The Good
A hilarious show that doesn’t just lampoon police officers but everyone.
The Bad
I just wish there were more episodes in this release.
Reno 911!: The Complete Fourth Season has the officers from the Reno, Nevada Sheriff’s department do everything to restore law and “in-order” to people’s everyday lives. Whether we’re following Deputy Garcia, Deputy Junior, Lt. Dangle, Officer Wiegel or any of the members of the Sheriff’s department, you can always be sure that laughs (and the officers personality) is bound to get in the way of any situation these unlawful officers face. Whether the officers are handling Carrot Top having an outburst in a hotel, or a crime wave has disrupted life in Reno, or a futuristic, naked man wielding a gun has gotten their attention, this show stops at nothing to try and dole out some form of comedic justice.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
On the surface, it is easy to see Reno 911! as simply a show going for laughs. In many ways it is, but if you decide to watch this show with a bit more of an analytical eye, I think that you will certainly see that it is an equal opportunity offender. In a lot of ways it is like Borat, in that it is making fun of the very people its characters are portraying. Yet, like Borat, Reno 911!: The Complete Fourth Season shows us things about ourselves through laughter that otherwise might not have been brought out.
Features
Profiles In Valor
This section (which is spread out over both discs in this set) essentially goes through the department. Featuring the best moments of the officers in question, we are also treated to them talking about about their jobs and telling us about their lives. What you have to respect is that these people never break character. I am assuming the scenes are staged, but when Dangle sings “Don’t Mess With Meth” in front of the class, I am wondering how the kids kept a straight face during that song? Sometimes hearing some of the people was a bit much. I think there were moments when Deputy Junior went a little too overboard, but on the whole I found this section to be just as funny as the other ones.
Extended Scenes
There are commentary tracks for Episodes 4, 8, 9 and 11. I chose to listen to the first commentary track (Episode 4), because I didn’t really know anything about this show so I figured that was a good place to start. I love how funny these guys are and they aren’t coy about it. It’s not like the creators of this show think they’re doing anything that great, they merely tell us how they put whatever show they’re talking about together. The discuss getting Wiegel to perform pregnant and nude, how they had no idea what the motivational speaker was going to do in their scene, and they also discuss letting the comedy originate organically out of whatever situation the characters are in.
Video
Full Screen Format. Shot on video, if there wasn’t any of the comedic moments employed, I would assume that this is how the police procedural videos look. These episodes look like any Reality TV/News show that you have ever seen. There really isn’t anything done to the photography to make it any more of less clear than what is presented. Since this show is staged, it’s not like the camera operators have to act like flies on the wall, but that is almost exactly how it seems the show’s creators want this thing to feel. Sometimes when you get video that is this well shot you get weird lighting patterns, and even some hits on it after it is compressed. Everything here looks outstanding.
Audio
Dolby Digital: English Stereo. The sound for this release was also really good. There isn’t too much done to it (other than to make it sound like a reality show) but the sound work is solid. It isn’t like they try and get into the characters heads, but they do you use music and other telltale noises to let us know a little bit more about each character’s mindset. Nothing too amazing, but the audio helps play into the gag overall.
Package
The cast of this show (some brandishing weapons) is presented on the front of this slipcase cover. The back shows us the same cast, it gives us a tiny description of this show, and it also gives us pictures from certain episodes. Beyond that it offers us a Bonus Material listing and some technical specs. The discs for this set come in two slim cases both of which have a human target on the front. The back of the cases give us another shot of the cast, and on the inside are some more pictures, as well as an episode listing and description.
Final Word
I was very surprised with how much I liked Reno 911!: The Complete Fourth Season. I haven’t ever really watched this show as I think that making fun of cops is a little too played out. How many times can people tell us donut jokes before the things just become old? Yet, Reno 911! doesn’t ever really go in that direction. In looking at the idiosyncrasies of police officers, they people they arrest, and the lifestyles that the officers inhabit off duty, this show isn’t simply laughing at people to laugh at them. I am not saying that Reno 911! is some great piece of art. What it does do is takes a show like Cops, and make fun of it but not in a way that is malicious.
Everything about Reno 911!: The Complete Fourth Season is done in the service of the jokes. Most of the time it works, some of the time it doesn’t, but these guys often get points for pushing the envelope and trying.
Reno 911! was released .
