Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 0026359441820
Format: AC-3
Label: Hbo Home Video
Languages: Array
Manufacturer: Hbo Home Video
MPN: HBOD94418D
Number Of Items: 2
Publisher: Hbo Home Video
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2007-11-06
Running Time: 360
Studio: Hbo Home Video
Theatrical Release Date: 2007-06-17

Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie â€" a.k.a. Flight of the Conchords â€" may be “New Zealand’s 4th Most Popular Folk Parody Duo,” but in the USA, finding someone who knows their act is about as easy as finding a kiwi nest in Central Park. To rectify this oversight, Jemaine and Bret have moved to New York’s East Village to conquer America, one fan (literally) at a time.
Unlike most HBO series, Flight of the Conchords does not want to set the world on fire. It is droll and deadpan to beat the band. If you like Tenacious D, They Might Be Giants, Jonathan Richman, Leningrad Cowboys Go America, and silly Pythonian wordplay, then its off-center charms will definitely strike a resonant chord. The Conchords are comprised of funky, funny folk duo Bret McKenzie and mutton-chopped Jemaine Clement, transplanted New Zealanders trying to make it in New York. Brett, their incompetent manager, Murray (Rhys Darby) notes, has "the right attitude," while Jemaine has "what I like to call, 'the wrong attitude.'" (Murray, who works out of the New Zealand consulate, makes the clueless agent in Extras look like Ari Gold.) Stardom eludes the band. They have one fan, Mel (Kristin Schaal), whose seething husband chaperones her while she stalks them (by season's end, even she will desert them). Financially strapped, they live in squalor and are forced to film a music video with a cell-phone camera. The dense Jemaine is a damper on Brett's love life (he derisively calls Coco, Brett's new girlfriend, "Yoko"). But from their mundane lives springs their inspired music, and it is during each episode's musical numbers that Conchords really takes flight. Sample lyrics: "You're so beautiful / You could be a hostess in the '60s"; and "I'm not crying / It's just been raining / On my face." Another mad highlight is "Bowie to Bowie" in the episode in which Brett is visited by visions of Bowie in his various career incarnations (portrayed by a dead-on Clement). But the dialogue, too, sings with an inspired, surreal lunacy. One exchange between Brett and Murray degenerates into a chicken-egg discussion over a job vs. a gig. HBO has renewed Flight of the Conchords for a second season. Bravo! As a greeting-card executive (The Daily Show's John Hodgman), who wants to license one of their tracks, tells the duo, "I believe in potential. I can see it in you guys." --Donald Liebenson

Customer Rating:
Summary: "She's Got Two Jobs...She's A Pastry Chef And A Sniper."
Comment: "Flight of the Conchords" is a quirky, deadpan HBO series about a pair of New Zealanders, Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement, trying to break into the New York music scene. The duo is more funky than any folk singers have ever been, and find themselves in a variety of Spinal Tap-esque situations involving the band, their one fan, Mel, and their incompetent manager, Murray.

The humor here is very dry and delivered in an extremely deadpan manner, so fans of broadbrush or slapstick comedy may not find this to their tastes. People who like wry and intelligent humor will love it. I was especially amused by the episode where the guys were discriminated against by a fruit cart owner because they are New Zealanders ("I don't want our customers complaining that our fruit tastes like New Zealanders.") It couldn't have been resolved better than when the vendor discovers that he was confusing Australians and New Zealanders, ultimately befriending the guys in a horrible case of mistaken identity. Another favorite was the episode where Bret was haunted by visions of David Bowie in his sleep with hilarious results, and the final episode featuring a guest spot by the wonderful Demetri Martin.

Each episode features a couple of short music videos, all of which are over-the-top funny, and are the antithesis of conventional musical productions (thank goodness). The DVD set is well worth owning, but a major complaint is the total absence of extras in a series this recent. If you like offbeat, bizarre comedy, "Flight of the Conchords" is well worth checking out.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Hilarious
Comment: This is a hilarious and innovative comedy by two upcoming stars from New Zealand. Their dry sense of humor highlights (and exaggerates) much of what goes on in the male mind.

Their ridiculous song lyrics (2 to 3 short songs per episode) cannot be further away from musicals. They are dry, witty, and memorable (my personal favorite is the unforgettable binary solo in the robot song).

You will watch this over and over again. And I am sure it will have a cult following.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: So good!... on so many levels :)
Comment: This show is the kind of show that you'll know whether or not you like after the first episode. It will either instantly resonate with you and your sense of humor... or you may not get it. It has a quirky (dorky) sense of humor and hilarious music video-like segments inserted into the episodes. It's perfect for us folks that grew up in the 80s, or folks that just love music in general. It's almost like "Seinfeld meets Weird Al". The cool thing about their music is that the songs aren't parodies of actual songs ...but more like parodies of entire genres of music/music videos. In my opinion, this show and the songs in it are expertly crafted works of comic genius... and the music really does get inside your head. It's definitely a show worth watching and re-watching (it's still funny every time)

So rather than take my word for it, do yourself a favor and check out the first episode for yourself. It may be the funniest thing you've seen in a very long time.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: funny
Comment: These guys are hilarious!!! We watched the whole season in 2 nights. Super funny and super entertaining.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Flight of the Kings!
Comment: These guys are just classic funny. Subtle, but funny.
Great session 1, I really hope they make a second session.
No bonus stuff on the DVD which was kind of disappointing.

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