Big Love: The Complete First Season
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Actor: Bill Paxton, Chloe Sevigny, Ginnifer Goodwin, Harry Dean Stanton, Jeanne TripplehornBrand: HBO Home Video
Producer: Tom Hanks
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: AC-3, Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: Unknown
Running Time: 693 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-10-17
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Model: 1000003732
Studio: HBO Home Video
Product features:
- Think having three wives is a dream come true? Think again. HBO presents the new contemporary drama series that tells the story of Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton), a practicing polygamist who lives in suburban Salt Lake City with his three wives and seven children. An independent businessman who runs a growing chain of hardware stores, Bill faces a myriad of challenges in meeting the emotional, roma
DVD Reviews of Big Love: The Complete First Season
DVD Review: Who wants Big Love on a Utah highway?
Summary: 3 Stars
Polygamy. While I do believe this is currently happening in the United States and around the world, it is a darkened corner that the media hasn't really attached itself to consciously. I have seen quite a bit of films and television, and until Big Love, I don't remember anything that tackled this forgotten issue. It seems that most media venues would rather focus on the structured lifestyle of Mormonism in Utah, instead of this much smaller, yet very radical sect. Well, that is to say, until HBO decided to raise its very powerful little hand. HBO has been a cable station that has pushed the envelope of dramatic and comedy television successfully over the course of the past six years. Their programming has been influential, charismatic, and groundbreaking - while continuing to be entertaining (a tough combination for mainstream networks). While their shows (like The Sopranos, Deadwood, and Curb Your Enthusiasm) depict over-the-top antics, it is their characters, with their emotional stories behind them, which keep their shows grounded and continuous repeat viewers. HBO is the station for amazing television. That is why I am not surprised to see them conquer (of sorts) polygamy in their new series Big Love. While it is not the best original outing that I have seen come from HBO, I am still impressed and eager to see how they plan on developing their characters after the "GASP" at the end of this first season.
As mentioned before, what makes HBO television worth enjoying are the characters. It seems that from Larry David to Tony Soprano to now Bill Hendrickson, there is a level of connectivity that HBO brings to the screen. While I don't engage in polygamy, I still found myself drawn to the show because of two grand reasons - 1) the unknown and 2) the characters. Shame on me, but I know very little about polygamy outside of films depicting the Middle East. Because of the lacking detail from our American media department, I was oblivious to the day-to-day lifestyle of those that lead "the principle", so I was instantly pulled in. I watched as Bill Hendrickson (played extra dry by Bill Paxton), owner of Hendrickson's Home Plus (a Lowe's or Home Depot), walked into one house to keep up "normal" appearances, but instantly walked into a big backyard combining the two houses next to his. These were his families, and like any family, they are all different. Bill's first wife, "Boss Lady" Barb (played by Jeanne Tripplehorn) is his rock. She is his first wife, and he has a much older family with her. She is his right hand, because she can be seen in public with him, while the other wives (or sisters) cannot due to legal reasons. Bill's second wife Nikki (Chloë Sevigny) is the firecracker of the group, constantly fighting the normality of the situations and constantly seeking attention. Her story about this marriage is a bit cloudy, but hopefully will be discovered a bit further with Season Two. Finally, there is Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin) who seems the least likely to be in the polygamy lifestyle. She is the outcast, being the third wife, who constantly struggles for approval.
It is with these four highly different, yet completely developed characters that Big Love is a show that you cannot put down. HBO releases each episode with having these characters engulfed in smaller dilemmas, but never forgetting about the big picture that constantly hangs on Bill's shoulders. This is a series about family, in a non-conformist sort of way. It is interesting to see how HBO used polygamy to bring about a show that is, at the core, about family values. It is a program about seeing the differences of your family, and accepting the truth about them. While, again, with Big Love it is more over-the-top, a trained eye can see that Bill loves his family, and throughout this series fights for their well being. For those worried that Big Love is a highly religious show, I would have to wean you from that thought. Big Love does take place in Utah, and there is some outside references to LDS, but it is very small. In fact, it is the LDS community (those smaller characters like my favorite -- Tina Majorino's Heather Tuttle) that keeps the questions that we would typically find ourselves asking at the top of our minds. The series continues to evolve from episode one, giving us both the issues facing the external problems (i.e. the community at large), but also the internal struggles with three completely different wives and the families that they foster. HBO gives us these problems tactfully and with ease, with subtle moments that make this series all HBO - for example, the estranged relationship between Margene and Bill's eldest son, who is currently coping with the phasing steps of his high school relationship. All fun - all engrossing.
That is finally to say that Big Love doesn't have its faults. This series will frustrate you because of how well the cast works. You have characters that are annoying, that make you nervous and that you down right dirtily hate, but yet it continues to pull you in each and every episode. Alas, this is not a show that I could watch over and over again. It reminded me of the Showtime series Weeds in that not enough was developed from the beginning and not enough is disclosed through the first season. Big Love demonstrated the tact of having post-issues with the characters (issues that we have not seen on screen), but did not deconstruct them very well. Bill's childhood is unfamiliar. The medical dilemma that brought Bill back into the "principle". Bill's brother's football story. The history of the wives and their interconnection with Bill ... and finally - are there polygamist gangsters? I felt for a short time that HBO was capitalizing on The Sopranos with Bill's conflicts with Roman Grant. I also was missing the connection on why Roman's daughter Nikki was married to Bill ... all questions that I thought would be answered, but alas, I have to wait until season two.
Overall, I must give high marks to this show for its originality and experimentation into a world within our own that is hardly spoken about, but it lacks repeat viewings. It isn't a show that I could own or re-watch like The Sopranos or Deadwood because of some slower moments in the center of the series. I loved the characters, but sometimes the over-the-top conflicts were too much. Again, I cannot restate my confusion with polygamist gangsters ... I would like more literature on this please! I would suggest this series to friends, but just for one viewing. It isn't going to be for everyone, but well worth the time if you decide to carry it out. Overall, Big Love began with mediocrity, but I think it has the potential to pull forward.
Grade: *** out of *****
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