REVIEW

DVD Review: Californication - The First Season

Written by Rebecca Wright
Published July 15, 2008
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Califrnctn_S1_Still_PK_012.jpgHank has indeed turned himself into a Hollywood cliché. Drowning his sorrows in so many drugs and women how could he possibly put one sentence together? Despite the fact that Hank seems determined to bed every woman in Los Angeles, he dotes on his precocious daughter and yearns to rekindle his relationship with Karen.

My initial thought after viewing the twelve episodes of Californication, was how the heck I classify this show, and as much as I tried to resist it, Californication is a male version of Sex and the City with lots more drugs! Heck, Sex and the City regular Evan Handler even plays Hank's beleaguered agent, Charlie Runkle. In an effort to get Hank to write something, Charlie gets a reluctant Hank to accept a job as a blogger for Hell-A magazine, which as it turns out is owned by Karen's new fiancé, Bill (Damian Young).

Californication is a series full of over-the-top excesses and escapades and Hank Moody is the kind of smug, self-congratulatory jerk that seems to fit David Duchovny rather well. David's seemingly permanent deadpan demeanor makes it seem as though he has to do little more than jump out of bed to slip into the role of role of Hank.

Californication is so over-the-top that once I got over my initial surprise at the amount of nudity and sex in the series I couldn't help but laugh. The situations Hank finds himself in are ridiculous, but the smart dialogue will keep adults watching.

All 12 episodes are presented in an anamorphic widescreen transfer. By default, the audio is presented in 2.0 stereo, but you can switch it to 5.1 surround and Spanish mono, with optional English captions.

Californication - The First Season
doesn't offer too many extras. However, even though it's not mentioned on the box, series executive producer and star David Duchovny does provide an audio commentary on the pilot episode along with writer/creator Tom Kapinos and director/producer/consultant Stephen Hopkins. Don't expect to learn much here. The guys mostly congratulate themselves for getting the series on the air.

Disc two contains text biographies of the stars of the series and a photo gallery. Maybe next season's set will at least include some type of behind-the-scenes featurette?

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Rebecca is a freelance writer, concentrating in the areas of film, television and music criticism. Her B.A. is in the Humanities with an emphasis in film and writing.She holds an M.A. in American and British literature with an emphasis in dystopian literature and detective fiction.
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DVD Review: Californication - The First Season
Published: July 15, 2008
Type: Review
Section: Video
Filed Under: Video: Drama, Video: Television
Writer: Rebecca Wright
Rebecca Wright's BC Writer page
Rebecca Wright's personal site
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