies, and a different kind of music video. Hardly any of the special features aren’t worth checking out, and nearly every episode is great in season three.



Ryan Izay