Starring: Mary-Louise Parker Directed By: Burr Steers, Lee Rose Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Binding: DVD Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC Label: Lionsgate Number of Items: 2 Region Code: 1 Release Date: July 11, 2006 Running Time: 283 minutes Theatrical Release Date: August 07, 2005
Amazon.com: With its fantastic comedy series Weeds, cable network Showtime finally gave up its also-ran status to HBO and found itself with a controversial, buzz-worthy show that was as hilarious as it was dark, one about a truly desperate housewife. A recent widow with two growing sons, Nancy Botwin (Golden Globe winner Mary-Louise Parker) looks like a typical resident of the affluent Southern California suburb of Agrestic. She keeps a clean, upscale house (with the help of a live-in maid), attends PTA meetings, goes to her kids' soccer games, makes frequent stops at the local coffee franchise.... and sells marijuana in order to make it all possible. Left with no way to support herself after her beloved husband's fatal heart attack, Nancy turns herself into the "suburban baroness of bud," dealing to her neighbors in the area, with the help of her supplier Heylia (Tonye Patano) and point man Conrad (Romany Malco). Nancy's clients run from the local councilman (Kevin Nealon) to the just-barely-legal students at the local community college, but many in Agrestic are still in the dark as to how she keeps her family afloat, including her best friend, the sardonic Celia (Elizabeth Perkins), a wife and mother whose blistering, withering put-downs could make Dorothy Parker cringe in fear. But like many small-business owners, Nancy yearns for more success and cash, and like her workaholic neighbors, finds keeping a balance between work life and home life to be extremely precarious at best.
While Desperate Housewives yearned to be a suburban satire with bite, Weeds was the real deal, skewering upper-middle class mores with a sharp eye, a keen wit, and a mostly forgiving heart. In episode after episode, the show's creative team (led by creator Jenji Kohan) pulled back the layers of Agrestic's superficiality to show what lies beneath the squeaky-clean exteriors and smiling faces; it turns out that hunger, fear, desire, and, yes, desperation aren't that far down. However, Weeds forsakes pulpiness and florid drama for biting yet affectionate humor--its heroine is a woman with sliding morals, but one you'll root for to the very end. The effervescent Parker, the only actress who can mix perkiness with morbidity in just the right amounts, anchored the show with her amazing turn as Nancy, who by the end of the first season had become a kind of soccer-mom version of Michael Corleone, entering a corrupt world with both trepidation and fascination--and totally enamored of the power it brought her. Also perfectly cast, Perkins found the role of a lifetime as the bitterly hilarious Celia, and entering the show in its fourth episode, Justin Kirk (Parker's co-star in Angels in America) proved to be a potent secret weapon as Nancy's brother-in-law Andy, a slacker who wasn't above peddling t-shirts to elementary school kids. As icky as these characters might appear on the surface, Weeds made them all immensely appealing and great company to be around. Don't say we didn't warn you: one hit and you'll be hooked on this show. The DVDs feature six episode commentaries with cast and crew, outtakes, original featurettes, a music video, and most enjoyably, Agrestic Herbal Recipes (for entertainment value only, we assume) and the "Smoke and Mirrors" marijuana mockumentary. --Mark Englehart
Seamless and Addictive "Weeds" is a pretty seamless show. It juggles comedy, satire, and drama so successfully that you can never really predict which scene will bring what. It's a tightly written series with a great cast that all comes together in one of the most utterly addictive television shows that is currently on air.
I love that the show doesn't condone or condemn marijuana. I love that this isn't a show you have to be high for, but it's also so intelligently and thoughtfully written that it appeals to people who just may be high when watching. I love that it isn't afraid to show the petty and ugly sides of the characters we're supposed to sympathize with. And while I usually love long, twenty-five episode seasons, I love that this season is made up of ten half-hour episodes that are more like slices-of-life than any noticeable story arc or anthology. I love that you can pretty much sit down on a lazy afternoon and watch the entire season and still have the night to yourself.
The first season of "Weeds" is an air-tight, well done show that will appeal to the stoner crowd, the Desperate Housewives crowd, and virtually anyone in between. It's easily one of the finest shows on the air right now, and I can't wait to see what directions this series takes.
8/10
Pleasantly suprised This is a good show, it packs a lot of stuff into each 25 minute episode. Four stars and not five because I think we're all growing a bit weary of these "look how cool and irreverent we are living our crazy lives in LA" shows that HBO and Showtime keep churning out whether we want them or not.
Little Boxes, on the hillside, Little Boxes made of ticky-tacky... Weeds was another show recommended to me by friends. Dubiously I began watching, not sure what I was getting into. Comedy? I was expecting drama. What you get is a mix of both and much more.....
The CAST is what really makes this show work. While at times, at least in season 1, the writing/story may be lacking, you can't help but laugh at Doug (Kevin Nealon), scoff at Andy and shake your head at Nancy and Celia! What's more, is that even the cast that has a slightly more supporting role, is truly talented and gives the show it's life. Happily, the pace picks up through out the season, as does the drama & the laughs. It will have you running to the store to see what is going to happen in season 2, and let me say, it only gets better!!
Way to go Showtime!
Amazing! I bought this DVD on a whim and I LOVED IT! I went through both discs in 2-days and I have been going back to watch them again. I have yet to see seasons 2 and 3 but I can't wait to see what happens next! Very edgy and keeps you laughing... Mary Louise Parker's character is amazing as well.
Weeds - Season One Weeds - Season One I laughted until I cryed. I just couldn't believe I was seeing this, but it was funny and sad at the same time. I can't wait to get the second season.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Tailipoe
Trevor
